Big Apple Sports Bar and Restaurant

Name of Restaurant: Big Apple Sports Bar and Restaurant

City, State: Bayonne, NJ

Specialty pizza: Salad Pizza, Taco Pizza, Shrimp Scampi, Philly Cheese Steak

1. Crust (flavor, crispiness, how well it holds the ingredients, how it was cooked?): 1-5

0.5 thinness; very flimsy but comes in handy because it’s easier to fold. Hard to taste the flavor of the crust because its so thin. 3 ½ stars

2. Sauce (flavor, quantity, viscosity): 1-5

3 stars; Good flavor, not a lot of sauce on the pizza but good balance with the cheese.

3. Cheese/Toppings (flavor, quantity, technique used): 1-5

Loved the seasonings that they added on top of the cheese it gave it extra pizzazz. Cheese was good but so greasy we had to drain it all off before we could eat it. Not recommended to eat in the car (especially if you are driving and don’t want to ruin your pants); 3 stars

4. Overall quality/Taste: 1-5

Good flavor and balance overall; 3 ½

5. Presentation of the Pizza: (how it’s sliced, served):

Big slices, don’t know how it was served because we got it to go!

6. Ambiance/Décor of the Restaurant/Friendliness of the staff:

Not sure…because we got the pizza to go, however Maurio said that when he was there before he was impressed.

Star Tavern

Name of Restaurant: Star Tavern World Famous Pizzeria

City, State: Orange, NJ

Background of Restaurant: “The Star” as it’s called is owned and operated by the Vayianos family for 27 years. Their popularity is a result of generations of families who are regulars and the delicious, consistent and moderately priced food that they serve.

Specialty pizza: Sicilian, White/Red spinach, Eggplant, Three Cheese

1. Crust (flavor, crispiness, how well it holds the ingredients, how it was cooked?): 1-5

3.5-4:thinness, held ingredients well, not flimsy good flavor, 2 ½ stars. Since we ordered a bar pie the crust was thicker than the regular pie, it was still crispy on the bottom but slightly burnt around the edges.

2. Sauce (flavor, quantity, viscosity): 1-5

More sauce than cheese, pretty flavorful although I found it a little salty (Maurio didn’t though); 2 ½ stars

3. Cheese/Toppings (flavor, quantity, technique used): 1-5

Cheese was flavorful and not too greasy, absorbs the sauce and blends with it; 3 stars

4. Overall quality/Taste: 1-5

Overall it was a pretty good slice of pie but I don’t think that it was all that it was made out to be but that was probably because we ordered the bar pie instead of the super thin regular pie (our mistake). 2 ½ stars

5. Presentation of the Pizza: (how it’s sliced, served):

Small bar pie, 12” with 8 pieces, served on metal plate

6. Ambiance/Décor of the Restaurant/Friendliness of the staff:

Bar type place with TV’s, nice and friendly atmosphere. A great place to hang out with friends, have a few drinks and a couple slices of pizza.

De'Lorezo's Tomato Pies

Name of Restaurant: De’Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies

City, State: Robinsville, NJ (the original is in Trenton, NJ)

Background of Restaurant: In 1936 the De’Lorenzo family opened one of the first pizza (tomato pie) restaurants in Trenton (which to this day doesn’t have a restroom inside). In 1947 Alexander “Chick” De’Lorenzo established De’Lorenzo’s at 530 Hudson St and worked with his wife at this restaurant for 40 years. De’Lorenzo’s restaurant in Trenton was named in the top 25 pizza joints in New Jersey.

Specialty pizza: Clam pizza (which we didn’t try unfortunately)

1. Crust (flavor, crispiness, how well it holds the ingredients, how it was cooked?): 1-5 overall; 1-10 (1=thinnest, 10=thickest)

5-on a thinness level, thicker type crust, a little bland, 2 ½

2. Sauce (flavor, quantity, viscosity): 1-5

3- chunky with a fresh taste but a tad bit on the bland side. Not very sweet, Whole pieces of tomato, more sauce than cheese.

3. Cheese/Toppings (flavor, quantity, technique used): 1-5

Good, fresh flavor but would have liked a little more cheese; 3

4. Overall quality/Taste: 1-5

2 1/2; Good flavor, fresh and not greasy, too bland for me though. It might have been a totally different experience if we visited the location in Trenton though

5. Presentation of the Pizza: (how it’s sliced, served):

Cut in cookie cutter shapes, which was a unique and interesting attribute that makes De’Lorenzo’s stand out against other pizza shops.

6. Ambiance/Décor of the Restaurant/Friendliness of the staff:

Very new and clean looking, pictures on the wall. The owner was very nice, actually chasing after us to make sure we were coming back since they were about to close. De’Lorenzo is BYOB which is nice because you can bring in wine or beer and enjoy the pizza without blowing a lot of money on alcohol.

Name of Restaurant: Jo Jo’s Tavern and Restaurant

City, State: Trenton, NJ

Specialty pizza: Mustard Pie (not on regular menu); can order spicy brown mustard or regular.

1. Crust (flavor, crispiness, how well it holds the ingredients, how it was cooked?): 1-5

2-2.5 on thickness level; 2 ½-3 overall, holds ingredients well, under crust was a little underdone, good flavor

2. Sauce (flavor, quantity, viscosity): 1-5

Regular pizza sauce: fresh, seasoned well (garlic/herbs), smooth viscosity

Spicy mustard: added extra spice and flavor, added acidity which gave balance to the whole pie, very interesting flavor but I’m definitely a fan! 3 ½ stars.

3. Cheese/Toppings (flavor, quantity, technique used): 1-5

Good amount of cheese and good flavor, pizza we got with hot cherry peppers added spice and they remembered to take stems off which some restaurants often forget (which shows that they pay attention to detail). 3 ½

4. Overall quality/Taste: 1-5

Very good pizza, well balanced, good sauce, could have been crispier. Mustard pie is a unique concept and is a must try! 3-3 ½ stars

5. Presentation of the Pizza: (how it’s sliced, served): Bar pies: small pizzas, around 12” with 8 slices, also offer regular sizes.

6. Ambiance/Décor of the Restaurant/Friendliness of the staff: Bar/Casual, several TV’s on the walls, type of place where there are several “regulars”, very friendly and attentive service

Pete and Elda's Review

Name of Restaurant: Pete and Elda’s

City, State: Neptune, NJ

Specialty pizza: Supreme- if you can eat a super extra large (16”) you get a free T-shirt ( I think Maurio is determined to go back and accomplish this)

Background: Pete and Elda's has been specializing in Thin crust pizzas for 50 years, using the same recipe! It was voted the #1 Pizza Bar in the New Jersey Monthly in 2007 and the # 1 pizza in Monmouth/Ocean counties by The Asbury Park Press, Reader's Choice Awards.

1. Crust (flavor, crispiness, how well it holds the ingredients, how it was cooked?): 1-5

1-thinness scale, very thin, very crispy, stood up to the no bend test (not flimsy), holds together on its own. 4 stars overall

2. Sauce (flavor, quantity, viscosity): 1-5

3- not much sauce at all, there was more focus on the cheese

3. Cheese/Toppings (flavor, quantity, technique used): 1-5

Overly abundant on cheese. Not good for lactose intolerant or people with a weak stomach. Forgot to take off the stems on the hot peppers. 3 stars

4. Overall quality/Taste: 1-5

Place is very popular and has earned all of it! Brings out competitive people and pretty much every type of person. 4 ½ stars

5. Presentation of the Pizza: (how it’s sliced, served):

Big slices and extra thin

6. Ambiance/Décor of the Restaurant/Friendliness of the staff:

Really old school, brings families and bar patrons, very nice staff.

Vic's Pizza Review

Name of Restaurant: Vic’s Bar and Restaurant

City, State: Bradley Beach, NJ

Background of Restaurant: In 1933 Vitorrio “Vic” Giunco opened Vic’s Bar. After World War 2 Vic and his son John expanded, opening Vic’s Restaurant in 1947. Vic’s thin crust pizza pies and delicious signature Italian dishes helped the restaurant become popular on the Jersey shore. The business has been up and running for 40 years.

Specialty pizza: Cheese, onions and hot peppers

1. Crust (flavor, crispiness, how well it holds the ingredients, how it was cooked?): 1-5

4- on thinness factor, Not as thin as the other places but still had good flavor and was very crispy. It held up well to the ingredients and wasn’t flimsy. 4 out of 5 stars overall

2. Sauce (flavor, quantity, viscosity): 1-5

Comments: We gave the sauce 4 out of 5 stars. It had a hint of sweetness, smooth texture, with a little spice, they didn’t put too much sauce so it didn’t overwhelm the pie.

3. Cheese/Toppings (flavor, quantity, technique used): 1-5

Comments: 4 ½ stars, Very good quality cheese, just enough cheese to balance out the sauce

4. Overall quality/Taste: 1-5

Cheese was mouthwatering and melted in my mouth (could have been because it was my first New Jersey slice). All the flavors balanced well together. The hot pepper pizza was a little too hot for me and took away from the flavor (however, Maurio would disagree with me). I give it 4 1/2 stars overall.

5. Presentation of the Pizza: (how it’s sliced, served):

Served on metal bar servers (which apparently the misconception is that we don’t have any in Texas), normal slices

6. Ambiance/Décor of the Restaurant/Friendliness of the staff:

Homey/Family style restaurant, very antique looking. The chairs at the table were very close which made you feel even more like a family!

*So far Vic's is at the top of the list..