Dive of the Month
By Steve Carter
Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana - New Haven, Connecticut
I recently had the opportunity to drive from Detroit to Cape Cod. I decided to take my time and stop at local joints along the way and visit a few Carhartt retail partners. I could write a short book about the trip – the places I visited and the great dives I visited. Fortunately for you, I am not allowed that much space in this monthly column! Suffice it to say I found that in flying from city to city, a lot is missed. I intend to take a road trip to visit stores and dives at least once a year!
I had great hot dogs, deli sandwiches, tenderloins, burgers, lobster rolls, clam rolls, soups, and even granola for breakfast on one occasion (my one tip of the cap toward healthy food). With all of the dives and the variety of food I experienced, I have to share one special place with you.
Eighty years ago, Frank Pepe opened a pizzeria on Wooster Street in New Haven. In an area of no more than a few blocks, some of the best pizza in North America is sold. Modern Apizza and Sally’s Apizza are within a stone’s throw of Frank Pepe’s. I had heard about Frank Pepe’s from friends for many years, but I had never taken the time to stop in while visiting the New England area. What better time to check this off than on my road trip! Getting to 157 Wooster Street was no picnic, given the typical traffic on I-95 and enough detours to dissuade all but the most determined food fanatic.
I had heard that lines at Frank Pepe’s are to be expected. I hoped that arriving at 3:00 in the afternoon might mitigate the wait. Not only did I park off the street in the small lot in front of The Spot, but I was seated in the front room where I could watch the pizza masters at work. The place is a classic, and I don’t imagine it has changed much over the past several decades. A constant flow of people – cooks working the dough on large tables, a handful of spices being thrown about, and clouds of flour wafting in the light. Tables with enough wear that you know they have been in service for years. The wait staff was perfect. Just enough attitude to let you know that they were in charge, but the soft side came out when they discovered that I was on a quest.
The menu is very simple: The Original Tomato Pie, The Original Tomato Pie with Mozzarella, Clam Pies, Chicken Pies, Fresh Tomato Pie (summer only of course), and a list of basic ingredients. I had come for the clam pie with white sauce. This pie had been described to me by Jon Sturdevant, a 20+ year veteran of Carhartt from the New England area. When Jon talks food, it pays to listen. I ordered the freshly-shucked clam pie and thought I would get mozzarella cheese on it as well. Even though it describes it on the menu, my waitress would not allow me to get the cheese on it. She told me if I loved clam and garlic, why screw up a great love affair? Who was I to argue?
I ordered a Foxon Park root beer and thought I would check a few emails. My waitress came back with the root beer and told me to put away the iPhone. I was at Frank Pepe’s, and I should enjoy the ambiance of just being there. She was right; I watched the masters making pizza and shoving them into the brick ovens, I watched the waitresses greeting regulars, I listened to a group of workers who came in for a beer and a pizza pie (it was Friday afternoon) as they talked about what they would be doing over the weekend. I could actually imagine that this same scene had played out for generations.
My attention to surroundings was rewarded by the waitress as she slapped a slice of sausage pizza in front of me. “I gave you a bit of mozza on that slice” she said as she flew by. An excellent treat, as the thin pizza with the charred crust was the perfect vehicle to carry the savory sausage into my mouth. Twenty minutes went by very quickly and before I knew, it a clam pie with white sauce was set down before me.
The experience was like no other. I have eaten pizza just about everywhere. From
My first bite was one I won’t soon forget. The thin crust covered with fresh shucked clams and a garlic white sauce brought tears to my eyes. The wonderful brinyness of the clams was in itself worth the 1200 mile drive. The edges of the pizza were charred, which showed that the pizza master had turned the pizza to get the perfect finish to the crust. The waitress sat down and explained why they use fresh shucked clams as opposed to canned clams. She told me that the guys making the pizza have been working on average 18-20 years at Frank Pepe’s. She told me I should try a Foxon Park white birch with the rest of my pie. She also doubted that I could eat the whole pie.
She was right about the white birch soda, but was wrong about me finishing the pie. I left Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana very full, but very happy. I was sorry I didn’t get a chance to walk down to Sally’s or buzz over to Modern, but I knew that this could not be outdone. If I am ever in a position to order a last meal for myself, the clam pie from Frank Pepe’s will certainly be part of it!
If you find yourself stuck in traffic on I-95 someday, take exit 46 and wind your way to Wooster Ave. You will like the vibe and love the pizza. Yet another place in
Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana
201-865-5762
Monday-Sunday, 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM
Because you write so well, I am glad to get a chance to read more than the family Christmas report.
this is not a "comment feed", just a surprise 'helllo'
Posted by: phyllis | 08/03/2010 at 11:32 PM