Which wine goes best with pizza?

Marla, Florida

Answer: There are nearly as many answers to that question as there are pizzas. Of course the simple answer is “Whatever you like” but a few guidelines may help. Remember that Italian wines are meant to accompany food. Often the foods and wine of a region develop side by side ...

A white pizza has no sauce… is this really a pizza?

Amy, Los Angeles

Answer: Before we pass judgment on how we define a pizza, keep in mind that culinary rules are constantly evolving. They have been baking and eating flatbreads topped with savory sauces and fresh herbs in Campania (the birth place of Pizza) for over 2 thousand years. The tomato didn’t arrive in ...

What are the five best pizzas you’ve ever had? Where did you have them?

Al, New York

Answer: My favorite pizza is usually whichever one is sitting in front of me, but some of the most memorable I’ve eaten recently include: Strecchino and arugula at Jim Leahy’s “Co.” in New York City- For some reason they are calling the strecchino cheese stracciatella, but by any name this is an ...

Submit your Question

  1. (required)
  2. (valid email required)
  3. (required)
 

The Latest Slice from John Arena

Be Commited to the Commitment

A few weeks ago I was able to spend some time in Chicago at the National Restaurant Show. Times are tough, no doubt about it. The show certainly had fewer attendees than we have seen in the past. Some of the booths and exhibits were scaled down. Of course some businesses chose to skip the [...]

It’s all about the dough, no it’s the oven, no it’s…..

 Everyone has an opinion about what makes a pizza great, and by extension what makes a great pizzeria. We want to find something that we can focus on, some key element that simplifies the process. Well the answer is… Willie Mays. That’s it… Willie Mays! Runs, hits, makes the big plays, steals bases, bangs out [...]

Full Contact Cooking- Celebrity Chef VS Grandma

I have some great friends  at Nick’s Pizza and Pub in suburban Chicago who have generously shared their unique business philosophy with me over the past few years.
One of the guiding principles of Nick’s is that all food must pass “the Grandma test”. Before bringing a food item to the table, employees must ask themselves if they would serve the [...]