Pizza and The Original Hamburger in New Haven, CT
BY JOSH RAYNOLDS |
In America’s pizza world New Haven, Connecticut holds a special place in the hearts of die-hard purists and history buffs. Three of the country’s longest established and most venerated pizzerias thrive here and are universally considered must-stops and on the bucket list for pizza completists – Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which opened its doors on Wooster Street in 1925; Sally’s Apizza, founded in 1938 and located just a couple of blocks down the street by Frank Pepe’s sister, Filomena Consiglio and named for her son, Salvatore; and Modern Apizza, also not far away, on State Street, in 1934 by Antonio Tolli when he was only 24 years old.
While all three originally used coal-fired, brick ovens, Modern changed over to oil fuel in 1967, when local coal production ceased, but Sally’s still burns coal in their original oven, as does Pepe’s at both their adjunct carry-out and their “new” location, which opened in a former drug store in 1937. Friendly but often heated arguments ensue when discussing the virtues of each pizzeria but my un-scientific and anecdotal studies have proven that Modern, while the least-known to outsiders, is marginally the preferred choice of locals.
I was recently passing through New Haven, outside the always hectic lunch and dinner hours, so made the not-difficult decision to stop by Modern, followed by a quick swing into Louis’ Lunch, founded in 1895 and home of what many historians believe is the world’s original hamburger. As usual, both snacks were sublime, both for the food and the atmosphere. I cannot recommend an eating tour of New Haven highly enough, especially for anybody working their way up the I-95 and I-91 corridor between New York and Boston. It’s more than worth a detour, as the Michelin people would say.
874 State St
New Haven, CT
I was recently passing through New Haven, outside the always hectic lunch and dinner hours, so made the not-difficult call to stop in Modern and also to swing into Louis’ Lunch, founded in 1895 and home of what many historians believe is the world’s original hamburger. As usual, both quick snacks were sublime, both for the food and the atmosphere.
