Frank Pepe **

I know this is a NY pizza tour but for the coal oven I make exceptions. Daena and I were visiting friends up in Massachusetts and on our way home we stopped for lunch at Frank Pepe. It is in New Haven's Little Italy on Wooster Street. I heard about this place from my friend Cate who has been there several times. We were excited to try this place and we were curious to see how Connecticut pie would stack up against NY. We arrived at about 12:30 (1 hour after they opened) and we were seated right away. The place is filled with booths and we were assigned booth 22.

Frank Pepe's was built in 1925 and it definitely has an old feel to it but it is kept in great condition. High ceilings provide great ventilation from the heat of the oven and also make the place feel big. As we walked to our booth we passed the giant coal oven which occupies the entire back wall of the pizzeria. You know its huge because the handles of the pizza peels are about 10 feet long. Even in a relatively small working area, the pizzaiolos make it look easy as they slide the pies in and out of the back of the oven. After we sat down we were given a menu which was printed on a piece of paper. Pizza only. In addition to this menu, Pepe's menu is also right on the wall. We didn't really need a menu because we knew we were going to get a large tomato pie with mozzarella ($13.80). We ordered our pie and waited. The smell of pizza filled the air and we watched as each pie was brought from the oven area to an area where the servers cut the pie.

The anticipation was palpable and we finally saw our server walk over to the large cheese pie and slice it up. We knew it was ours and we were ready for it. The pizza was really big. The crust was awesome and really crispy. The tomato sauce was light and had a great fresh flavor. The cheese was also good but I'm not sure if they use fresh mozzarella here. Also, I thought that the sauce to cheese ratio was too low. Regardless though, this pizza was excellent and we came pretty close to polishing off the large. My only criticism of this place was actually the way that the pizza was sliced. After watching the servers cut the pizza it looks like they rotate the pizza and cut with no particular timing such that each slice is a different size and some are not even triangular. They do it so fast that I couldn't tell if there was a method to their pizza cutting madness. In the end it didn't matter and it even gave the pie a character of its own. After eating this pizza, our hands were blackened from the coal crust and we were ridiculously full.

On our way out we snapped some photos of the coal oven and talked briefly to the manager. If you are there, make sure to check out the photos on the wall. We really liked the ones of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton eating pie. Also, I recommend the root beer as it perfectly complemented this pizza. When we left, the line outside Pepe's was growing. We walked over to an Italian pastry shop next door called Libby's to check out their stash of cannolis. They looked awesome but we had no room for dessert. So it looks like I'll have to get my fix back home at Ferrara's. If you are ever in New Haven and want great pizza, stop by Frank Pepe and you won't be disappointed.