Tacconelli's Pizza

I was in Philadelphia yesterday for a co-ed baby shower, so I had to re-visit Tacconelli's Pizza. For the few who don't know, Tacconelli's makes one of the better pizzas in North America. Five things stand out about Tacconelli's:

(1) The crust. When they get it just right, it's light, flexible, and a little bit crisp, with a slightly burnt underside (for flavor).

(2) The sauce. Pretty simple, heavy on the tomato and garlic. Very distinctive.

(3) The oven. They have an enormous brick-lined wood-burning oven, one that's so large they have to use a pizza peel with a handle that's probably 10 feet long. Stupidly, I once again delayed taking a picture of the oven and peel until it was too late and they had already shut down the kitchen. It just goes to show you: if you think of taking a picture, take it! Don't wait until later.

(4) The ordering. You must call them 24 hrs. in advance to reserve your dough. Pizza dough is best if you make it and let it sit out overnight before cooking. For this reason, Tacconelli's only makes just enough. Any more, and it would sit around for too long. Any less, and it wouldn't sit around long enough.

(5) The wait. We waited for over an hour for our pizzas, which was perfect. This was probably the best thing about the meal. I hadn't seen the friend I went with in almost a year--which is far too long--and the wait gave us a chance to talk, with no room to wonder whether the other would like to go, etc.

I should say, for the record, going out for pizza with this old friend of mine is particularly fitting, as he once drove with me for over ten hours round trip to try out a pizza place that I read about at the dentist's office. (It was worth it. Not perfect, but quite good.)