The Joy of Pizza

 

Sal's in Mamaroneck is still my gold standard

Mahopac has roughly 8,500 people, according to census estimates.

It has thirteen pizza places, according to Google, in our 6.4 square miles.

They're dotted along US Route 6, all the way down to Peppino's, which is technically in the hamlet of Baldwin Place, Town of Somers in Westchester County, but it might as well be in the Pac for our purposes.

Most of these places have existed for years, while a few changed hands over time.

Other pizza places are on NY Route 6N from the "downtown" of Mahopac to Mahopac Falls. Two more sit on Secor Road, within a mile of each other.

I was jonesing for pizza over the weekend. Thankfully, Sean wasn't around because while he likes pizza, he doesn't have the same passion for it that I do.

I can (and do) eat pizza a lot.

Now, when you truly get right down to it, I'm a cheese pizza guy. The right ratio of sauce (no chunks or skins, thanks) and cheese with a nice chewy crust makes me happy. That doesn't mean I won't dabble. I appreciate and even love a good square (Sicilian) or meatball or buffalo chicken pie or some other combination but when asked what I want, I normally opt for classic cheese.

Without Sean around, I felt this was the perfect time to grab a pie and, dare I say, I'd go pick it up! I haven't done that since the early days of the pandemic when I recall standing in a pizza place with very limited social distancing to go along with very few masks. Say what you want, but we have improved since then.

I got to the pizza place before my pie was ready. To be fair, they do dinners and have sit-down dining, so it's not just pizza. So I stood and watched TV and waited patiently. I had nowhere to be.

This also meant I'd watch my pizza come out of the oven and get handed to me.

I was thrilled when the box was placed in my hand and I bounded out to the car. Back at home, I opened it to discover the pizza was so hot...so fresh...so fully packed...

That the cheese had shifted in transit.

This might anger or frustrate some. I was overjoyed.

It was beautiful. It was messy. I heaped cheese and sauce back onto my first slice and enjoyed every savory bite.

I won't say which pizza place I went to (again: 13 to choose from) but I will say that it's a good pie for that part of town.

Few things replace Sal's (Mamaroneck, NY) in my pizza-loving heart. There are some (hello, Staten Island) that will do quite nicely, and, yes, there are those New Haven places (they get very sensitive about this topic).

But this pie was quite sufficient. I had the right amount of flop on the slice and the taste was more than just fine.

Paired with whatever you damn-well please it's a perfect combination for any time. I opted for some football and a cold beverage.

And, while never the same, there are leftovers. I've since finished those off.

To me, it's an essential part of the "Americana experience" in quotes because it is hardly an American food but we seem to love it quite a bit. We New Yorkers are pretty proud of our pizza but, as mentioned, so are people around New Haven. Then there's the Chicago thing, as well as others who want a -- ahem -- slice of that pie like Old Forge, PA for instance.

There are other areas that haven't quite found their pizza groove. It can be difficult to find a good pie (let alone slices) in parts of the deep south. 

Normally, your options there are some of the mass-produced places. You know the ones.

For what it's worth, we also have a Domino's in Mahopac. With a dozen other options, we have a Domino's. Hysterical.

Now I want more pizza. Football is kicking off.