DAY 7: PIZZA MONTH 2007 - FRANK PEPE

LOCATION: Frank Pepe (Wooster St. New Haven, CT)

GUEST(S): Robin Rothman

ORDER: 3 slices of bacon, 2 slices of a tomato pie

PIZZA REPORT: Greasy does it. I like grease when it's the result of eating freshly cooked bacon on a slice of Frank Pepe's pizza. Despite the damp top, the thin coal fired brick oven crust held tough. Perhaps because it was shielded by a delicious layer of fresh mozzarella cheese and sweet tomato sauce which have been perfected over the last 80 years. You'll be hard pressed to find pizza this good anywhere.

ATMOSPHERE: We were the first patrons to have the pleasure of eating at Frank Pepe's on October 7th, 2007. We arrived 20 minutes before opening and soon a line began to form behind us. Located prominently on Wooster Street, Frank Pepe's is the oldest pizzeria in New Haven's little Italy. Despite quite a bit of wooden booth seating and quick service, expect a wait to get in. With high quality pizza at such low prices (fill up on pizza for about $10/ea), it is no wonder Pepe's receives nationwide recognition.

VERDICT: 4.5 out of 5

MISC:
I recommend stopping by Pepe's whenever you are driving on I95 through New Haven. Leave plenty of time for the line. Robin Rothman and I were driving from Boston to New York and woke me up minutes before I recorded the video...THAT'S why I sound so beat up.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Frank
• Pepe
• New
• Haven
• Robin
• Rothman
• Sean
• Taylor
• Pizza
• Month

[joeraccio]

The bacon pie is the best! And Pepe's is better than Sally's!

[spotlightsean]

I hear there are two distinct camps. I've only had Pepe's twice and Sally's once...so all I know is I'LL BE BACK TO BOTH!

[boberthg]

The clam their is AWESOME.

[spotlightsean]

I do like it and I'm not a huge fan of clams, in general...so I agree! I am a huge fan of sauce and cheese though so I lean towards the traditional stuff. Thanks for the comment.

[deadpoo0]

Apizza started at pepe's

[spotlightsean]

Great! Please cite your sources...send me the link. I love the taste AND the history!

[ben45720]

pepe's is amazing

[bryanappleg8te]

No. I meant arrogant, but I can see how you could think I meant ignorant, now that I know that you're not the person in the video. It's my expert opinion that people in or from New Haven don't say "moots." Frankly, It's a "moot" issue. I'm not going to bicker with you about this anymore. I made a mistake in reasoning that you were the guy in the video and I'm not interested in redirecting my defense based on this difference. It's up to you, though, if you want to start a whole new one.

[Radjehuty]

@bryanappleg8te Um...I think you were looking for the word "ignorant" rather than Arrogant. I'm not sure how Arrogance has anything to do with it. Nevertheless, just because you didn't conform to a certain dialect or culture doesn't void it's validity or existence. It's perfectly find that you don't pronounce those two words that way and personally I don't either. Either way, the maker of this video probably found out this information on Wikipedia and thought it wider spread than it really is

[bryanappleg8te]

@Radjehuty Listen, dude. It prides me that I grew up in that city and had the privelige to get the fuck out of that shit-hole. Frankly, I think you're pretty arrogant to tell me how some Italian jerk offs from East Haven, likely, pronounce a some damn words within a 50 yard radius. Why don't you do some research and teach me some colloquialisms from Newhallville? How can you tell a guy who was born there and lived there for 22 years what's what in his own home town? Please.

[Radjehuty]

@bryanappleg8te Um...."Mootz" and "Ah-Beetz" really is pronounced that way in the local dialect in Wooster Square but the key word being "local". It's just amongst the Italian families familiar with the area. Also Modern isn't near Wooster Square at all and I think you're the first person to say it's aweful.

I also live in New Haven and I love Pepe's pizza and it prides me to live in a City that started its own style of pizza. I think your statements about overrated is just your personal taste

[haroldfangbar]

This is one thing I enjoy about living in Connecticut. We have the best god damn pizza in the world. Screw all of the people that think Dominos, Pizza Hut, and all of those other chains are good. R.I.P Frank Pepe! I love living in CT.

[bryanappleg8te]

@spotlightsean we don't pronounce mozzarella like that... and we don't call pizza that. Whoever told you, or whatever resource gave you that info is wrong and sadly misguided. I grew up in New Haven, and went to high school around wooster square and state street, where modern is. Modern's Pizza tastes awful. Pepe's is so overrated. I always had better things to worry about than Sally's or Pepe's. I stepped foot into Pepe's for the first time last summer (24 years). It's good, though. I agree.

[Rdsxfn17]

just so ya know the emphesis is on Haven. So its New HAVEN, not NEW Haven.

[bigdaddy5273]

you gave that shit hole in new haven a 4 1/2 and you gave santarpios a 3 1/2 are you kidding santarpios is the best pizza ever and if you are a pizza guru you never hit bianchis pizza on revere beach ....so you never had the ultimate pizza .......the 2 best pizza places ever is bianchis is #1 and santarpios is #2 world wide