My better half and I took a couple of days to visit [eat our way through] southern Connecticut.
One of the first things on the itinerary was to try out New Haven-style pizza at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Nepoletana.
It was a weekday lunch and there was a bit of a line, but it moved along at a reasonably quick pace. (There was about 8 parties before us and we waited about 15-20 minutes.) It helped that there was nice weather.
The interior is warm and casual. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it reminded us of some of the pizzerias in Italy.
But on to the pizza. We ordered a medium pizza (~14"), split between two flavors:
White Clam - Fresh clams w/ grated cheese, olive oil, fresh garlic & oregano
Fresh Tomato - Fresh native tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh garlic & basil
The crust on the pie was quite thin, had a crunch to its exterior but still somehow retained a bit of bready chewiness to the interior. In fact, despite its thin-ness, the fresh tomato side in particular had portions of crust that were a workout for the jaw.
Flavorwise, we enjoyed both of the pies.
The fresh tomato side had a layer of mozzarella that was thicker than the actual crust and really was the main reason why we liked it. True to name, the tomatoes were fresh, but don't expect anything like San Marzano's or Jersey tomatoes that have their own unique bold flavors. I will say that the Mozzarella was a touch on the salty side.
The white clam side was even saltier, to the point it distracted from the decent flavor of the clams and the garlic chunks.
All in all, we did like the pizza. It didn't strike us as something that would impress foodie friends, but if we could envision ourselves stopping in regularly for a pizza if we lived in the area.
Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana
157 Wooster Street New Haven, CT 06511 (Map)Multiple Locations
www.pepespizzeria.com