Pizza!

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Need an idea for a fun date or girls night out??

On Monday, January 23, Double Zero Napoletana is hosting a pizza making class!  The Sandy Springs restaurant is offering two separate seatings – one at 6:00 p.m. and one at 8:00 p.m.

During the classes, Double Zero Napoletana staff will offer guests an exclusive opportunity to learn the art of making Neapolitan pizza in the restaurant’s beautiful, hand-crafted Stefano Ferrara ovens.  Each class is limited to 15 attendees, and the cost is $39 per person. 

Participants will learn about the unique and nuanced process of making dough at the highest level of quality.  This interactive event also includes a glass of wine and a personal pizza creation.

So much fun!  :)

And, don’t fret that Double Zero is all the way in Sandy Springs.  It’s totally worth the schlep, as it’s one of the few restaurants that the Q+DD will travel OTP for!  Read about our recent visit to Double Zero HERE!

Can’t make the 1/23 class?  No worries!  Double Zero is hosting another on February 27. 

Make sure you register ASAP! 

xx, L

 

Double Zero Napoletana
5825 Roswell Road
Atlanta, GA  30328
404.991.3666
http://www.doublezeroatl.com/home/

Double Zero Napoletana on Urbanspoon

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As they say…

Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday.

And get down we did.

First stop: We picked up Ellen and Matt…otherwise known as BarChila…who came well-prepared for the evening:

Next up: Amazing pizza at Pizzeria Vesuvius.

We started with breadsticks (Joy: they are cheesy!) and the Greek salad (the dressing was super interesting…I liked it.) and then we went for the following:

Vesuvius
Our spicy buffalo pizza with smoked chicken breast, mozzarella, blue cheese, jalapenos, celery and buffalo sauce.

The Mighty Vesuvius

Kilauea
Grilled chicken, red onions, roasted red peppers and barbecue sauce.

Alpine
Ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheeses, sprinkled with fresh oregano and olive oil.

The Vesuvius was my favorite (I’m a sucker for buffalo sauce and blue cheese, what can I say?), followed closely by the Alpine. The Kilauea was a little too BBQ Sauce-y for Terch and me, but the boys did not agree. Gotta love a guy who loves a condiment.

After dinner, we went downstairs to the “Music Room” for a little ping pong action

Ellen demonstrated the proper ping pong stance

and I attempted my first Plank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ping Pong PlanktasticWe were also privileged to hear the musical stylings of “Mumford’s”– a very interesting, very spirited band with a lot of brass and apparently a cult-like following! By the end of their show, 75% of the players were shirtless and the boys had purchased their last 2 t-shirts for Ellen and me.

Mumford's newest fans!

All-in-all – huge fan of Pizzeria Vesuvius. Bonus: there’s a ScoutMob right now!

Pizzeria Vesuvius on Urbanspoon

Were we done? Oh no we were not. Our ping pong itch had not been scratched, so we headed a block over to Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium.

In the interest of full disclosure, this place is VERY religiously irreverent and I can appreciate how some could be easily offended by the tongue-in-cheek, sacrilegious artwork and elements such as a confessional booth turned-photo booth, but I have to tell you – I LOVED the general flavor of this place and some of the artwork really made me laugh.

Just like mama always said

Plus, we made some really great friends waiting for the ping pong table upstairs. Next to a Q+DD Koozie, this is about the coolest thing I have ever seen:


Seriously...where can I get one of these?

What a totally random and fabulous night in Edgewood!

I love you, Atlanta.

xx, L

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…I had a nice weekend.  It was dreary, rainy + cold, but it had its perks.  :)

I saw Ryan Bingham for a sold out show at The Loft on Friday + he definitely fell into the “even better in concert” drop box for live performances.  Smoking + drinking on stage didn’t affect his perfectly raspy voice in the least, in fact it made it even richer.

The new Anthropologie was a warm + welcomed escape from the cold on Saturday.  If you haven’t been to the Howell Mill location yet, you need to check it out.  The store is just great + there’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on about the dressing rooms that makes me want to try on the entire store.

Slick + I chowed down on some “gator bites” at Six Feet Under on Saturday afternoon.  Kinda tasted like chicken…don’t be a’feared.


And then we fell in love with this handsome little guy at the Atlanta Humane Society.  We aren’t in the market for a furry friend right now, but this pup (Charlie Bucket) stole our hearts.  Adopt him!

Feeling brave enough to take on a potential tornado, we warded off cabin fever by spending a few hours at the Georgia World Congress Center for the 2011 Atlanta International Auto Show.  This Camaro caught our eye, but the Lotus stole the show in my opinion.

I went with LK + some lovely ladies to see Red Riding Hood on Sunday. 

I went in with seriously low expectations + ended up actually pretty pleased with the film.  Although that wasn’t the general consensus of the group, I think keeping your expectations low is oftentimes the best way to approach things.  Just sayin’…

We drew the weekend to a close at Mellow Mushroom in Sandy Springs for dinner.  Couldn’t have imagined a better way to end it.  MM truly is “happiness as expressed in pizza…”  Will always love my Pizza Sundays!

Slick did some shopping at Richards Variety Store + picked me up a Lite Brite (never had one as a kid) which kept me busy until I hit the hay.  (It’s certainly not an iPad 2, but it will do for now…)

It wasn’t the craziest weekend we’ve ever had, but it was super relaxing + now I’m rested for the excitement ahead. 

So, bring it.

xx, L

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Slick + I spent the weekend with close friends in NYC.  And we had sooooo. much. fun!

Although we originally wanted more of a laid-back visit, we managed to jam pack it with awesome randomness, including walking The High Line

And thoroughly admiring it…

Popping by Rockefeller Center for a bit of inspiration…  (Although, I am sorry to report that we did NOT see Liz Lemon.)

Then, stuffing our faces at Lombardi’s

With THAT…

Marveling at the incredible skyline…

Plotting how we could bring this amazingness back to Atlanta from Chelsea Market

And seriously falling in love with these bad boys at Top Shop

Oogling impressive lego displays…

Getting our fill at Momofuku Milk Bar

And again at Dylan’s Candy Bar

AND AGAIN at Jess + Paul’s Annual Turducken Party!

Which was simply AMAZING.  Please see:

Believe it or not, that was all just a taste of the weekend….  It was a very solid trip + super great to see our friends.

slick's empire state of mind

NYC: You were good to us + we shall conquer you again soon.  Until then, stay classy…

xx, L

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My favorite Roberts family comfort food is, without a doubt, my mom’s Picture Perfect Pizza Bagels(Please witness in all their delicious glory below.)

I have to admit that they are my mom’s specialty, but I attempted to help her make them watched her make them when I was in Dallas over the holidays + they’re surprisingly much easier to put together than I’d anticipated.  Here’s how you you do it:

Ingredients
1 package of plain sliced bagels
1 package of sliced mozzarella
1 jar of Ragu Pizza Quick traditional sauce
Italian herbs + red pepper flakes

Directions
Take as many bagels as you need, separate + place cut side up on a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Toast for only a couple of minutes.  (Try to not over-bake.  This step just prevents a soggy crust.)  Separate your cheese, using one slice per half bagel.  You can use a large plastic cup to cut out the rounds of cheese like a cookie cutter to put on each half bagel if you are into precision.  (I get my anal retentiveness from my mom…)  Spread about a tablespoon or more of sauce on each bagel half, top with a cheese round + sprinkle the top with Italian herbs.  Repeat with remaining bagels.  Toast in the oven on broil until the cheese starts to turn a little brown.  Remove, add red peppers to taste + ENJOY!

You can make this recipe heathier if you use low-fat cheese + whole wheat bagels.  Also, you meat lovers out there are welcome to add turkey bacon, chorizo or cooked chicken cubes.

Picture Perfect Pizza Bagels are a nice addition to a hearty homemade brunch or paired with fruit or a green salad to balance them out for lunch or dinner.  Just beware of these little guys – they may be picture perfect, but they are so incredibly delicious we often look like THIS after scarfing them down! 

(Except I usually try to keep my shirt on.)

xx, L

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Scoutmob has been totally rockin’ lately.  I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, there is really no reason to go to any other restaurants besides ones currently offered on Scoutmob.  There just isn’t.  And, they’ve seriously stepped it up for the holidays + have had SO many good ones recently!

Becoming the Caseys, Rosh + Z and Slick + I decided to use the Scoutmob for Fritti in Inman Park on Sunday night.  And, we were so glad we did.

I hadn’t been to Fritti in almost exactly a year (went for a holiday party last Dec.), and it was really bumping.  I was impressed.  Thanks to Scoutmob, they were on an hour wait when we arrived.  Lucky for us, though, S. Casey thought ahead + made a reservation, so we were seated right away on their heated patio! 

sam's supa-smart.

I was s.t.a.r.v.i.n.g, so I tried to encourage the group to make decisions pretty quickly so we could get some food on the table.  Everyone ordered drinks + we requested a few appetizers to share:

Bruschetta: Slow roasted + marinated tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil.
Bresaola di Tonno: Cured sashimi grade tuna, arugula, radish, lemon.
Antipasto Misto: Assorted Italian meats + cheeses, olives, marinated mushrooms.
(We also wanted the Calamari Fritti, but they were out…)  :(

There wasn’t any time to take pictures b/c my ravenous mood quickly spread + as soon as our appetizers were delivered, we demolished them.  Shortly thereafter, our pizzas arrived:

Salame Piccante: Spicy salame + black olives.

Crudo e Rucola: San Daniele prosciutto + arugula.  (My fav.)

Pancetta e Cipolla: Caramelized onion, pancetta + hot pepper.

Toscana: Bufala, peppered salame, cherry tomatoes + rosemary.

Four hearty pizzas may seem ambitious for six people, but don’t you worry – we ate every last bite.  A little over half of our dinner companions had not been to Fritti before, and they walked away very satisfied.  The Scoutmob discount was significant, too, and just another nice touch to an already enjoyable meal.  Fritti might not be a restaurant that I frequent more than once a year, but it sure hits the spot.  (And, I’d never turn my nose up at pizza…)  I definitely recommend using the Scoutmob for it – and bringing along a posse to help you devour their delicious pizzas.  Or not.  :)

Fritti’s Menu Here:  http://www.urestaurants.net/_uploads/Fritti_dinner_menu.pdf

And, don’t forget to make a reservation!!

Unrelated:  I’m headed to Dallas for the rest of the week to celebrate the holidays Texas-style.

And so, I want to wish you all a very Merry Chrismukkah (if you’re down w/ the hybrid holiday thing like my family) or whatever it is you’re celebrating!  Have the happiest of holidays! 

(Just some Yids celebrating X-mas…)

family secret santa

xx, L

Fritti
309 N. Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA  30307
404.880.9559
www.urestaurants.net

Fritti on Urbanspoon

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Thanksgiving week and weekend was, predictably, FULL of food. (including unBELIEVEable red velvet and pumpkin spice cake balls by none other than Sugar Sugar, versions of the regular Turkey Day fare powered-up and fit for Top Chef, homemade apple pie, and some of the best Matzo Ball soup of my LIFE)  culminating with….a Saturday Night pizza-off.

Now, pizza is my all-time favorite food and both Greg and I have been known to be a teensy bit on the competitive side, so we were in it to win it, my friends.

Unfortunately and fortunately, all the pizzas were so delicious that we decided to call it a draw – but I just had to share our recipe with you!

Introducing Greg + Lauren’s (almost) Award-Winning Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Fig Pizza!

Here’s what you need:
1 large Spanish onion
5 pieces of thick-cut bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
Pizza dough (we were lucky enough to have fresh pizza dough made for us…but I’m sure the freezer kind will be a-ok)
12 dried mission figs, sans stems, cut into quarters or small pieces
3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
A few handfuls of shredded mozzarella
Butter, olive oil, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper

Here’s what you do:
1.   Caramelize the onions. Now, I admit, my part of this pizza partnership was more conception while Greg’s was more execution – but I watched him from behind my red wine glass and it looked like all there was to it was slicing the onion, sautéing it in butter and olive oil and finishing it with a few teaspoons of sugar at the end, but please find exact instructions for how to caramelize onions by clicking HERE.
2.    Take the pizza dough and, on a highly floured surface – stretch, pull, and throw it around until its pizza-shaped.  (We went with square) Then transfer onto a lightly floured baking sheet or pizza round or whatever.
3.    Brush the dough with butter and chopped garlic and lightly cover with the mozzerella.
4.   Layer on the toppings – but be careful not to press on the dough.  We did onions first, then figs, then bacon then gorgonzola.
5.    Cook at 550 degrees until the crust is golden brown and the top is bubbling (7-8 minutes – watch it carefully!)

I may have been the only rookie in the kitchen, but frankly…I’m scrappy (and I had superchef Greg on my team – no big whoop).  Watch out, Jeff Varasano, we’re coming for you…

Enjoy!

xx, L

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The only thing I love more than hype? Probably pizza.

And for better or worse, Varasano’s Pizzeria has received PLENTY of hype. (See articles from my favorite foodie blogs Blissful Glutton, Foodie Buddha, and Chow Down Atlanta.)
varasano'slogoNow, my heart belongs to Shorty’s, but I have been known to cheat…often. Don’t judge me.

Here’s the Q+DD on Varasano’s: Chef Jeff Varasano moved to Atlanta from the Bronx in 1998 and couldn’t find pizza that rivaled his favorites from the Big City. (Apparently, Patsy’s was his favorite…mine too!) So he decided to embark upon a 10 year-long pizza expedition studying at pizzerias all over the world and experimenting with all kinds of ingredients and variables in search of the secret to pizza success. It looked like this (in my brain.)

(maybe not.)

(maybe not.)

Eventually his quest for the holy grail lead him to his claim to fame: the BOPRE* (*Best Online Pizza Recipe Ever. Click here for details.) Fortunately for the culinarily challenged, like myself, he opened up his own joint in Buckhead in March of this year and was greeted by…you guessed it: a whole lot of hype.

Plus, he’s pretty darn cute! Witness:
varasanoThe first time I went was, of course, with Seth. (I know you’re shocked.) We sat in the back at the chef’s counter, split a caprese salad and each ordered a slice while we watched pizzas being assembled. I can’t tell you what Seth got because I was totally immersed in my caramelized onion slice, it was amaaaaaazing.

I don’t know how it took me so long to make it back there, but DK + DK were in town for my show on Sunday and we zipped by there for a quick bite before they headed back to the ‘ham and I am STILL thinking about our meal!

Between the 7 of us we polished off:

2 caprese salads (standard) and a spinach salad (tossed in house made raspberry vinaigrette with pecans + gorgonzola)

Then

a caramelized onion pizza (made with sweet onions and a sharp Emmenthaler cheese. I’m not really sure what Emmenthaler is but I’m pretty sure it directly translates to “Deliciousness”)
A “Nana’s” pizza (the house special: mozzarella + tomato sauce with a secret blend of Italian herbs. Yes, I said secret.)
a “Salumi” pizza (Varasano’s version of the Meat lover’s. Per my cousin Kevin’s request. All kinds of Italian cured meats with mozzarella, tomato sauce, and spiced olives)
And a “Nucci” pizza (garlic, olives + Emmenthaler topped with Arugula, Capocollo + herbs.)

Now, I know that sounds like a lot for 7 people but the crust is very, very thin. We left full but not overly stuffed and everything was DELICIOUS.

My favorite was still the caramelized onion, and my least favorite was the Nucci pizza. Now, I love salad on pizza, but I thought it was a little soggy (FYI: that did not stop me from finishing my slice no problem. Plus, it was DK’s favorite, so what do I know?)

Worth the hype? In my opinion: totally. The flavors were divine, the crust was crunchy chewy perfection, and it was a lovely little evening with the fam.

Two freshly manicured thumbs up.

Happy Pizza!

xx, L

Varasano’s Pizzeria
www.varasanos.com
2171 Peachtree Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 352-8216
Varasano's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

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