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5 most underrated pizzerias in WNY


Steve O

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Just now, Buffalo716 said:

You definitely know what you're talking about 

I am an amateur but I have spent countless hours soaking up as much as I can on this website.  Its a lot like here but without all the weirdos and #######s.  In other words, its nothing like TBD and not nearly as fun  BUT it is useful.

 

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php

 

There is even a great thread where a dude who owns a highly regarded pizza shop in Buffalo, Jay's Artisan Pizza, is helping people re-engineer a classic Buffalo style pie.

 

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=30764.0

 

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1 minute ago, Jauronimo said:

I am an amateur but I have spent countless hours soaking up as much as I can on this website.  Its a lot like here but without all the weirdos and #######s.  In other words, its nothing like TBD and not nearly as fun  BUT it is useful.

 

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php

 

There is even a great thread where a dude who owns a highly regarded pizza shop in Buffalo, Jay's Artisan Pizza, is helping people re-engineer a classic Buffalo style pie.

 

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=30764.0

 

Jay's artisan was rated like top 15 in the entire country by a pizza contest or something

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1 hour ago, BullBuchanan said:

I glossed over that part. The one in East Aurora has definitely been a top 3-4 place for me every time I've gone. @hondo in seattle definitely give the East Aurora location a go if you can.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.  My wife was underwhelmed in Clarence, but I've convinced her we need to give East Aurora a try next.  

 

50 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Have you ever been to Macy's pizzeria on Genesee? 

 

They have all sorts of specialty wing flavors... Including probably 7-10  that they hit up on the char pit

 

I think I recall going somewhere on Genesee with a friend.  Don't recall the name.  Or a char pit - so maybe not.  I'll add Macy's  to the list.  

 

You guys are making me hungry!  I currently live south of San Jose, CA.  There are some fantastic Latin and Asian restaurants around here representing all sorts of regional cuisines.  But I have yet to find good pizza.  And I'd love to be proven wrong when I say that the world has caught up to Buffalo's wings.  

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56 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Proofing and fermentation get used interchangeably but proofing is specifically that fermentation taking place after the dough has reached its final form.  I don't consider a ball of dough to be the final form whether its thin crust or pan.  I would refer to that step as cold fermentation (or room temp fermentation) but I know that others call that step proofing. 

 

Pan pizza includes a distinct proofing phase after shaping and stretching the dough in the pan but before baking which is what I believe 716 was referring to.  This step is only a few hours at room temp.  You don't stretch a thin crust pie out to 16" and then let it rise again for a few hours was my point.

 

Any pizza place operating in New York or Buffalo worth visiting is fermenting or proofing dough for at least a good 8 hours and likely closer to 24 or 48.  I believe the legendary DiFara makes a same day dough while places like L'Industrie are rumored to ferment 72 hours.  

 

 

Yea, i think it's just a different terminology thing. I usually refer to proofing once it's been shaped. I guess in the case of a cold ferment this could take place during or after the the fridge ferment. I've been letting my dough sit at room temp 4-6 hours once balled and in that time it'll rise a decent bit - I consider that proofing, but I guess some may not if it isn't stretched. Once it's stretched though, it just sits long enough to wait for its turn in the oven.

48 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

I am an amateur but I have spent countless hours soaking up as much as I can on this website.  Its a lot like here but without all the weirdos and #######s.  In other words, its nothing like TBD and not nearly as fun  BUT it is useful.

 

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php

 

There is even a great thread where a dude who owns a highly regarded pizza shop in Buffalo, Jay's Artisan Pizza, is helping people re-engineer a classic Buffalo style pie.

 

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=30764.0

 

That place is a godsend.

Edited by BullBuchanan
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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Thanks for the recommendation.  My wife was underwhelmed in Clarence, but I've convinced her we need to give East Aurora a try next.  

 

 

I think I recall going somewhere on Genesee with a friend.  Don't recall the name.  Or a char pit - so maybe not.  I'll add Macy's  to the list.  

 

You guys are making me hungry!  I currently live south of San Jose, CA.  There are some fantastic Latin and Asian restaurants around here representing all sorts of regional cuisines.  But I have yet to find good pizza.  And I'd love to be proven wrong when I say that the world has caught up to Buffalo's wings.  

Well frying a wing has become popularized in Buffalo it certainly has been done in a lot of cultures 

 

And a lot of very good takes on them 

 

Pizza is certainly more niche to master... Most Buffalo pizzaiolas will insist the freshwater for lake Erie has something to do with the dough 

 

In fact plenty of x-plants have tried recreating their Pizza in South Carolina or Tennessee and the dough just doesn't come out the same 

 

Or maybe they also have biases

Edited by Buffalo716
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18 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I have not had a truly good slice of pizza in Indiana and I’ve lived here 30+ years.  Bocces, DiPaulos, somebody please put a franchise out here!

What part of Indiana.

 

Surely NOT NorthWest Indiana... Because it's close to Chicago and this is one place that exists there:

 

https://www.Edwardos.com

 

Not just deep dish or stuffed... You can get classic Chicago thin (cracker) crust too.

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12 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

What part of Indiana.

 

Surely NOT NorthWest Indiana... Because it's close to Chicago and this is one place that exists there:

 

https://www.Edwardos.com

 

Not just deep dish or stuffed... You can get classic Chicago thin (cracker) crust too.

Just north of Indy.  Northwest Indiana is essentially part of Chicago, don’t you think?

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4 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Proofing and fermentation get used interchangeably but proofing is specifically that fermentation taking place after the dough has reached its final form.  I don't consider a ball of dough to be the final form whether its thin crust or pan.  I would refer to that step as cold fermentation (or room temp fermentation) but I know that others call that step proofing. 

 

Pan pizza includes a distinct proofing phase after shaping and stretching the dough in the pan but before baking which is what I believe 716 was referring to.  This step is only a few hours at room temp.  You don't stretch a thin crust pie out to 16" and then let it rise again for a few hours was my point.

 

Any pizza place operating in New York or Buffalo worth visiting is fermenting or proofing dough for at least a good 8 hours and likely closer to 24 or 48.  I believe the legendary DiFara makes a same day dough while places like L'Industrie are rumored to ferment 72 hours.  

 

 

Lucali rolls out their dough with a wine bottle and even in pizza crazed Brooklyn people wait in line for hours.  I wouldn't want to push all that gas out of the dough after spending so long letting it ferment but no one pays for my pizzas.  My friends are all free loaders.

And yes that was my point , in regards to Sicilian pizzas or pan pizzas... Pies that have an extra proof after they've been stretched and prepared 

 

And yes I would agree most Buffalo pizza places worth their salt are doing exactly as you said with there dough

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If I had to give a list of five underrated pizzerias in the Buffalo area 

 

....

 

This is tough and I've been thinking ...

 

Zahz pizzeria 

 

Rocco's Wood fired pizzeria 

 

Carbones 

 

Abott pizza

 

Johnnys

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23 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Here's a thinner pie I made last week... I had to really crop the picture so it would fit.... Thin style with hot honey drizzle on the pepperoni

Snapchat-75442179~2.jpg

Pepperoni, candied jalapenos, and hot honey to finish has been my go to for homemade pizzas lately.

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On 5/22/2024 at 7:01 PM, oldmanfan said:

I have not had a truly good slice of pizza in Indiana and I’ve lived here 30+ years.  Bocces, DiPaulos, somebody please put a franchise out here!

Just went to a family wedding in Valparaiso and had some terrific pizza … couldn’t tell y where it was from as my cousin ordered it though 

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14 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

proofed before bakeSnapchat-862276377~2.jpg

Boom! Made with homemade dough, premium galbani blue label cheese, fresh traditional sauce + herbs and topped with margherita pepperoni 

Snapchat-1544805454~3.jpg

Very nice! I used to make dough and sauce but since Wegmans opened here in Richmond,  VA I get their dough and either Mids or Mezzettas sauce.  I love I can get char Pepperoni their too!

3 minutes ago, jayg said:

Very nice! I used to make dough and sauce but since Wegmans opened here in Richmond,  VA I get their dough and either Mids or Mezzettas sauce.  I love I can get char Pepperoni their too!

And strangely Food Lion brand whole  milk Mozzarella is very good, IMO.

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15 minutes ago, TBBills Fan said:

Penoras in depew was my original go to as a kid.  

 

I also worked at Picassos pizza back in the day

 

Side note: the penoras sub that was a sausage patty was delicious 

Roz's in South Cheektowaga makes a "royal" (sausage & cappicola) sub like that with a hot Italian sausage patty... Called a "Big Roz" (Ham, salami, sausage, & cappicola) and is outta this world. Better than dirt!

 

They also have the standard royal sub...

 

https://www.restaurantji.com/ny/cheektowaga/rozs-pizzeria-/

 

RozsPizzeria_Menu(2).thumb.jpg.9289653f14838584a31091545069cafd.jpg

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