I've been on this wood fired pizza band wagon for a few years now. I finally got a Forno Bravo pizza oven last summer - after dreaming of it for a few years. We built a new house so it was the perfect time to put my dream into fruition. I have much to learn I know - but I will learn! I have such a passion for wood fired pizza - it's like some sickness that you just can't help! 😀 I have read and watched more videos than you can imagine. I've practiced and practiced trying to get my dough perfect. I am not there yet. I've done some studying of VPN - and I really want to go take the class in CA sometime soon.
Tonight - we are away from home. We are in Minneapolis for a couple days. Of course, my husband and I both wanted to check out a new pizza place we haven't been to yet. So we did. The crazy part is, it came recommended from a guy we know that owns his own pizza store. He actually makes some of the best pizza I have ever had - wood fired of course. So we thought we were in for a treat since he recommended it. It was BY FAR the worst pizza I have had to date. Ok - not the worst - but considering they have VPN written all over everything - it was beyond bad. There was only a couple other tables in there when we ordered. We each ordered a pizza. I ordered a pretty standard Margherita - with salami. I then moved over so I could watch them make the pizzas behind a half glass wall. They were making one pizza after another. I would say they made 7 in about two minutes as I stood there. One would shape the pizza, the next one would put the sauce and basil on. The 3rd would put the cheese on and put it on the peel someone else put it in the oven. But not right away. I was thinking when she kept shaping the pizzas - who is eating these? There isn't that many people in here!
The first thing I noticed, was all the tomato seeds I could see in the bowl of sauce sitting there. Ok - well I guess that isn't a big deal. At that time my husband hollered for me to come over to our table because our pizza just got there. Wow - that really was fast! They say 90 seconds in the oven - so I guess that was true. I got to the table, and I looked at the pizza, and the first thing I said was, "This pizza doesn't look hot. I bet it isn't." I could tell because the cheese had totally set. It looked like pizza does after it sits around for a bit. It kind of turns almost clear looking if that makes sense. I picked up a piece and it wasn't hot at all. Just warm at best. I was so taken aback at how soggy the crust was! It was soggy up until you got about 1/2 inch from the cornicione. We were both shocked to say the least. I'm not one to complain - however - when one of the workers was walking by, I asked if I could ask some questions. He couldn't speak English well, so he got the manager. I started my conversation out telling her I was not looking for a refund at all. I was just wanting to ask some questions. I started with asking her if there was a VPN trained person at every store. (It's a chain I guess) She said no. One of the owners got the certification. Then as delicately as I could - (and apologized as I continued) I told her how cold the pizza was. I actually asked her twice - "How can this be? We had our pizza in two minutes. How could it not be piping hot?" She never did answer that question. She just said, "Why didn't you say something?" And she's right. We really should have. I just always feel bad complaining about food. Then I asked her if it was customary for the crust to be that soggy. She said YES. She said, "The TRUE Napoleon pizza in Italy is just like this - really soggy." I was blown away. I know we have kind of Americanized pizza here, but why would anyone want their crust soggy?! Can anyone shed any light on this? Once when my pizza turned out like this, I considered it an epic fail! Check out the picture. Thanks in advance!
Tonight - we are away from home. We are in Minneapolis for a couple days. Of course, my husband and I both wanted to check out a new pizza place we haven't been to yet. So we did. The crazy part is, it came recommended from a guy we know that owns his own pizza store. He actually makes some of the best pizza I have ever had - wood fired of course. So we thought we were in for a treat since he recommended it. It was BY FAR the worst pizza I have had to date. Ok - not the worst - but considering they have VPN written all over everything - it was beyond bad. There was only a couple other tables in there when we ordered. We each ordered a pizza. I ordered a pretty standard Margherita - with salami. I then moved over so I could watch them make the pizzas behind a half glass wall. They were making one pizza after another. I would say they made 7 in about two minutes as I stood there. One would shape the pizza, the next one would put the sauce and basil on. The 3rd would put the cheese on and put it on the peel someone else put it in the oven. But not right away. I was thinking when she kept shaping the pizzas - who is eating these? There isn't that many people in here!
The first thing I noticed, was all the tomato seeds I could see in the bowl of sauce sitting there. Ok - well I guess that isn't a big deal. At that time my husband hollered for me to come over to our table because our pizza just got there. Wow - that really was fast! They say 90 seconds in the oven - so I guess that was true. I got to the table, and I looked at the pizza, and the first thing I said was, "This pizza doesn't look hot. I bet it isn't." I could tell because the cheese had totally set. It looked like pizza does after it sits around for a bit. It kind of turns almost clear looking if that makes sense. I picked up a piece and it wasn't hot at all. Just warm at best. I was so taken aback at how soggy the crust was! It was soggy up until you got about 1/2 inch from the cornicione. We were both shocked to say the least. I'm not one to complain - however - when one of the workers was walking by, I asked if I could ask some questions. He couldn't speak English well, so he got the manager. I started my conversation out telling her I was not looking for a refund at all. I was just wanting to ask some questions. I started with asking her if there was a VPN trained person at every store. (It's a chain I guess) She said no. One of the owners got the certification. Then as delicately as I could - (and apologized as I continued) I told her how cold the pizza was. I actually asked her twice - "How can this be? We had our pizza in two minutes. How could it not be piping hot?" She never did answer that question. She just said, "Why didn't you say something?" And she's right. We really should have. I just always feel bad complaining about food. Then I asked her if it was customary for the crust to be that soggy. She said YES. She said, "The TRUE Napoleon pizza in Italy is just like this - really soggy." I was blown away. I know we have kind of Americanized pizza here, but why would anyone want their crust soggy?! Can anyone shed any light on this? Once when my pizza turned out like this, I considered it an epic fail! Check out the picture. Thanks in advance!
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