De Lorenzo Tomato Pies

530 Hudson Street, Trenton, NJ - (609) 695-9534

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Posted By Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on 8/6/2007 10:13:00 PM

New Haven and New York may be the co-capitals of pizza perfection, but one of the best pizzas to be found anywhere comes from New Jersey - the capital city of Trenton in particular. De Lorenzo Tomato Pies, on Hudson Street, turns out tomato pies (as pizza is called in Trenton) fully the equal of Pepe's and Totonno's, though in a style quite different from the others.

The crust of a De Lorenzo pie is thin, probably thinner than most other pizzas we've had. It's crisp on the bottom and chewy and crisp along the rim, with plenty of blackened bits, and has a flavor and texture that we'd swear comes from wood- or coal-fueled ovens (but in fact they use standard pizza ovens). The cheese is applied sparingly - it's the tomatoes that take center stage here (remember, they are called tomato pies, after all). These are hand-crushed canned tomatoes, sweet and full-flavored, not tomato sauce. It's mesmerizing watching Sam, or his father Gary, prepare pies with both the casual assurance and precision of those who have practiced their craft for years and years. These are the most balanced pizzas around - no ingredient shouts down the others. They are not pies built on gross amounts of cheese or inferior toppings, and you'll find that a large pizza might not be enough for two hungry eaters.

Toppings include the usual assortment, but are unusual in quality (but rest assured this is no boutique pizzeria by any stretch of the imagination). The sausage at DeLo's is locally famous, added to a pizza in sweet, juicy, fennel-flecked chunks, not slices, ground bits or, heaven forbid, those chain-pizza pellets. The spicy pepperoni is hand-sliced to double-nickel thickness, and is lean enough to not ooze grease all over the pie. The meats are thoughtfully placed both below and on top of the other ingredients, resulting in a variety of tastes and textures from the same topping - some soft and juicy, others well-browned and crisp. Peppers are sweet and pickled, not fresh, and are good if that's what you're in the mood for, and mushrooms and onions are fresh. DeLorenzo's makes white pies, too, including a lovely white broccoli pie and a surprisingly (because they use canned clams) good white clam pie.

To accompany these stellar pies, there's soda and... well, there's soda (although many people arrive equipped with beer or wine). Don't drink too much of that soda, though, because there's no bathroom, as all DeLo's regulars know. Any normal mealtime, there'll probably be a line of people waiting to get in. They take no reservations, except for Friday lunch (for which reservations are required, and it's the only day they're open for lunch). There are no menus. There's another DeLorenzo's in Trenton, on Hamilton St., owned by a relative, and while some people swear by the quality of their pies, we think those made on Hudson Street are decidedly superior.

De Lorenzo's happens to be our neighborhood pizzeria, and we've been there literally hundreds of times (and Sue even has her picture posted on the wall, between Sinatra and Pavarotti). Even so, we're always aware of just how lucky we are to live so close to this gem!

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

Sausage Pie	Pepperoni Tomato Pie
Sausage, Garlic, And Mushroom Pie	1/2 White Broccoli And 1/2 Red Onion Pie
Sausage and Garlic Tomato Pie

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"The sausage is chunky, the tomatoes are sweet, and the edges are blackened. Perfection!"
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"You get a good view here of the thick-cut pepperoni De Lo's uses. The surface pieces turn brown and crisp in the oven."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"This is a plain tomato pie, cut in the traditional De Lorenzo's way - once lengthwise, then several times across."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"De Lorenzo's sausage topped pie holds chunks of sweet Italian sausage, and is probably their most popular pie."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Note the steam rising from this partially baked masterpiece."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"Sam is the grandson of founder Chick De Lorenzo."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"De Lorenzo's is decorated in the Classic Northeast Pizzeria motif, i.e., the walls are covered with pictures of famous and not-so-famous fans."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"De Lo's is located in an unassuming corner of the old, once Italian section of Trenton, known as The Burg."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle

"A close-up of one of the irregularly-cut slices from a sausage pie."
Mike Iacoucci

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Mike Iacoucci

"View from the front door. The narrow dining room with the 'kitchen' to the left. In the back lies a second room of tables."
Mike Iacoucci

"The line awaiting DeLorenzo's to open their doors on the penultimate weekend before closing forever (1/7/12)"
Mike Iacoucci