Coal Fire Pizza's margarita gets the thumbs up from Ashley on the Daily Goods blog. She liked the light cheese and the thin crust.
I'm a fan of Coal Fire on Rte 108 in Ellicott City, although I have noticed that the pizza really varies. The Pizzablogger says these hot ovens take real skill, and Coal Fire's pizzas seem to vary based on the person wielding the peel. Vivek emailed me saying that he was trying to figure out what days/times Coal Fire's owner makes pizzas. Does anyone know?
I really like the pizza at Coal Fire but...when its off, its really off.
ReplyDeleteI took a group for their 1st time there & our pie was burnt on the bottom. When I tried to have it redone - a "manager" told me that they were going for the char. Okay, I get it, char. But char is not burnt!
We laughed it off but burnt is burnt. Go to Pepe's in CT (the very best New Haven coal fired pizza there is) & they always let you know if the pizza got too hot & bring you out a replacement with no questions asked. It's part of the experience.
Coal Fire - take note!
To be fair, it is the skill of the pizza maker that matters most as said skill and attentiveness should be able to compensate for most of the inefficiencies any oven may possess.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that the following is solely my personal opinion. Being somewhat fanatical about pizza ovens, having seen many in operation, luckily some from very close-up and from brief conversations with oven manufacturers, I have been able to aquire a moderate amount of information with regards to efficiency and practicality of use.
I for one would not select the particular model of Wood Stone oven being used at CFP, even if someone paid me to do so. The mouth of the oven is far too wide and too many heat sources are being used in that oven...too many variables. To me, that Fire Deck series is more about display cooking first and serious pizza cooking second. Keep in mind Wood Stone itself makes nice ovens(Mountain Series is pretty good), but if the primary intent of a food establishment is making great pizza, then a display oven such as the one used at Coal Fire would never be an option. There is a little bit of gimmicky-ness to it (a shame, since it ain't a cheap oven!).
But we must digress to my very first point....the pizzamaker. A good pizzamaker who cares enough to really pay attention to his/her particular oven can overcome most of the problems with an oven. And when Steve is on the sticks at Coal Fire (he is the General Manager), more often than not the pizza is good.
But when you have part time workers or persons not interested in long-term employment at an establishment, how much do they ultimately care about the product on a day in and day out basis, especially if they are not very passionate about what they are cooking? When this is the case, more variables lead to more potential problems. And that oven at Coal Fire Pizza has too many variables going on and is innefficient besides.
As far as New Haven, there is a large throng that will tell you Sally's Apizza is the best in New Haven....but an equal amount of Frank Pepe's fanatics will counter it ain't. And don't forget Modern! --K ;-P
FYI-The spicy pizza sauce is REALLY spicy this week for some reason...more than usual, and I LOVED it...
ReplyDeleteVisited Coal Fire the week it opened and had terrible service. Went back last week and once again, food was OK but service was lacking. But instead of just disappearing, I could see our waitress at the front of the restaurant with about four other girls chatting and laughing with two older male employees (managers, maybe?). It was frustrating for us, but she sure seemed like she was having fun at work.
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