World's Largest Pizza Party, Snacking on Blue Sparrow Pizza
Plus the world of frozen pizzas is popping off. Have you had one recently? Dang, these are good.
Pizza greetings!
What a delightful week it’s been for pizza. We’re nearing the end of January and to ward off the post-Holiday blues I’ve been indulging in slightly more pizza than usual. Last week I got my hands on a pie from Luke at Blue Sparrow and I’ve been exploring the world of frozen pizzas.
One thing to keep in mind as January winds down is that Pizza Expo is on the horizon! This March Las Vegas will host the greatest pizza makers in the country. The pizza games showcase artisan’s ability to fold boxes, toss dough and a new set of pizza makers will be crowned pizza champions.
Pittsburgh is traditionally represented well at these events and our city is home to a number of World Pizza Champions. Actually, a number of World Pizza Champions from Pittsburgh were present at the Guinness World Record Attempt to host the world’s largest pizza party. It was a huge success. From the press release:
The new world record of 3,357 people simultaneously eating pizza occurred Saturday, January 21 at the University of Tulsa. The new record triples the 2019 record set in Rome, Italy of 1,046 people.
Here’s a photo I snagged from Scott Anthony’s (of Punxy Pizza) Instagram. Big congrats to Eric, Nick, Pete, Scott Anthony and the Merucio’s gang!
Blue Sparrow Hatches Eclectic and Flavorful Pizzas at Dancing Gnome
As I wrote last week, Blue Sparrow has started churning out pizzas from their shiny bus on the Dancing Gnome campus. This is Luke’s, owner of Blue Sparrow, passion. And it’s a pretty cool operation. They have a propane pizza oven hooked up in the bus and trays of dough waiting to be made. It’s a whole pizza shop inside a bus.
The strength of these pies are the toppings. Luke hasn’t erased years of operating a “Global Street Food” food truck from his repertoire. His pizza embodies the global spirit. They have cheese and pepperoni pizza, but you can also get a pizza inspired by Michelangelo of the Nina Turtles. That pizza is topped with: House Sweet and Spicy Pickles, Thick Cut Bacon, Miso Butter, Scallions, and Mozzarella. Cowabunga.
Cowabunga indeed.
These pizzas are decadent and delicious. While the top of the pizza is a true party, I find the crust a little lacking. Nothing that can’t be improved upon, but it’s simple, basic crust with little rise. Right now it’s sole job is to support toe delicious toppings, but I hope it grows into something more complex in the future.
Though, does a simple crust play an important role here? The flavor profile is so complex, a jungle teaming with secrets unknown to the human mouth. Would a more complex crust disrupt the carefully constructed ecosystem? Maybe there’s a case to be made for a crust that plays the support role. A crust with no ego, no agenda. The Waymond to their Evelyn. It’s there to help the rest of the pizza shine. Something to think about next time you bite into one of these delicious discs.
Frozen Pizza Game is Off the Hook
I don’t know if you’ve had a frozen pizza lately, but guess what: they’re really good!
I recently grabbed an “Eat Pizza” pizza from the grocery store. The box claims it’ll be the “Best frozen pizza you’ve ever had.” And I gotta say it’s pretty close. This three cheese pizza had fresh, tangy sauce. The cheese was mild and a tad flavorless, but the crust really shines here. It’s flaky and buttery. Almost like a croissant.
It was a treat to eat and was ready in about eight minutes in the toaster oven. In a pinch I’d highly recommend it.
Apparently these pizzas are made in a special oven which helps to preserve them for their incredible boxed journey across the country.
Thanks for reading! I hope you have found something to enjoy in this amazing pizza newsletter.
Thanks and pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist