Steve A.
Yelp
I have long said that you can't find good pizza outside the New York area. I drew a circle from roughly New Haven, around to about Netcong, down toward Perth Amboy, and then down the Shore (because let's face it, the Shore is basically where NY goes in the summer). Well, my apologies, because I should have included Trenton in that circle. I finally had the original tomato pie, and let me tell you, nothing else comes close. Not Papa's, not anyone else. This is up with the best that NYC has to offer, even though it's decidedly different. Like Staten Island pies, this one's all about the sauce. The difference is, there's really not much cheese to speak of. Cheese is a garnish instead of a feature. But it totally works.
Ambiance: Crowded. Avoid peak times like Friday at 7 PM. The parking lot fills quickly, the wait grows to 40 minutes - even for takeout. Which isn't terrible for a fine restaurant, but this is a pizzeria! That gives you an idea how good the pizza is. There is a nice but undersized waiting area, and then there is a nice but undersized dining area. If they wanted to grow to accommodate their peak crowds, they would have to build an addition and then add not just staff, but more ovens as well, because they had plenty of staff working nonstop. Sometimes, there's just too much demand.
Service: Friendly. They're serving so many people that they can't get to you right away. The hostess will at least take your name - she was very friendly. Then I had to wait a couple of minutes at the counter, but even there, one woman reassured me I'd be served shortly. The order taker was brusque but happy to explain the process - if I wanted to leave during my wait, I had to "check in" when I returned. (I did this. Another couple of minutes wait and all was good.) Just don't order from here if you're in a hurry and it's a peak time. That said, still order from here. It's that good.
Food: I had a sausage and mushroom pie. The order taker (waiter? I feel like I was the one waiting!) said it was a great choice. Thank you! After having it, I wholeheartedly agree. The pie was completely studded with sausage and mushrooms, no skimping on toppings but not overloaded either. The sausage was delicious, done in chunks instead of slices. After about 2 minutes of fanning the hot pie with an open lid, it was edible and the cheese had solidified into perfection. (That's a lot faster than most pies! I think less cheese helps!) I can't tell you how quickly and happily I devoured all 8 slices. The crust was thin and crispy, the sauce was very flavorful, and all of the ingredients balanced each other. In fact, the crust was crispy enough to hold up to the lack of cheese - all of the ingredients and sauce ran down into the fold of the slice, but nothing really dripped out. So, utter perfection.
Yup, I've found my Trenton area pizzeria. I'm glad my friend moved here from South Brunswick. Middlesex County is a pizza desert. Trenton, or more precisely Hamilton, and most precisely DeLorenzo's, is a pizza oasis and a must-stop for aficionados.