The Fireplace Calls Off Its Deal with Pepe’s, and Nothing Feels Right in the World
This is devastating.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to The Fireplace. It’s good food, decent prices, and a really nice atmosphere. But we had a deal: the owner was going to close his restaurant’s doors, and then a few months later New Haven pizza paradise Frank Pepe’s was going to open up shop and transform the landscape of pizza in this city.
Today that deal is dead. It might be because the negotiation process took longer than expected. It might be because all of a sudden The Fireplace had a lot of media attention. Or it might be because there was “a tremendous outpouring of feelings and support for the restaurant.’’ Either way, The Fireplace is staying put. And that leaves Pepe’s, well, homeless.
No Pepe’s? The world is a cold, cruel place.
There was hope. There was hunger. There was a promise of New Haven pizza here by next summer. Now who knows when – or if – Pepe’s will find a new location.
The Fireplace may be loved, but it’s no Pepe’s. This could have been amazing. How amazing? Back in March, I explained just how amazing this was going to be. Read it and weep.
Boston doesn’t get much credit for its pizza. Sure, Santarpio’s makes a mean pie and Regina Pizzeria has history, but you don’t really hear about earth-shattering pizza in the Hub.
Well don’t worry, people, that’s all about to change. Eater Boston reported that New Haven’s Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria is expanding to Boston, and that’s seriously delicious news.
At first glance, you might be asking yourself why Boston needs another pizza place. You might even be saying this news is nothing special. Well, I’m from New Haven and I can assure you that you are the wrongest kind of wrong there is. Pepe’s will change your life and here’s why.
Whether you know this or not, New Haven is churning out some of the best pizza in the country and has been for decades. While New York and Chicago are consistently touted as a pizza-lover’s Meccas, Connecticut’s second-largest city is home to the Chancellors of Cheese, the Tsars of Tomato Sauce, and the Kings of Crust.
And that last title is not taken lightly. With brick ovens powered by coal and heated to the perfect temperature, the crust on a New Haven style pizza is the perfect balance of doughy and crispy. Add in the right amount of cheese and a sauce that brings it all together, and you have yourself a pie that you’ll talk about for ages. Oh, and the best part? Pepe’s isn’t the only place serving a New Haven style pizza.
That’s right, Pepe’s is amazing, but that’s partly because it’s not alone. New Haven is actually home to three pizzerias that are renowned as some of America’s finest. Sally’s Apizza and Modern Apizza have each gotten their own rave reviews, and the rivalries that have developed raised the bar for pizza-making in New Haven.
The result for the pizzerias has been a city where there’s no choice but to make a mind-blowing pie, because that’s what the competition is doing. The result for customers has been long lines and hours of waiting that are all worth it because it ends in the pizza equivalent of sex.
And now all that sexy, sexy pizza is coming to Boston. You might be skeptical, telling yourself that since I’m from New Haven, I must be biased. You’re probably a little right. But you should know that I’m not alone.
The Daily Meal did a thorough investigation of pizza in the United States, ranking the top 101 pies across the country. Guess which city had three pizzas in the top 11? New Haven. Guess which pizza holds the top spot? Pepe’s white clam pie.
So forget everything you think you know about pizza and get ready. We don’t know exactly when Pepe’s will arrive in Boston, but when it does, you’ll finally understand why the phrase “Boston pizza’’ never meant anything before it got a dash of New Haven.
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