Sunday, October 23, 2016

Day 22, 2016: Nomad Pizza (Princeton, NJ)

Exterior 
Interior
DAY 22: OCTOBER 22nd, 2016

LOCATION: Nomad Pizza (301 N Harrison St, Princeton, NJ 08540)

GUEST(S): Paulie Gee, Derek Giannone, Scott Wiener, Anna Orchard, Brooks Jones, Tom Grim, Stalin Bedon, Nick Sherman, Jason Feirman, Rebecca Pollak

ORDER: 2 slices of Margherita di Bufala (Italian tomato, basil and bufala), 1 slice of Spicy Sausage (Italian tomato, mozzarella, basil, fennel sausage, carmelized onions and parmesan), 1 slice of Hot Soppressata (Italian tomato, soppressata, mozzarella, red pepper flakes, parmesan and honey), 1 slice of Marinara (Italian tomato, basil, red pepper flakes)

REVIEW: 
Masters of the ovens. What began as a pizza truck with a mobile oven has grown into four brick and mortar pizzerias each with imported Italian ovens and a talented crew of Nomad Pizza employees that know how to use them. They have to.  During busy times, these wood-fired brick ovens are churning at full capacity to keep up with the demand for the perfectly crafted Neapolitan pizza pies. In the Princeton location, owners Tom Grim and Stalin Bedon installed two ovens, added a well-lit spacious dining area, and transported their menu of exquisite pizza to convert a closed down gas station into a date-worthy pizzeria. I recommend sharing a Margherita and something more exotic. When cooked by the best, the simple yet elegant Margherita truly showcases why the traditional Naples pizza has stood the test of time. While you are at it, test drive one of their less than conventional signature pies. I’m partial to the spicy sausage but there's no bad to be had at Nomad!


PHOTOS:
Two wood-fired brick ovens

Slice of Margherita di Bufala

Margherita di Bufala

Spicy Sausage

slice of Hot Soppressata


Marinara Roman style


Day 22
MISCELLANEOUS:
Pizza Blogger Reunion
1. This event was a reunion of the SliceNY contributors (and various pizza bloggers) that descended on the first Nomad Pizza in Hopewell, New Jersey back in 2009.

2. I had the honor of seeing owners Tom Grim and Stalin Bedon after seven years  of business. Here is an old photo and a new one.


from 2009
Tom, Sean, and Stalin in 2016
2. Scott Wiener picked me up at the train station since Princeton and Harvard students and alums took all the cabs to go to the football game. Scott writes for Pizza Today in addition to running Slice Out Hunger and Scott's Pizza Tours.

Anna and Brooks Jones, the Pizza Commander
3. Brooks Jones, who runs Me, Myself, and Pie, gave me some great recommendations of Texas pizza joints.

4. Jason Feirman, of I Dream of Pizza, created the NYC Pizza Run  and also plays straight pitch softball. He was also kind enough to give me a ride back to the city from Princeton, NJ.

Big table
5. Paulie Gee was the guy that made this all happen.  He also runs a pizzeria called Paulie Gee's that everybody knows about and loves.  If you are the one that hasn't heard, don't read this link on an empty stomach: http://31daysofpizza.blogspot.com/2010/10/day-27-pizza-month-2010-paulie-gees.html

6. Anna Orchard's dad owned bookstores and she's in the business as well.

7. Rebecca Pollak is a photographer.

8. Derek Giannone has worked at Paulie Gee's and is an all around good guy.

9. Check out Nick Sherman's pizza adventures (and amazing pix of pizza) on his instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/nicksherman/ (Don't view on an empty stomach).

RATING:

 4.05/5

  • VALUE:
     4/5

  • AMBIENCE:
     3/3

  • TASTE:
     8.5/10

  • SERVICE:
  •  3/3
18.5/21 = .881 x 5 = 4.05

No comments: