Bay Village Pizza

“The Biggest Slice in Town”. It’s not officially summer until I’ve had a fresh slice on the boardwalk of New Jersey - affectionately known by locals as “The Sideburn State”. Officially, summer kicked off this weekend at Bay Village Pizza, nestled under the bright lights of Fantasy Island Amusement Park.

I am a fan of New Jersey pizza. “Jersey Style” is close to New York Style Pizza with a slightly thicker crust (although much thinner than the doughy crust you see in the Midwest’s pseudo “New York Style”), large slices, sweeter sauce (here, for unknown reasons, often referred to as “sawce”), and a generous allotment of cheese.

This giant triangle slice overhung its paper plate. The crust was well browned with light blistering. Thin and crisp, it was cooked flat on the oven rather than a screen. Yet, the slice was an imperfect one because it had more cheese than a Springsteen encore (of course, who’d complain about that?). The heavy coating of mozzarella blunts acidity and causes oil to pool. The greasiness makes the center soft & bendy - never attaining the crisp snap of the platonic ideal New Jersey slice. So, not a perfectly balanced slice. But on a breezy 75 degree night, this slice definitely hits the spot.