There’s one thing that’s a constant about people in Jersey. Everybody has an opinion, and they aren’t shy about sharing them. And EVERYBODY has an opinion about where you can find the best pizza. But those opinions generally rely upon personal experience.
Apologies to those who mistakenly think that NY and Connecticut are at the top of the pizza kingdom. Sorry, they’re not. It’s here in North Jersey. And if you haven’t had the personal experience of Angeloni’s in Caldwell, it’s time to change that. Because once you do, your opinion of the best pizza is suddenly going to change.
Dave Portnoy, who has made a career out of pizza reviews, said that it’s “100 times better” than Orange’s legendary Star Tavern. “It’s on another scale for me.”
Owners Nicky and Michael Conforti know the reason for their success. It’s three things, actually. “The ingredients, the process, and the employees,” asserts Nicky. And they’ve had time to cultivate that ideal. They’ve been making pizza, emulating their mom Irma’s homemade pies, since before they were even in high school.
So it all starts with family. Pizza has been in the Conforti brothers’ lives since long before they were born, dating back to their dad’s family restaurant in 1920’s Newark, at Christie’s. The kind of place Sinatra used to frequent. In 2002, they opened Michael’s in Nutley. They landed on the name because a year earlier, they spent a horrifying day not knowing if Michael was alive, as he was working as a mortgage banker across the street from the World Trade Center on September 11th. After a harrowing return home, it solidified the idea that family was everything.
In 2012, they moved their operation to Caldwell when they opened Angeloni’s. Naturally, it’s a family name.
The calling card at Angeloni’s is that it’s the home of the “thinny thin.” It’s pizza based upon their mom’s technique of getting the crust as thin as possible. It was their dad, Nicholas (Senior), who coined the name. For those who love a great “bar pie”, this goes beyond. Thinner and crispier than other celebrated favorites, it goes beyond expectations with cheese pushed to the edge, browned, and spectacular.
With success, copycats abound. Others in the area caught wind and started offering their own deep fakes, with names like “thin thin” and others – or even co-opting the name for themselves. But none of these off-brands can compete with the original.
The dough is the key. Repetitively working the dough – with the right amount of gluten (face it, pizza needs it) – is transformative. “This dough is heaven,” boasts Nicky. Stretching it, rolling it out, and throwing it (they’ll give you some advice on that later in this issue), all are part of the magic. And no, throwing it up isn’t just for show, unless they want to do a little extra showing off for fun.
The brothers also assert that the rumors you’ve heard are true. The difference in North Jersey is in the water. It does it for bagels, and it does it for pizza dough. The ground here is packed with minerals, even getting into the pipelines. That ultra-hard water makes for transcendent pizza.
But before you think Angeloni’s is “just” a pizza joint, they take as much care in their entrees. In fact, if there were no pizza there, it would get equal acclaim for their menu. Their seafood dishes are enough to tempt a seafood hater to dig in because it’s just that beautiful. The pork chops are so sublime that they can be cut with a fork. A plastic fork, if that’s all you have. This is simply elevated dining in a family atmosphere.
It’s a legacy that they’ve spent lifetimes cultivating. Much of their crew, chefs, managers, and the rest of their staff, have been with them for decades. To use a word that might be just too spot-on, they’re all paisans. And once you go, you’ll understand why – and you’ll likely call them yours, too.
Just be prepared, because whether it’s the water, the heavenly dough, or the tradition-laden recipes, Nicky and Michael just might ruin the rest of Jersey pizza for you for a while. But it’s so worth it.
Open everyday, Angeloni’s can be found at 6 Brookside Avenue in Caldwell. (getangelonis.com or 973-226-1234).