Pizza (or I should say “apizza”) is integral to the New Haven food scene. I’m told there is a Holy Trinity of apizza restaurants – Frank Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern Apizza – and to choose one inevitably sparks accusations of blasphemy by adherents to the other two.
Naturally, I and my fellow first-year friends – eager to absorb all of the New Haven cultural scene, to understand the place that will be our home for the next four years – sought to try this gastronomical delicacy for ourselves. And so one Sunday night, we left unused our dining hall swipes and walked to the New Haven Little Italy neighborhood to expand our minds and waist lines.
But then the wait line.
Neither Sally’s nor Pepe’s (as far as I am aware; if I am wrong about this, I must know!!) take reservations, so standing in line outside is part of the experience. Our group, hungry and unsuspecting of the role that patience plays in this type of endeavor, made a concession: instead of waiting for one of the three classic apizza spots, we jumped in a much shorter line for an equally good-looking Neapolitan pizza restaurant.
Zeneli Pizzeria e cucina Napoletana served us well. One member of our party, from Italy, instructed our pronunciations, assessed the authenticity of the pizzas, and came out largely satisfied. And even if she hadn’t, the pizza was delicious enough to take all of our hearts.
I’m sure I’ll be back again during my four years here.
Full friends and empty plates.
