Upon a
recent trip to Ridgewood, Queens I followed in my family’s past footsteps. I
drove around passing houses, churches, schools, and other significant sites for
relatives I have known all of my life.
Sightseeing
all day made this girl incredibly hungry. So hungry I didn’t care where I ate
or what was offered. It was the kind of hungry that leads you to order one of
everything, and not just because it smells so darn good.
Lunch
turned out to be at Corato Pizza, another hot spot for those who lived in the
area. It might have looked a little different but parking under the train
tracks in the made shift parking lot looked like one of the seven wonders of
the world to me at that point. That’s how hungry I was.
As soon
as I got out of the car and made the twenty-foot walk to the entrance, I was
consumed by the aroma of garlic, olive oil, and carbohydrates coming towards
me. I got there literally as fast as I could.
The place
had a pretty consistent consumers walking in and out. There were plenty of
seats and tables for those diners like us who were not leaving until we were
completely full.
Upon
entering I had to pause to see if what I was looking at was real. It sure was.
There was a glass case filled with every kind of roll you can think of and some
I didn’t have the imagination to think of. Instead of just the standard
spinach, pepperoni, or chicken roll served at pizza parlors everywhere, here
there were hot dog rolls, spinach parmesan rolls, buffalo chicken rolls, and
even Philly cheese steak rolls, just to name a few.
I quickly
got a table, took a few photos, and then tried to keep my blood pressure down.
I was so beyond hungry I would have eaten a chair and that would have tasted
good to me. But what I had was so much better.
I tried a
rice ball (a staple of mine) that was GIANTIC, a Chicken Cesar salad slice, an
Upside Down Sicilian slice, and a Chicken Bacon Ranch slice. For dessert (but
eaten as the same time as the main course) were the Zeppoles. These bad boys
were so pretty and piping hot out of the oven. My God the cross between the
crunchy outside and sweetness of the powered sugar on top made me feel like I
had been saved.
The rice
ball was dry for something filled with two kinds of cheese as well as ground
beef. It wasn’t bad just a different flavor than I was use to. I still can’t
believe that for as many rice balls (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/06/for-pop-up-sandwich-shop-that-pays.html)
as I’ve tried there are as many different flavor combos especially when they
look identical.
The
slices were also good but different than I imagined. For instance, on the
Chicken Bacon Ranch, the ranch dressing was better on this slice than the one I
had at Vinnie’s (see below) but Vinnie’s version had a better tasting chicken.
The Caesar salad piece was a little too peppery for me but the Upside Down
pizza proved to be just right.
By the
end of this meal I was undoubtedly full although still thinking about what I
would eat next time. I know I will have just as much trouble deciding then as I
did on this day.
It
appears this year is most definitely going to be my pizza year. I have already
tried Vinnie’s Pizza (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/02/for-variety-that-is-vinnies-pizza.html)
and Artichoke Basille’s Pizza (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/02/for-chance-to-get-my-hands-around_17.html).
Those are the first two that popped into my mind. That’s not to say that I
forget that there are at least three remaining pizza places in Brooklyn alone,
on my current to do list (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/04/for-year-6-20162017-to-do-list_19.html).
Try as I
might to cross off eateries on this list, it is spontaneous places and days
like this that make that goal harder to complete. However I am not complaining.
Apparently
pizza is in my blood, it is my legacy.
After all
how many places have a Blessed Mother statute in the window, bidding you adieu?
For me
it’s a sign I am home.
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