When you get to Martha's Vineyard next week you'll notice that pizza is ubiquitous on the island. Even in towns with less than a handful of retail establishments like West Tisbury and Chilmark there will be at least one place selling pizza that someone will tell you is the best to be found on the Vineyard. Do not listen to these people. Garcia's Deli is the closest shop to your rental property making and selling pizza. Its pizza leaves a great deal to be desired. As does the pizza at the nearby Chilmark Store.
Mr. President, First Lady, Sasha, Malia, you can trust me on this one. The only seriously delicious slice of pizza to be found on the island of Martha's Vineyard is made by this man, Joe Santarpio, at Joey's Pizza in Oak Bluffs. Joe has a totally legit pizza pedigree and street cred. Santarpio's, his family's East Boston pizzeria, has been around since 1903. The Santarpio family is to Boston pizza what the Kennedy family is to Boston politics. They are a pizza dynasty. As our president and chief politician I trust the Kennedy family analogy is one you will understand.
I know Joey's doesn't look like much. It's just a shack. But the pizza, sold by the slice and small, not quite 14-inch pies, is most excellent.
The crust is thickish and breadlike, but it's got a crusty, crunchy exterior and a little cornmeal on its bottom. The slices are salty and tangy from the combination of aged mozzarella and Romano cheese Joe uses on his pizza. There is a righteous balance to a Joey's slice. The ratio of crust to sauce to cheese is just about perfect.
So, first family, now you know. Take it from the folks at Slice, if you get a hankering for pizza while you're on the Vineyard, head to Joey's. Slices are $3.25; the smallish whole pies are $14, so even if your pizza is on us, the taxpayers, it shouldn't blow a hole in the federal budget.
Joe will only be there until Labor Day, so your family vacation timing is perfect.
Pizzafully,
Your friends at Slice
PS: Tell your Secret Service detail about Joey's. They will appreciate the tip.
Nicely done, and totally true. Santarpio's in Boston is pizza legend, and this is for sure the best pie on the vineyard. Hopefully the Commander in Chief has a savvy food person who will read this review and take charge on pizza night.
here i go - pizza buzz killer -- doesn't look too good to me.... to bread-dy, too much cheese (processed!) .... not enough tomato. sorry, folks, i've had too many good pizza's in my time. but, hey, i'd probably have a slice
and you wouldn't have to twist my arm.
Kismetized, as I noted in the post the crust is a little bread-like. The upskirt shot reflects that (it also reflects my less-than-stellar upskirt photo-taking skills). But overall it's a damn good slice of pizza, especially compared to the competition on Martha's Vineyard.
I have to give a conflicting recommendation. I have a house in Oak Bluffs and have been going to MV since I was 2 months old. I say Giordanos is the best slice in OB. But don't order a whole pie, the slice is much better for some unexplainable reason. They also have great popcorn chicken and other fried items. I will be there next weekend so I'll try out Joey's and write in.
Munidude, I took my 22 year-old son to both Giordano's and Joey's last week. The Giordano's slice was okay, but we all agreed the Joey's slice was superior. I look forward to reading your comment after you try Joey's.
Ok, ate at Joey's Sunday afternoon and I have to agree with Ed that their slice is superior to Giordanos. I had 4 friends taste test both with me and the two main reasons they said Joeys was superior was the sauce and crunch of the crust. I have to agree that the sauce had more flavor and the crust didn't have the doughy quality of Gio's. Joey's is a little oily but it still comes out on top. I will still be eating at Giordanos because of the memories, the sausage pie, and the fact that it is cheaper, but the infallible Ed was right again.
Thanks for commenting! Your comment has been accepted and will appear in a moment.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
Print
12 Comments:
He should spend more time running the country rather than going to look for great pizzas, but then again that's just me!
Pizza looks great btw!
carmen89 at 4:33PM on 08/21/09
Nicely done, and totally true. Santarpio's in Boston is pizza legend, and this is for sure the best pie on the vineyard. Hopefully the Commander in Chief has a savvy food person who will read this review and take charge on pizza night.
Boscompb at 4:36PM on 08/21/09
here i go - pizza buzz killer -- doesn't look too good to me.... to bread-dy, too much cheese (processed!) .... not enough tomato. sorry, folks, i've had too many good pizza's in my time. but, hey, i'd probably have a slice
and you wouldn't have to twist my arm.
pooch at 7:03PM on 08/21/09
C'mon, Ed. How about a sideways slice picture that shows the crust? All we got is an unsliced pie and a dead-on upskirt to go by.
I do love cornmeal under a pizza, so that's +1 right there...
ratbuddy at 7:15PM on 08/21/09
He's going to Martha's Vineyard??
I was hoping he would come back to Chicago. I'd like to kick his butt in basketball.
Mooner at 12:30AM on 08/22/09
gosh I hope they don't choke!
Pavlov at 7:17PM on 08/22/09
Ed, you've got to be kidding me with that pie. The crust looks too bread like and the upskirt on her is terrible looking.
Kismetized at 1:50AM on 08/23/09
Kismetized, as I noted in the post the crust is a little bread-like. The upskirt shot reflects that (it also reflects my less-than-stellar upskirt photo-taking skills). But overall it's a damn good slice of pizza, especially compared to the competition on Martha's Vineyard.
Ed Levine at 7:39AM on 08/23/09
The crust is too thick and it looks like it could cook for another 10 minutes. Looks tasty, though, considering it has no toppings.
Mooner at 8:50PM on 08/23/09
I have to give a conflicting recommendation. I have a house in Oak Bluffs and have been going to MV since I was 2 months old. I say Giordanos is the best slice in OB. But don't order a whole pie, the slice is much better for some unexplainable reason. They also have great popcorn chicken and other fried items. I will be there next weekend so I'll try out Joey's and write in.
munidude at 10:51AM on 08/24/09
Munidude, I took my 22 year-old son to both Giordano's and Joey's last week. The Giordano's slice was okay, but we all agreed the Joey's slice was superior. I look forward to reading your comment after you try Joey's.
Ed Levine at 3:46PM on 08/24/09
Ok, ate at Joey's Sunday afternoon and I have to agree with Ed that their slice is superior to Giordanos. I had 4 friends taste test both with me and the two main reasons they said Joeys was superior was the sauce and crunch of the crust. I have to agree that the sauce had more flavor and the crust didn't have the doughy quality of Gio's. Joey's is a little oily but it still comes out on top. I will still be eating at Giordanos because of the memories, the sausage pie, and the fact that it is cheaper, but the infallible Ed was right again.
munidude at 9:42AM on 08/31/09