TRIANGLE TODAY | THE NEWS & OBSERVER
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018
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IN SEARCH OF A SLICE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH?
PIZZA
Greg Cox for Triangle Today
For all of downtown Raleigh’s burgeoning restaurant scene, it has long suffered from a shortage of that most vital of urban eateries: a place where you could grab a slice of pizza. The situation has improved considerably in recent months, as these three newcomers have come online to fill the void. Oakwood Pizza Box, Pizza Times and Benny Capitale’s all sell pizza by the whole pie or by the slice. But that’s where the similarities end. Get a taste of each spot below and read the entire article at triangletoday.com
OAKWOOD PIZZA BOX 610 N. PERSON ST., RALEIGH
THE PIZZA TIMES 210 S. WILMINGTON ST., RALEIGH
BENNY CAPITALE’S 121 FAYETTEVILLE ST., SUITE 110, RALEIGH
You can get pizza by the slice, but if you have the time, do yourself a favor and round up a friend or two for a whole 18-inch pie. Get there early (Oakwood Pizza Box is as compact as its name implies) and order a Narragansett lager — or if you’re feeling continental, a Campari and soda.
First, the good news. If there’s a better value than the $2.50 cheese slice, I don’t know about it. Chef Michael Rehm, a veteran of eight years in the Raleigh Times kitchen, has come close to mastering the all-important crust, starting with the slow fermentation of the dough that’s crucial for developing its texture.
The second location of a Virginia-based chain in the Triangle, Benny’s claim to fame is its 28-inch pie. (Benny Cappella’s in Chapel Hill is the other one.) That’s right, 28 inches. Let’s just say a whole pie is about as big around as an adult bicycle wheel, and that a single slice will fill you up as well as those individual-size pizzas at most places.
Make your pizza a half-and-half, maybe classic pepperoni on one side, white with meatballs and mushrooms (cremini, lightly sautéed with thyme and a touch of garlic on a ricotta-mozzarella base) on the other. Then sit back and enjoy a little slice of New York in Raleigh.
Add one or two toppings from the list of 15 or so at 50 cents a pop. Or go nuts with a $4 daily special like the Baby Blue (arugula, blue cheese, house-ground beef and red onion on an olive oil base). Any way you slice it, it’s a bargain.
Given its size, the crust is surprisingly well executed — just the right thickness with a crust that, if not as puffed and blistery as the best, still has a good toothsome bite to it.