Vingenzo’s: Char none
By Tom Maicon at May 16, 2009 | 4:29 pm | Print
The past couple months, there’s been a sauce-slinging pizza war between the Varasano faithful and Fritti fanatics. Terms such as “char” are now everyday vocabulary for once-upon-a-time (not so long ago) local pizza novices.
So who does the better pie? Is it Enrico Liberato of Fritti with his flashy accent and wood-burning oven? Or is it the trash talking Jeff Varasano with his fully loaded luxury oven and sourdough crust?
The answer is: Michael Bologna at a place called Vingenzo’s (105 E. Main St. Suite 100, Woodstock, Tel: 770. 924.9133).
Chef Bologna, a professor of culinary arts at Chattahoochee Technical College, humbly — and quietly — fires consistently amazing pies at 800 degrees Fahrenheit in a wood-burning oven.
The crust is a perfect stucco of black char and yeasty brown. It’s crispy, soft and chewy all at once. The sauce is inherently more flavorful than Varazano’s and Fritti’s versions combined.
Cheese is an extremely important component when it comes to pizza, and handcrafted bufala mozzarella is the default cheese Vingenzo’s — not an upgrade, yet the margharita pizza will only set you back $12.
Vingenzo’s offers 14 different pies including the usual suspects (stagioni, sofia, and regina) you’d expect to see at a place like this.
With all the hype surrounding Fritti and Varasano’s Pizzeria, I’m at a loss as to how Vingenzo’s managed to fly under the radar for so long. It opened in December of 2008.
Perhaps that elusive perfect crust Jeff Varasano seeks out all over the world, but can’t seem to achieve with any consistency at his own restaurant, can be found in nearby Woodstock, GA of all places.
Chris Spencer, 12 months ago
My name is Chris and I was recently employed by Vingenzo’s. I have news for all of you, the Bufala Mozarella cheese from vingenzos is not handmade…its cut out of a lastic package. Sorry to burst your bubbles. I dare his to say otherwise cause I personally carried the boxes they were shipped in and put them away and ten personally carried the boxes to the trash when he was finished. Lol. Sad to see this stuff.
Chris Gatti, 12 months ago
I’m not reading that Tom said that the cheese was made by Chef Bologna’s hands, just that it is a “handcrafted” bufala mozz.
What is “sad to see” is a disgruntled past employee trying to minimize a clearly accomplished Chef.
Chef Michaels pizza’s are stellar…..honestly I have not been to either Fritti or Varasanos, and cannot speak about their products.
I do wish Bologna would make a large “family sized” pizza. It is likely not how they were intended to be made, but I can and have finished off three of the normal pizza’s on my own.