Pepe's Pizza - Katz Deli - NYC trip

Yes, it's true. I've driven three hours to Raleigh, taken a 14 hour train trip to New Haven, Ct, spent three nights in a motel to eat a pizza.



Pepe's was founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe, an Italian immigrant. Pepe was born in Maiori, Italy on April 15, 1893, and later immigrated to New Haven in 1909 at the young age of 17. The quintessential Wooster Square Italian immigrant (poor, uneducated, enthusiastic), he took a job at a New Haven factory, but he hated it.

During World War I, Pepe went back to Italy to fight for his beloved native country.[1] Upon returning, he soon landed a job working at a bakery on Wooster Street, which was a much better fit for him. [2] Pepe began walking through the Wooster Square market and sold his "tomato pies" off of a special headdress that he wore on his head. After saving up enough money, he was able to buy a wagon to sell his pizzas off of.[3] He did so well with his pizzas that he was eventually able to take over his employer's business and turn it into the first "Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana" on June 16, 1925.

The piece of land which Pepe's restaurant sat on was owned by the Boccamiello family. They later made Frank Pepe leave so that they could start their own pizzeria at the establishment, which they renamed The Spot. Pepe moved his restaurant to its current location next door to The Spot in 1936. The Pepe family later bought back The Spot from the Boccamiello family in 1981 and it now serves the same menu as the newer restaurant.[1]

Frank Pepe died on September 6, 1969, but his family still owns the restaurants. Pepe's is currently expanding outside of New Haven as a small family owned chain. Nine relatives are co-owners of the chain, including grandsons Gary Bimonte and Francis Rosselli.

Pepe's originated the New Haven-style thin-crust apizza (closely related to Neapolitan-style Italian pizza) which he baked in a coal-fired brick oven. Originally, Frank Pepe only made two varieties of pizza: the "plain" (oregano, chopped garlic, tomato sauce, and grated pecorino romano cheese) and the "marinara" (tomato sauce, grated cheese, and anchovies).

Today Pepe's is particularly known for its innovation of the white pizza topped with freshly shucked littleneck clams.[4] This type of pizza pie became one of the restaurant's famous specialties - the by-product of Frank Pepe's allergies to tomatoes and cheese.[5]

In the alleyway between The Spot and Pepe's, Boccamiello's nephew Bear would open clams and sell them on the half shell to passersby.[1] Pepe's restaurant began serving littleneck clams on the half shell at the bar. It was only a matter of time before he decided to put the clams on the pizza. The white clam pie is just crust, olive oil, oregano, grated cheese, chopped garlic, and fresh littleneck clams.[2] The restaurant will serve the pizza with or without mozzarella, but they try to discourage customers from ordering it with mozzarella because they feel that it makes the pizza too heavy and rich. They are also adamant on using freshly shucked clams as opposed to canned clams; if fresh clams are not available then they will not serve the white clam pie. Three men are employed by Pepe's just for shucking the clams on location. Since its invention, the white clam pie has become the signature pizza among the New Haven pizzerias. Today I'm back to stay in New York City to dine at KATZ deli and see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.
Katz's Delicatessen, also known as simply Katz's Deli, is a Jewish kosher style delicatessen on the Lower East Side of New York City, located at 205 E. Houston Street, on the south-west corner of Houston and Ludlow Streets, in Manhattan.


Since its founding in 1888, it has become popular among locals and tourists alike for its pastrami sandwiches and hot dogs, both of which are widely considered among New York's best.[1] Each week, Katz's serves 5,000 pounds of corned beef, 2,000 pounds of salami and 12,000 hot dogs.[2]

Here now in "The Jane Motel" a nice place - The rooms are 64 sq feet - like a sea cabin. lol


Completed in 1908, the American Seaman's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute was designed by William A. Boring, the architect renowned for Ellis Island’s immigrant station. Originally built as a hotel for sailors with cabin-like rooms, the landmarked hotel was lovingly restored on its centennial in 2008. In 1912, the survivors of the Titanic stayed at the hotel until the end of the American Inquiry into the ship’s sinking. The surviving crew held a memorial service at the hotel four days after the ship sank. In 1944, the YMCA took over the hotel from the Seaman’s Relief Center, as the hotel was then called. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the hotel was part of downtown New York’s bohemian culture, hosting Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the Million Dollar Club, amongst many other rock-n-roll events. The hotel has continued to house guests with more dash than cash ever since.

Standard Cabins: Reminiscent of a ship's cabin, at approximately 50 sq. ft. our Standard Cabins are remarkably cozy. Each cabin features a single bed, luggage rack, in-room safe, free wireless internet, telephone with voicemail, 23"-inch LCD television, DVD player, and iPod dock. Please note: All cabins share the communal bathrooms located at the end of the hall on each floor.


Visit me at the JANE Street motel here!










Tomorrow I'm going to Macy's - the Meadowlands and the World Trade Center site. Going to Ray's Famous for Pizza and Tad's for steak.



I may stay a few days then it's a layover in Philly for a steak and cheese.


I have plenty of 80 MG Lipitor and Zetia to flush the grease all out.
Back home one day this week. lol