Best Pizza of The Caldwells Contest: Tony D's

Tony D's is the new kid on the block in the world of Caldwell's pizzerias. Since turning its oven on in December, the restaurant has amassed a sizable following on it's Facebook fan page and around the town.

When reading that it was our next stop, Ryan Dorchak, of the Cloverleaf Tavern, told us, "I'm a big fan."

In terms of decor, Tony D's is a hole-in-the-wall. That's meant as a compliment—it's a throwback to the places you go with dad to pick up a pizza when you were a kid, only there's no gumball machine with fossils inside.

There are no framed photos of Italian-Americans, no plasma TVs—when you're there, it's you, a counter and a soda refrigerator with a teetering stack of delivery bags on top of it.

As simple as his establishment, Tony D said he's trying to streamline his menu as well.

"I want to just do pizza," he said. "All of that other stuff is just not me."

Salads—available with mixed baby greens or Caesar style—remain available.

But the main attraction is the pizza, which is offered in a traditional round style as well as a square "specialty" version cooked on a pan—Tony's favorite. 

Everyone's favorite toppings are offered for the classic pies (pepperoni, sausage) as well as some "see, it's healthy" ones like broccoli. Everyone's uncle seems to like anchovies and they're available, too. All classic pies are available in 12-inch or large 16-inch versions.

The specialty pizza menu should carry a subtitle of "unique." It starts with basics like "Tony D's Old Fashioned" and the "Grandma" (the same "Grandma" as Forte?), which each feature touches like olive oil and garlic.

From there things take an original twist.

The "Milano" is a hip blend of sausage and gorgonzola cheese; the "Calabria" is a combination of spicy sopressata with olives and provolone. The "Primavera" pizza consists of zucchini, roasted peppers, tomato and mozzarella. The "Wild Mushroom" has a selection of (you guessed it) mushrooms on it.

Then there's a pie made in honor of a "Caldwell legend." The "Big Sal" is a healthy, filling creation featuring a whole wheat crust topped with cheese, chicken, broccoli and garlic. (Who can further identify "Big Sal?")

There's the mushroom and hot cherry pepper topped "Claudio," which when picking it up at the store, gives one the chance to say "I, Claudio." 

There are even more combinations to choose from. The most surprising is a Nutella pizza. You read that right—it's a personal pie topped with the Italian chocolate and hazelnut spread.

A Work in Progress

While he was working, owner Tony Di Fibrizio told us a little about himself and his business. Di Fibrizio, who grew up in West Orange, had worked at Divina, an Italian restaurant on Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. He started thinking about opening his own business, settled on mostly pizza, and found his current location at 3 Hanford Place. 

Since firing up the ovens earlier this year, Tony reveals that he's already tinkered with the menu somewhat—panini sandwiches were introduced, then dropped; the salad lineup was slimmed down and then he let on somewhat of a shocker.

"I've thought about going to all square pies," he revealed, while putting one in a lower oven bay.

The idea seems to be a product of his "passion"—he likes the way they cook better in pans. 

"The bottom [of the pizzas] gets a little fried," he pointed out.

Factoring in all of the varieties he makes them in, they do rather stand apart from their circular brethren. 

One item will always make the cut: "The Nutella pie stays," he said.

Even though there is a lot to choose from at his own store, Tony has also succeeded in expanding his menu without adding to it. Customers ordering food for delivery can also get items from a special menu of dinners and more from Divina.

During our visit, things are certainly busy—pies are being made at a fast clip (Tony, an assistant and a cashier at the counter), people are picking up orders and two drivers are coming and going with deliveries.

Then, there's us—what did we think about Tony D's plain cheese pizza? 

The judges for this round were: Editor Mike Pignataro, Contributor Ron Albanese, Nick Albanese and special guest, Joe Stellato, a Patch photographer.

Mike: I've heard a lot about this place, so I was anxious to try it out—and it certainly was worth the hype.

As the steady stream of customers came in for take-out orders, one man even stood by the counter and ate a slice while conversing with Tony about pies.

The cheese pizza we received was really good all-around. The crust was cooked just about perfect for me. It was tasty and a bit tender, which enabled you to bend your slices in half if wanted to. I did the first time and kept it straight the second time around.

The cheese and sauce each were flavorful. It was a good amount of cheese and maybe just a bit more sauce could have been used. What was nice was that both ingredients stretched to nearly the very edges of the pie, which created an almost cheesy stick effect when eating the final bites of the crust. I enjoyed that part.

Overall, Tony D's is certainly a good choice that's caught on fast in The Caldwells.

Nick Albanese: "The Kid" is back! "I had pizza for lunch," he lamented on the way over. But there's always room for pizza, right? Here's what he had to say.

• Cheese—The cheese tasted good, there wasn't a lot, but not too little. It's a little stretchy, which I like.
• Crust—I don't eat crust! But the crust underneath the cheese and sauce was good, just a little burnt, at least on my slice.
• Sauce—There was a little, but I could taste it. Just a little more would have been good.

Overall, the pizza tasted perfect to me.

Ron

• Cheese—A nice covering of cheese—slightly stringy and oily ... definitely tasted good.
• Crust—It was a good, fresh dough. I liked the crunch on the main "body" of the pie. The crust was pretty good, too—the sauce pretty much ran right up to it on most of the slices, making for sort of a pizza within a pizza. 

If it were cooked for another couple of minutes, the crust would have been virtually perfect. It's hard to fault Tony (or any other pizza maker) for such a slight undercooking—the dough seemed very fresh, which is sometimes tricky—it's a lot more moist.

With the Baker's Pride ovens he's using, placement inside of them is a factor, among other things—such as not having X-ray eyes. It's not an exact science.

• Sauce—I think the sauce tasted very good; I'd like to taste it on one of Tony's margherita pies for the full effect. Here, it was used to complement the cheese, and not dominate. However, when it was on its own at the edges of the pizza, it definitely was flavorful.

This was a thin-to-medium pizza that was surprisingly filling. Plain pizza eaters of all ages would be satisfied with it.

Now, I have to try that Nutella pie! And the Milan.

Special Guest Judge: Joe Stellato

When it comes to tomato pie, The Caldwells Patch photographer is a self-described "stickler" about cheese and contends, "there's a misconception that more cheese equals better pizza." Regarding crust, he correctly noted "some get it, some don't." 

On our trip to Tony D's he brought a lot of pizza passion, which we love. Here are his comments:

• Cheese—I want enough cheese that I'm not missing it. "Hey, didn't I order a...cheese pizza?" But it shouldn't be so much that it takes over every bite. In this category, Tony D's has the perfect amount. And not too greasy, a big plus.
• Crust—Not chewy, not completely dehydrated, just the right amount of crunch. A newly bitten cross section of my first slice revealed slightly, and I do mean slightly, undercooked dough. I didn't think much of it. However the second slice had an extra few minutes to continue to cook—it was perfect dough. 
• Sauce—It could have used a bit more sauce, although what was on there was indeed delicious. Good thing there was a comfortable cheese ratio, otherwise this would have been a game changer.

Tony D's

Address: 3 Hanford Place, Caldwell

Phone: 973-228-9500

Cheese pizza price: $10.95 (large), $6.95 (personal)

Taste tested on: April 1, 2010

Next week: Our next round with represent a first for our pizza contest. We will stop over at both Domino's and the brand-new Papa John's. How will these corporate giant, "chain" pizza places stack up against each other, and the fine local establishments we've visited and will sample in upcoming weeks?

If you would like to be a guest judge, please let us know or post your experiences at each pizzeria below. The Caldwells Patch has already visited Forte, Calandra's, Nicco's, Cedar Grill and Pizza, Pizza and Sandwich Barn and Tony D's.