![]() ![]() The "friggin' bangin'" bar pie ($5) comes in one size - the diameter of a record, I was told - and with three possible toppings: buffalo chicken, jalapeño and pepperoni. Menu options were limited, but as I would learn, that is part of the charm and mystique of The Boiler Room. Ceiling tiles are painted with trippy designs, and candle wax drips from the sides of bottles on the bar. Whoever decorated the dimly lit saloon, which is dog-friendly and encourages bar-top dancing, appears to have been inspired by a psychedelic hallucination. The Boiler Room Pints & PiesĬold beer, warm hospitality and a piping-hot oven: Those are the hallmarks of The Boiler Room in Garfield. Go: 290 Huyler St., South Hackensack 20. But, its sharp flavor grew on me after each slice, and I forgot about the bacon and olives. My only quibble was that the seasoning in the sauce overpowered the toppings. The crust was crispy and burnt - in a good way. ![]() To accompany my selection, I asked the bartender to pour a pint of Mango Cart by Golden Road Brewing ($7.50), a light wheat ale and one of seven beers on tap. I picked green olives (add $1) and bacon (add $2). Having never heard of it, I tried the "Old Judge." I was told it was half as thick as its traditional counterpart and that its crust would first be covered with mozzarella cheese, then tomato sauce and, finally, a second layer of cheese and my choice of 22 toppings. Sixteen-inch pies also are available in both styles ($14). I had two choices for my 10-inch brick-oven pie, according to the bartender: traditional ($10) or the "Old Judge" ($9). Of course, my mission was not to refuse pizza. "I'm going to make you a pizza you can't refuse." Those were the tempting words on the poster, a play on Marlon Brando's infamous line in the 1972 film. There could be no better man than "The Godfather" to welcome me to the first of four rounds of bar-pie testing. But there he was - his likeness gazing down from a poster that hangs conspicuously on a wall at Bergen Brick Oven Bar & Grill in South Hackensack. In the end, I decided that I couldn't single out one bar pie as North Jersey's "best," because each is good in its own way. "That's why people keep coming back," Margolis said.īetween The Boiler Room and Kinchley's, there are many more pies to be had. Kinchley's was established in 1937 and, according to Margolis, its pizza recipe has not changed since 10 years after that. The style, he said, should have a place among the nation's most celebrated pies, such as Chicago's deep-dish pizza and New York City's wide-sliced variety. George Margolis, 40, whose family has owned the business since 1986, said Kinchley's is responsible for fueling a regional thin-crust pizza craze. ![]() On the other end of the spectrum is Kinchley's Tavern, a pizza-making institution in Ramsey. The Boiler Room has been open for less than two years. Total strangers can get to know each other over a pizza at the bar." "It helps make the night last longer," said Daniels, 23. At The Boiler Room Pints & Pies in Garfield, for example, the manager, Carly Daniels, said bar pizza gives customers a certain "level of comfort" and "warms their stomachs." I embarked on a mission to try four bar pies in Bergen County. PIZZA NEAR ME: These pizza shops are the 10 most searched for in New Jersey ICE CREAM FOOD CRAWL: Sweet ice cream shops in North Jersey NJ PIZZAS: North Jersey's best thin-crust pies In other words, no doggy bags were used for this report. While it can be interpreted any number of ways, bar pizza typically features a wafer-thin crust and is served in a personal-sized portion. There is nothing fancy about bar pizza, but if you ask those who eat it, they will tell you its simplicity is its calling card. It can take minutes to prepare and comes on an aluminum tray that is likely worse for wear. ![]()
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