Three Brothers from Italy, Boardwalk Pizza from Seaside Heights, New Jersey

Pizza is probably the most common food item found on the Boardwalks all along the New Jersey Shore. If you have to walk more than the length of a block along one without runnign into a pizza joint, you should wonder if you've made a wrong turn and ended up somewhere other than the New Jersey shore... In Seaside Heights, probably the most iconic of the Jersey Shore towns, Three Brothers From Italy is probably the pizza that should be considered the gold standard- so much so, that they actually have several locations spanning the entire baordwalk from end-to-end (I counted at least three, there are probably more), and there is good reason for their success...

When you operate a pizza joint in an area heavily populate with pizza vendors of all shaeps and sizes, you have to do somthing to set yourself apart, or expand your menu you include other items. Most of the boardwalk pizza spots, Three Brothers included, have an expanded menu including items such as heros, stromboli, calzones, etc.. so to really stand out, you need to focus on making your pizza great, and making it stand out from the pack.

I say that Three Brothers has set the standard for boardwalk pizza- they keep it simple, and focus on making a high quality, classic pizza that stands on it's own without the need for a lot of bells and whistles. It is clearly a "New York style" ppizza with a fairly think crust, a modest, but "just right" amount of tomato sauce, and a generous layer fo mozzarella cheese.It's everything you should expect from your day-to-day pizza spot that you would visit as a frequent customer.

Of course, they have the usual array of standard toppings- things such as pepperoni, sausage, peppers, mushrooms, etc... and a selection of speacialty toppings, including a "buffalo chicken" slice that includes hot sauce, chicken, and a bleu cheese sauce- but it's the simple combinations that let the pizza show it's quality- I actually prefer their plain pizza, or onr with a simple single topping to any of the more ambitious combinations.

So what sets their pizza apart? I should mention that their specialty is big pies and big slices. When I say big, I mean it- the slices in the above photos are almost as long as my forearm. A whole pie was enough to feed four adults and five young children. Typically, one, maybe two slices at most, is enough to make a quick meal for even the most hungry beachgoer. A half slice should do it for the average young kid!