Friends

I imagine most of you folks already read VarmintBites, but in case you haven't looked lately:  Varmint stirred up a controversy by taking exception to Greg Cox's review in the N&O about The Mint in Raleigh.  Go take a look. 

Ok, so it's not really that bad, but does anyone have any positive experiences to relate with respect to Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking?  I've heard both her cookbook and her referred to positively by a number of people, including Julia.  But I've never made anything out of that particular cookbook that was any more than good.  Several times I've had what I would describe as either mediocre meals or just plain disasters.  The most recent disaster was the polenta cake out of her dessert section, which refused to rise.  I wouldn't have expected it to rise, given what was in it, but I made it anyway, and it was flat as a pancake.  I can't figure out if I'm just executing things poorly or if some recipes are just flat wrong.  But it's hard to believe the errors are on her side, as (again) I've seen so many people with positive opinions on her and the cookbook. 

Any of you folks have any opinions in either direction? 

If you haven't heard already, Pop's has a new pizza takeout and delivery service.  They've always had takeout for the restaurant menu, but now they have a separate, additional menu for takeout and delivery.  And it's not just pizza: calzoni, salads, appetizers, antipasti, desserts....  But the best part: beer and wine by delivery.  Woo-hoo!  Ok, maybe that's not the best part, but it's pretty damn good.  :)

I've been trying to get something up about this for maybe a week.  The gods have not been helpful in this regard.  :(  So, in order to facilitate things, below is the pizza menu; I'll be writing up my actual experience there later.  For the moment, I'll just say that I'm really happy, as I've always been with Pop's.  I'm glad to have another way to eat their food.  :)

One of the reasons I wanted to do this as soon as I saw the menu was that I wanted to hyperlink some of the ingredients.  I'll add that in over time.  I'm also not intending to reproduce the current menu exactly: like I said, I want to add some stuff.  But Kevin over at BCR has a PDF up if you'd like to see exactly how the initial public menu looked.  BTW, Kevin mentions that the pizzas and calzoni are wood fired:  While Pop's uses a wood-fired oven in the restaurant, the new pizza operation has a new, separate pizza oven (I imagine for both quantity and space reasons).  Besides, if you ever go look at Pop's' wood oven, you'll notice that probably couldn't get an 18-inch pizza in and out of the thing.  :)  However, they do say they will wood-fire the 10" pizzas and calzones on request.   

To call in an order, call 956-7437 (956-PIES).  Hours: 5 pm to 10 pm(ish) Sunday through Thursday, and 5 pm to 11 pm(ish) Friday and Saturday.  Have it delivered, or save a buck fifty and pick up your order at their back door, where they have a neat new counter installed (more on that space later, but it's off the parking lot between Pop's and Parker & Otis).

A terminal "(V)" below means the pizza in question is vegetarian.  The pizzas below are $10 for the 10 inch, $15 for the 14 inch, and $19 for the 18 inch. 

1. Number One: granny smith apples, brie, white truffle oil on ricotta spread (V)
2. Irish Pie: sliced potatoes, crispy pancetta, garlicky spinach
3. Pepperoni: housemade sausage, fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese
4. Pop's Famous Salty Egg and Prosciutto: prosciutto, roasted garlic, kalamata olives
5. Pizza Margherita: roma tomatoes, basil leaves, fresh mozzarella (V)
6. White Pizza: taleggio, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, garlic on ricotta spread (V)
7. Kitchen Pie: sopressata, fresh tomatoes, capers, jalapeños, light cheese, marinated cabbage
8. Polpette: housemade meatballs, broccoli rabe, roasted garlic, parmesan
9. Valtellina: bresaola, wilted arugula, caramelized onions, pecorino romano
10. Ratatouille: grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, sweet onions, roasted tomatoes, black olives, feta (V)
11. House-Smoked Chicken: fontina, grilled red onions on pesto
12. Carolina: NC shrimp, roasted red peppers, onions, bacon
13. Northerner: shortribs, herb-roasted mushrooms, taleggio, white truffle oil
14. Southerner: ham, grilled red onion, oil-cured tomato
15. Hawaiian: ham, andouille, pineapple, cherry peppers
16. Meat Lovers: pepperoni, bacon, shortribs, soppressata
17. Veggie Lovers: artichokes, roma tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, green olives (V)
18. Tomato Lovers: fresh romas, roasted tomatoes, oil-cured tomatoes, garlic, parmesan on pesto base (V)
19. Mushroom Lovers: herb-roasted shiitake, portobello, and button mushrooms, pecorino romano (V)
20. Pie of the Week: customer or chef's special

Guide for building your own pizzas and calzones:

• Sizes/prices (for cheese pizza): 10"/$7; 14"/$9, 18"/$12
• Sauces: pomodoro, pesto, ricotta spread, olive oil and herbs
• Additional Toppings: 10"/$1.25 each, 14"/$2 each, 18"/$2.50 each
• Meat: anchovies, andouille, bacon, bresaola, ham, italian sausage, meatballs, pancetta, pepperoni, prosciutto, shortribs, NC shrimp, smoked chicken, sopressata
• Veggies, etc.: apples, artichoke hearts, arugula, banana peppers, basil leaves, black olives, broccoli rabe, capers, caramelized onions, cherry peppers, fresh garlic, green bell peppers, green olives, grilled eggplant, grilled onions, jalapeños, kalamata olives, herb-roasted mushrooms, oil-cured tomatoes, pineapple, Pop's herb blend, red potatoes, red onions, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, roma tomatoes, spinach, sweet onions, truffle oil, zucchini
• Cheeses: brie, feta, fontina, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, monterey jack, parmesan, pecorino romano, taleggio

I really don't know WTF to say about these, but please go look.  If you can read any of the languages involved (one of which appears to be Russian; the others Asian of some sort?), I'd really appreciate any glosses you could provide. 

If you chase down some of the links, there are more drawings reconceptualized as drawings instead of photographs. 

[Via T.Rev.]