I Found New York-style Pizza in the Unlikeliest of Places

In Boston, most pizzerias make a New York-style pizza. This is the style I grew up eating, and it is the one I prefer.

This style of pizza has a thin crust (not like Pizza Hut’s thin, cracker-like crust), is hand-stretched, hand-tossed and baked in an extremely hot oven (one coal-fired oven in New York reaches 2,000 degrees). Because of the high heat, the pizza cooks in mere minutes. This browns the cheese, chars the crust and gives the pizza a nice flavor.

Well, trying to find this kind of pizza in Ohio can be difficult. Some restaurants get close, but something is just not right. When Wendi and I went to the 2016 Medina Ice Festival, we walked around town and saw Courthouse Pizza, 2 Public Square, Medina, Ohio. I immediately remembered my brother-in-law Shaun Vahl telling me I would like the place. And did I.

Once I stepped inside, I was transported back to my stomping grounds in Revere, Mass. The look, the smell, the taste, plus the fact you can buy slices instead of a whole pie.

Courthouse Pizza is awesome. Owner Jeff Miller and his staff are doing it the right way. I would have preferred a more robust sauce and a little more char (not sure how hot the oven gets) on the crust, but all-in-all it was a wonderful experience, and you can bet your bottom dollar Wendi and I will be going back.