Comments on: 30 Restaurants in 30 Days: Varasano’s Pizzeria

By: Varasano's Named Among America's Best Pizzerias by Experts | Food and More with John Kessler

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:26:48 +0000

[...] Varasano’s Pizzeria — former software engineer Jeff Varasano’s labor of obsessive love — was named one of the top eight in the nation. The top prize was awarded to Phoenix’s storied Pizzeria Bianco. [...]

By: Ande

Ande — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:43:14 +0000

I don’t get how people aren’t put off by Antico’s consistently soggy dough in the center. I’m not a fan of needing to rebake my pizza when I get home before I eat it. I love it that Varasano tinkers with his formula and cares enough to want to put out a consistently delicious product. I’m ready for him to try a few different toppings though, I’ve been through each one at least twice.

By: falcon

falcon — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:16:15 +0000

There are a lot of things that aren’t perfect about Varasano’s but the pizza is the best in the city by a long shot. Beautiful, perfectly balanced flavors and a crust that is flavorful, light, and the most consistently tasty in town.

Who cares if he is an incessant self-promoter, has made some ill-advised and hostile remarks about other restaurants, and the restaurant is flashy and devoid of charm? You’re there for the pizza. The man is a pizza genius and we are very lucky to have him here, warts and all.

I think one thing that people forget (even some who ahould know better) is that pizza is very difficult and there are a lot of variables that come into play…even the best restaurants in NY and CN have on and off nights. I’ll take frequently brilliant over consistently good pizza any day.

By: Pizza Love

Pizza Love — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:24:00 +0000

Those in the engineering/science fields know that a lot of times the things that work the best are the ones that are the simplest. That is what makes Giovanni’s artisan pizza the best.

Perhaps Jeff is trying too hard, trying too apply too much complexity to solve a problem (making delicious pizza that would be warmly welcomed by Atlanta). Perhaps the architecture he laid down is flawed. Don’t mistake me for being an anti-Varasano; I’m a fan..a tiny bit disappointed fan. There’s no mistaking the man has passion for producing consistently good pizza and I hope he gets there. He’s got a lot of debugging to do (and probably a press of the reset button). Jeff Varasano has added good to Atlanta’s pizza scene.

The formula that makes Antico drive me and my family back again and again:

1. Delicious food.
2. Atmosphere. The communal table, though a bit awkward at first has grown on us and it would not be Antico without it. Being able to see them make your pie, and if your lucky to be invited to the kitchen, is part of the trip. There’s something that makes you feel connected and more comfortable sitting amongst people delighting in the same dish as you are. It feels like you’re all in the same tribe for some reason.
3. Giovanni, Luca, Enrico and the rest of the staff are genuinely warm and friendly. It’s feels like they’re like old friends or family cooking you a good meal.
4. $ matters so for the price point, they’re still reasonable for me to take my family almost twice a week if not more. As long as the price is reasonable, we hope to make eating at Antico a family tradition.

By: John Kessler

John Kessler — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:31:26 +0000

Jim – That should make for some very lucid, descriptive copy…

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:33:01 +0000

Jeff Varasano is an idiot.

By: sha.chanel

sha.chanel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:17:22 +0000

Our family tried it the other day and we thinks its great.

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By: Jim R.

Jim R. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:10 +0000

Thanks John..Sounds great and it is right around the corner. Appreciate the update. I realize all I had to do was look up the menu on their webpage but if everything the restaurant owners claimed was true really WAS true then we wouldn’t need food critics and I certainly would not want to live in a world like that! What about making your next project 30 bars in 30 days?

By: John Kessler

John Kessler — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:51:43 +0000

Hey, Jim –
See what you mean. I think I was preaching a bit to the choir with this post. Varasano’s makes two kinds of basic tomato pie — the Nana’s (pictured) has an herb-laden, cooked tomato sauce; the margherita has very plain tomato and cheese. I really like both, though I usually find the margherita needs a touch of salt. I love the white clam pie, which features loads of garlic, clams and a bit of mussel meat to give the flavor more oomph. Also, the dolce with fontina cheese, honey, dates and touch of rosemary is weird and amazing. Really like this place.

By: Darin

Darin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:32:50 +0000

Atlanta has so many good places for pizza now.It’s ridonkulous. Between Fritti, Baronda, Antico, Varasano’s, Vespucci’s and Rosa’s, it’s difficult for me to resist eating pizza every day. Even good ole Fellini’s makes a decent cheese slice that I enjoy.

My pizza-enjoyment experience has come a long way since the Pizza Hut and Dominoes days — not to mention the Chef Boyardee kits my brother and I used to use for making pizza at home as kids. They were messy fun but they made some some naaaaasty pizza.