I’ve been eating lots of pizza lately; about 3 times per week! And you know what, I’m not tired of it! But, I can hear my father’s voice saying, “You U-LET (pronounced you-let)”!
What is a U-LET? Read on…
Dad (Grandpa Tony) worked on the docks as a second job for most of my younger life. His dock job was to “sample” iron ore from Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and rubber from Africa. In the 60’s and 70’s, Ashtabula was one of the top ports on the Great Lakes for both iron ore bound for Youngstown’s and Pittsburgh’s steel mills and rubber for Akron’s tire plants.
For this sampling job, he was required to go down into the hole of the ships, grab small samples of product from various parts of the shipment, then return the samples to the dock’s lab for quality control analysis.
Grandpa Tony would call someone who ate a lot, and fast, as a “U-LET”. What he meant was HULETT (pronounced hugh-let)!
So, what is a HULETT, and why did Grandpa Tony call big eater’s that? Read on…
I knew what he meant when he said U-LET because just up the streets at the dock in Ashtabula Harbor, I could see a HULETT! A HULETT is/was a massively large bucket, designed by Mr. Hulett (see video below) that would reach down into the hole of the ship, scoop out massive quantities of iron ore or coal (rubber shipped in bails), and then drop the mass quantities into railroad cars underneath the contraption. One scoop would fill an entire open freight car! In his sampling job, Grandpa Tony would get up close and personal with the Huletts.
So, Grandpa Tony knew what he was talking about when he took a massive inanimate object (HULETT) and turn it into adjective to describe a person’s eating! Even though, for some reason, he pronounced it “YOU-LET” and not “HUGH-LET”!
I was flipping through YouTube and ran into the video below. It really took me back.
As I mentioned at the top, I’ve been eating lots of pizzas. I’ve been making my own once, sometimes twice a week (my family doesn’t seem to mind!). And trying to get out and sample what other’s have suggested to me (I have a following that I need to satisfy 🙂 )
Average Joe’s Pizza
We were in northeast Syracuse a couple of weeks ago. It was late, and on the way home, I suggested pizza…to noone’s protest! A quick, “Hey Google” led us to Average Joe’s Pizza (website link) in Baldwinsville, NY.
Normally, Baldwinsville is a fairly classy burb, but Average Joe’s, not so much! It was literally a hole in the wall. On top of that, it’s a hole in the wall in the back of a bar! The interior is not much better! BUT, GOOGLE SAID IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD!
Upon opening the box, Average Joe’s treated us to a wonderful looking pie! Nicely cupped and charred pepperoni, brown puffy crust, and golden baked cheese of a gas fired oven, Brooklyn style.
Upon first bite, Average Joe’s crust was AWESOME! It’s taste was truly memorable! For those of us who grew up in Ashtabula, it reminded me of the taste of a Balkan Bakery bread…YEASTY but not over powering.
Unfortunately, the rest of the pizza was not as great. There was a little too much cheese and not enough sauce for my tastes. The cheese added too much salt to the already salty pepperoni.
All in all, Average Joe’s is good (not great). If I’m in the area, I’d consider going back.
TKs Pizza
One of my former co-workers and cycling buddies has been asking that I try TK’s Pizza (website link) in Fairport (NY) Village. TK’s has a great location right on the Erie Canal, and the Erie Canal Cycling Trail goes right in front of the pizzeria…HOW CONVENIENT!!!! Cycling and pizza…who knew!?
The owner of TK’s waited on us while he was making other pies. They have a great special, $5.50 for two slices and a drink!!!!! I’ve complained many times on this blog about the high cost of pizza in the USA vs Italy. TK’s is not one of those cases. Although the slices weren’t huge, TK’s is still a very good deal.
The owner’s name was Tony….go figure! But he said his last name was Kiley?! He said that he was German Italian! That’s how it became TK’s! He was a nice guy and suggested that we walk across the street to sit on the benches that are on the canal.
Off the top, the pizza was too doughy! The crust was thick, like a Sicilian Style Pizza, but instead of being square like Sicilian, it was round. The crust was doughy, not raw, but still not totally cooked. This is unfortunate because the sauce and cheese combination was very good.
I’ve thought a lot about the dough/crust since visiting because I wanted more from TK’s because of the recommendation that I’ve received. I wonder if the oven was not totally up to temp when the pizza was cooked. This sometimes happens with early in the day, lunch time pizza versus evening pizza when the oven has been on for the entire day and the baking surface has heated through.
All in all, TK’s was good (not great), but I will likely go back because of the price, location, and hope that my dough/crust was a one off problem.
More Ooni
I’ve been making Ooni pizza weekly and sometimes multiple times per week.
FINALLY, I’VE FOUND CAPUTO BLUE 00 FLOUR! IT REALLY IS EASIER TO WORK INTO A ROUND! But, it cooks differently. I needs high temps or it seems not to cook through (like TK’s). More will follow.
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