| Without a doubt, Ed Levine knows his pizza. He is an | | | | Levine pulls it altogether in the end. |
| author, food critic and full time pizza fanatic. Levine just | | | | Levine is very straight forward about his pizza picks. |
| can't get enough pizza. | | | | He is a New Yorker, and his choices have a New |
| Levine takes his pizza seriously. He consumed over a | | | | York spin. He feels (as many New Yorkers feel), New |
| thousand slices in twelve months, in twenty states and | | | | York is the center of the pizza universe. He is not a |
| several countries. The result of this journey, Pizza A | | | | pizza elitist, however. |
| Slice of Heaven, is a volume dedicated to America's | | | | He nods his head to the famed New Haven, |
| favorite food. | | | | Connecticut Pizza; Pepe's, and Sally's Apizza. He does |
| He reviews all manner of pizza and pizzerias. He tries | | | | acknowledge Wooster Street in New Haven, as being |
| the fantastic as well as the mediocre. He begins his | | | | a stronghold of some of the best pizza in America. He |
| quest at the source of all pizza, Naples, Italy. He | | | | searches New York, Boston, Chicago, The Mid West, |
| samples pizza from the East to the West Coast and | | | | The South, The Southwest, and The West Coast. He |
| many places in between. His focus is on pizza so | | | | even touches on South American Pizza. He takes a |
| memorable that his heart pounds just thinking about it. | | | | stab at Bar Pizza, Frozen Pizza, Chain Pizza and |
| Levine has developed his own rubric for rating pizza. | | | | Internet Pizza (pizzatherapy.com, a web site based in |
| He notes the criterion is the fuel source, the oven, the | | | | Hawaii, is referenced). |
| crust, the mozzarella, the sauce and the balance. | | | | Levine rates Hawaii pizza, by enlisting the assistance |
| This book is more than just a review of great pizza. | | | | of Joan Namkoony and John Heckathorn from |
| Within these pages are adventurous tales filled with | | | | Honolulu Magazine. As part of their research, they |
| pizza obsession, passion, heartbreak, and | | | | ordered fourteen pizzas from Kahala to Mapunupuna |
| enlightenment. You will even find a cure for the | | | | and brought them back to their office for a pizza |
| dreaded Pizza Burn. Pizza Burn occurs when searing | | | | party. After a blind-test-side-by-side comparison, one |
| hot cheese meets the unprotected roof of your | | | | pizza came out on top: Antonio's New York Pizzeria. |
| mouth. He also includes a pizza recipe for the home | | | | Owners (and cousins) Anthony Romano and Joe |
| cook. Ed Levine has done his homework. | | | | Tramantano are transplanted from Connecticut |
| Levine is wise enough to enlist the assistance of such | | | | carrying on the thin crust pizza tradition here in Hawaii. |
| luminaries as Chefs Mario Batali and Peter Reinhart | | | | I recommend Pizza: A Slice of Heaven! without |
| (American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza), Nora | | | | hesitation or reservation. This is a wonderful book for |
| Ehron, Jeffery Stiengarten and many others. These | | | | anyone who ever enjoyed a pizza. Levine does not |
| authors add much varied flavor to the different tastes | | | | sugar coat any of his reviews or recommendations. |
| in the book. In some ways this book is a collaborative | | | | The book is totally opinionated and therein lies it's |
| effort full of Pizza anecdotes and reviews, however, | | | | charm. |