Monthly Archives: December 2024

Why Luna’s Pizza is a Must-Try in Connecticut

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All pizza enthusiasts in this part of Connecticut know the Three Kings of Pizza, three brothers who each own one of the most highly-regarded pizzerias stretching from Wallingford to Cheshire to Naugatuck. A couple of months ago I visited Fuoco in Cheshire and scheduling a visit to one of the other places has been on my to-do list. I finally made it to Luna in Naugatuck, and I am extremely glad I did.

Like many of its pizza-brethren in this part of CT, Luna is situated in a residential neighborhood, just off northbound exit 28 (Prospect Street) of Interstate 8. While there are numerous Luna Pizzas in CT, the others have no association with this location nor the three brothers. When you enter the non-descript building you immediately understand that Luna caters to the takeaway crowd, the teeny dining area offers only four small tables, two high-tops that each seat four and another two regular height tables for another two guests each. Most of the space is dedicated to the pre-made 250 pizza boxes and the 20-foot-long pile of split wood ready to enter the wood-fired oven. There is also one refrigerator that carries an array of 1-liter bottles of Foxon Park sodas, and a few bottles of Poland Springs hidden on the bottom, next to a couple of pre-cut slices of dessert.

While the menu includes salads, burgers, pasta, a calzone, wings and a few head-scratching options, I was there for the pizza.

I ordered a 12” pie, half sausage and half pepperoni, and wandered to an empty table to wait. The server brought the pizza, and I was immediately impressed. The edges had a minor level of char, not too much, not too little. There was minimal, if any, poofiness to the edges, just a few bubbles, indicating a crispy dough. There was a good amount of toppings (more condensed on the pepperoni side) and the balance among cheese, sauce and meats looked pretty good, and I was grateful that the sausage was chunks, my favorite. I next pulled a slice from the pie to check the underside. There were dots of char intermingled in a nicely tanned bottom. The was just a little flop at the point of the slice, maybe just a tad too much. So far I was very impressed.

Onto the taste test.

Per my tradition, I started with a slice from the sausage half. I first peeled a little dollop of sausage from the pie, always looking for the fennel backnotes that I love. Excellent sausage, the sausage had the right amount of fennel and the time in the oven maintained a good juiciness without drying out the meat. The first slice-bite was very good, and the balance and flavors were excellent. I waited for it to cool slightly for bite #2. Bite #2 was even better, and we finally approached my real litmus test…bite #3, when the pie has cooled just enough, and the flavors are fully melded. And it was pretty close to perfect. The three major components combined nicely and there was just a hint of flavor from the dough.

Now onto the pepperoni side. Again, first a taste of pepperoni by itself. There was a good crunchiness and then the spice kicked in and grew. There was a bit of a time lag before it peaked. I would call it a 4 out of 10 level of spiciness and there was a very long tail. A bite of the entire slice, which was already at the right temperature, confirmed my foreshadowing that this would also be a great slice, and it was. The balance of the sauce, cheese and pepperoni was even better than the sausage side with the added kick from the pepperoni.

After I savored a few more slices, it was time to stop and reflect. If there was one slight negative to the pie, it would be the dough, I would have liked a little more flavor. Other than that, Luna is a solid 9.2.

I have been pretty lucky finding some great New Haven-style pies in Waterbury and its surrounding suburbs, and Luna is definitely in the elite class of New Haven style in this neck of the woods.

Luna Wood Fired Pizza

384 North Main Street

Naugatuck, CT 06770

Luna Woodfired Pizza

Review: Coal-Fired Apizza at Fuoco in Cheshire

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In my continued search for worthy off-the-beaten-path haunts in “the Valley” I kept seeing a few great reviews of yet another pizza place just southeast of Waterbury, Fuoco in Cheshire. Between the enormous billboard on the interstate touted by a pizza app and other recommendations on my social media feeds, it quickly moved up my gotta-try list. As the summer months began to wane, I decided to head to Fuoco and see if the hype was justified. 

Located three-and-a-half miles south of I84 from exit 26, Fuoco invites patrons into its white-faced, single-story building with a sign emblazoned with “Fuoco Coal Fired Apizza.” The sign beckons the palate with “coal fired” and “apizza.” 

The single dining area consists of a long banquette along the entire right wall, with seating for twenty-five guests. The ordering and cooking areas are behind the walls to the left. Parking and a rear entrance make for an easy visit, whether dining in or for a take-away. In the warmer months, there are four tables on the front patio.

The menu is primarily pizza, with a few wings, salads, sharables and a calzone mixed in. On my visit, I was completely focused on the pizzas, which can be ordered in pre-determined combinations, with or without red sauce, plus you can “design it yourself” with almost two dozen toppings. I ordered a small (12”) red pie with pepperoni on one half and sausage and peppers on the other. She asked me if I wanted green or red roasted peppers, and I chose the latter. 

When the pie was delivered, it showed a nicely charred finish, a few blackened bubbles indicated good heat in the ovens. When I lifted to see the undercarriage, I was also impressed with the amount of char. The one item that made me a little nervous was the level of toppings, this was a much more heavily laden pie than a traditional New Haven style. 

Onto the real test. 

Let’s start with the good news, the half with the pepperoni. There was a medium to high level of cheese and when I pulled the first slice, a few cheese strands needed a little more coaxing to leave the pie. I first tasted the crust. It was good, not as great as some of the others I have eaten over the last few months, but very much above average. The pepperoni rings were slightly cupped, but instead of the traditional oil in the cups, there was some melted mozzarella. I pulled a few pepperonis to taste. The edges were slightly crisped, and there was a medium to medium-high level of spiciness, they were delicious. The amount of sauce and cheese could have been somewhat less, but the bite of the pepperoni side brought a smile to my face. It was a great combination, with the pepperoni carrying the entire slice to the finish line. The balance was pepperoni (40%), sauce (30%), cheese (25%), and crust (5%). This was definitely a great slice of pepperoni pizza.

I was hoping for the same from the sausage half. The sausage chunks (my favorite way to serve sausage pizza) were in various sizes, and the weight caused a bit of a flop at the point, but overall, the crust held pretty well. I first tried a large chunk of the sausage. It had a decent fennel flavor, but could definitely use additional seasoning. My guess was the roasted red peppers were not roasted on-premises (too bad with a coal oven) as they gave that vinegary jar flavor. Now for the first bite. There was a lot of delicious, sweet-flavored tomato sauce and a little too much cheese and they sorta overpowered the sausage and peppers. The balance definitely went to the sauce (40%), cheese (30%), peppers (15%), sausage (10%), crust (5%). Unfortunately, it was not as great as the pepperoni slices.

Overall, it was a tale of two sides. I really liked the pepperoni slices; the pepperoni had great flavor and spiciness, and both could handle the abundance of the sweet sauce and the amount of cheese Fuoco placed on the pie. The sausage and pepper side was not in the same category. I was hoping for more flavor in the sausage and a deeper sweetness from the red peppers. Likewise, with a coal-fired oven, I expected a more flavorful crust. In Connecticut, when you use the words “coal fired apizza,” you are competing at an Olympic-like level, and each ingredient needs to be fantastic. While I would definitely recommend Fuoco, it could be even better with a few adjustments.

461 W Main St, Cheshire, CT 06410

(203) 272-2749

https://fuocoapizza.com