If Maine won't go to the pizza...
As a newcomer to the wonderful state of Maine (I moved here 15 years ago, making me, in Maine culture, from-away for life), I've often said that, despite all of Maine's many delights, no one ever moved here for the pizza.

Having spent most of my life in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, I can say with some authority that the pasty, tasteless stuff they call pizza here is anything but. And why do they serve it with french fries?! And what's with the funny quilted pattern on the bottom? Even the "gourmet" pizzas here are, if pleasant dishes, just not pizza.

Until Flatbread - the best pizza I've every tasted.

I've been to Flatbread once so far, and put them to the ultimate test. Forget the papaya/stilton/chipotle/monkeymeat toppings that hide a blah pizza under an avalanche of distractions. I wanted to taste pizza. So I ordered a small plain-crust topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and mushrooms - a timeless classic.

What did I get? Perfect crust - thin, crisp yet chewy, bubbled around the edge, with sag-free structural integrity. Perfect sauce - and no wonder: all fresh organic ingredients in rapturous harmony. And perfect cheese - rich and generous without glomming up the works.

Thank you, Flatbread. Now Maine has it all.    [10 Feb 2005 10:46:19]

Food: -   Service: -   Ambiance: -   Overall: 

     ­Charlie Bernstein