The 2009 Tournament of Pizza
Don't we all?
Sixteen pizza places. Thirty pizzas. Hundreds of slices. One winner.
Fire up the oven. The Tournament of Pizza, sponsored by Sunmark Federal Credit Union, is back.
(Results from last year's Tournament of Pizza)
The selection committee had its work cut out for it (in triangular slices, of course) this year. The AOA crowd suggested 49 new entrants for this year's field. The committee originally decided to bring back every pizza place that won a match last year, but you clamored for fresh competitors. So we changed.
This year's field includes the four semi-finalists from last year, plus 12 newcomers. Those new entrants are drawn from a wider area this year, as you'll see in the brackets. There were a lot of tough decisions. Good pizza places inevitably got left out. But we think the field is strong.
The brackets are laid out above. Here's a pdf if you'd like to print them out.
Here's the bracket breakdown for this year:
Albany
Pasquale's: The champ returns with its signature cornmeal crust.
The Fountain: An overwhelming favorite from the crowd suggestions.
Marisa's: A well-regarded newcomer from Guilderland.
Little Anthony's: Central Ave fave famous for its vegan pizza.
Schenectady
Pizza King: Last year's overall runner-up -- is a re-match in store?
Marino's Flying Pizza: Incoming!
Nico's: A State Street staple.
Ario's: A competitor from Route 7 in Latham -- the committee placed them in the Schenectady bracket.
Troy
I Love NY: All you need is love?
The Purple Pub: Straight out of Watervliet.
Jimmy's: Representing Lansingburgh.
Vintage: Another Latham entrant -- the committee placed them in the Troy bracket.
Saratoga
D'Andrea's: Last year's bracket winner.
Venezia: A Clifton Park fave.
Nunzio's: La Vie en rose?
West Ave: Representing the west side.
Results start on Monday.
Thanks to Sunmark Federal Credit Union for sponsoring this year's tournament. They're currently offering online defensive driving courses, which could save you 10 percent on your car insurance.
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
Might I ask how and why this year's pizza tourney is being sponsored? (Just curious)
... said CJ on Oct 15, 2009 at 5:48 PM | link
No suburban entries, despite all the comments to that effect in previous posts?
... said Ellsass on Oct 15, 2009 at 6:15 PM | link
Paesan's isn't being considered and The Fountain is???? What a joke!
... said Sean on Oct 15, 2009 at 6:33 PM | link
Guilderland is totally a suburb.
... said jess on Oct 15, 2009 at 9:46 PM | link
And so's Latham. You could argue that Watervliet is too.
... said jess on Oct 15, 2009 at 9:47 PM | link
My personal favorite is DC's pizza on Western avenue, across from SUNY uptown campus.
... said Lu on Oct 15, 2009 at 10:29 PM | link
this is the second year in a row that pope's has been excluded from the saratoga bracket. it's such a huge local favorite that its omission is starting to become a little suspect...can it really be an oversight two years in a row? what's up??
... said jen a. on Oct 15, 2009 at 11:16 PM | link
Clifton Park is suburban too.
... said Ashley on Oct 15, 2009 at 11:25 PM | link
@CJ: About the sponsorship: the TOP costs a lot of money to run. The sponsorship helps us cover the costs.
@Ellsass: Four of the entries come from Clifton Park, Guilderland or Latham. That's 1/4 of the field.
@Sean: Paesan's was in last year's tournament. It didn't win its bracket, so it didn't return. When we asked people to suggest pizza places for this year's tournament, the Fountain got more support than any other place.
@Lu: DC's was definitely in the running for a spot. A lot of good places got left out.
@jen a: I'm glad you brought that up. The TOP is a bit of a logistical challenge. That might sound odd, but trying to coordinate all the judges and pizzas gets complicated. For the second year in a row, the Saratoga tasting is on a Monday. Pope's is closed on Mondays. Thus, no Pope's. It's unfortunate. We'd very much like to include them next year.
... said Greg on Oct 15, 2009 at 11:53 PM | link
No DeFazio's and no Bacchus? I have already dismissed this tourney. How sad.
... said kimmieoftroy on Oct 16, 2009 at 1:19 AM | link
Yay! Maybe this will solve our neighborhood debate of Pasquale's vs. The Fountain. They're both so good in different ways... and much better than Paesan's.
... said Melissa on Oct 16, 2009 at 9:15 AM | link
Nuts to the haters.
... said Joe on Oct 16, 2009 at 9:28 AM | link
After the tourney, I'd love to hear from the judges...did you get sick of pizza? How often did you eat it? How long until you eat it again? Any nightmares of being chased by giant talking pepperoni?
Also...daaamn, AoA readers take their pizza pretty seriously. Anger, allegations of suspect omissions, pissy comments. One would think we were discussing politics!
... said kerosena on Oct 16, 2009 at 9:44 AM | link
@KimmieofTroy - DeFazio's lost in the first round last year, which is why it wasn't included again.
... said jess on Oct 16, 2009 at 10:01 AM | link
Dear pissy commenters,
Your baby is ugly, it tastes funny, and the cheese is oily.
... said Sandor on Oct 16, 2009 at 10:37 AM | link
Such a shame Saratoga's round is a Monday - ALL of the good pizza up here is closed on Mondays! Pope's, Mama Mia's, Pizza Etc. I predict a West Ave first round loss.
... said Elle on Oct 16, 2009 at 10:41 AM | link
Glad to see Marino's representing Schenectady. I think their Sausage pizza is amazing. Although you can't go wrong with plain 'ol cheese.
... said Jonathan on Oct 16, 2009 at 12:05 PM | link
Pizza King is the most amazing. I've never had such a variety of pizza. The fresh tomato and basil is one of my favorites and the spinach deep dish has a spicy afterthought which I like very much.
I had Marino's years ago and couldn't stand it. I don't know if they've changed it but in my opinion, Pizza King is King.
... said Pat on Oct 16, 2009 at 1:37 PM | link
Fountain? Seriously? Man, I miss the downstate pie...
... said Pie on Oct 16, 2009 at 2:06 PM | link
Sad that no one ever considers New Madison Grille ... their 30+ year old recipe (which I hear is on the deed of the place) is the best pizza in Albany hands down.
But again, style in one's pizza is key, and comparing pizzas of different styles (thin vs thick crust, wood over vs pizza oven), is often like comparing apples and oranges.
... said kb on Oct 16, 2009 at 3:55 PM | link
I'm backing my pony right out of the gate: I'll put up a pint of your choice at Mahar's on Marisa's taking it all.
Any of you keyboard-brave chumps wanna take me on?
... said Sandor on Oct 16, 2009 at 4:12 PM | link
Re: suburbs, guess I should actually read the fine print instead of scanning the bold words...
... said Ellsass on Oct 16, 2009 at 6:53 PM | link
Boo no DC's might as well put tatino's on the bracket
... said DPC on Oct 17, 2009 at 12:30 PM | link
D'Andrea's? I don't see the appeal. It makes me sick every time I eat there!
Glad to see Nunzio's in the running, though! Their cajun shrimp pizza rules.
I second the lack of Pope's. Shoot for a non-Monday tasting next time, please.
I'd also like to nominate Mama Mia's and Giacone's in Saratoga for inclusion next year.
... said Gabe Anderson on Oct 17, 2009 at 7:21 PM | link
No Paesan's?! C'mon now
... said mattyk72 on Oct 19, 2009 at 9:53 AM | link
@mattyk72: Paesan's lost in last year's tournament, so it didn't return. There's always next year.
... said Greg on Oct 19, 2009 at 10:21 AM | link
Definitely the best thin crust is at the new madision grille.
... said dl on Oct 19, 2009 at 3:00 PM | link
@Sandor.
I'll take that bet.
So Marisa's wins and I buy you pints, any else wins and you buy me pints. Is that how I'm reading this?
If not I'll take The Fountain.
Either way we're going to Mahars, and thats good times.
... said JVG on Oct 19, 2009 at 5:48 PM | link
Woo Hoo!
Some action!
If it's just the two of us, let's go with Marisa's vs The Fountain and the first to get knocked out does the buying. In the unlikely event of a tie, we'll come up with some other baroque method for determining buying each other pints. It might involve eating chili pakoras from Curry House.
... said Sandor on Oct 20, 2009 at 12:15 AM | link
@Sandor
yes....to all of that.
interweb friends ftw!
... said JVG on Oct 20, 2009 at 12:02 PM | link
Lotof good pizza around here. Marista's, new kid on the block, is excellent NY-style pizza. Fountain has been great for years- what about the Fireside in Schenectady? Mercato's on Delaware Ave. in Delmar has great pizza- apparently those who whine most probably aren't familiar with anything outside their neighbothoods...
... said auramac on Nov 8, 2009 at 11:49 PM | link