Posted By Tim & Terri Atwood
on
12/1/2012 11:54:00 AM
Tucked away in the middle (down the stairs, in the corner) of the small “Simsbury Town Shops” plaza in quaint Simsbury, CT, is a gem of a pizzeria. We are huge fans of the New Haven-style pie, and this ranks up there with the best of thin crust, well-cooked pizzas we have ever had. Lucky for us, it’s close to home, and we can do take-out!
Little City Pizza is a small single-location operation with an understated comic book theme. It’s casual, family-oriented, and does a rousing take-out as well as sit-down business, especially on the weekends. It’s not unusual for us to order a pie to go on Friday nights and to be told “90 minutes” for pickup. (The restaurant has that pie ready pretty much exactly when they tell you it’s ready every time!)
The pizza is amazing. They have two sizes, regular and large, although we tend to call them “big” and “bigger”. A regular pie can easily feed two people, although if you are really hungry, get the large; the leftovers (if there are any) reheat nicely. The crust is New Haven-style: thin, great chew, and nicely cooked, not as charred as some of the New Haven pies can be, although they would probably cook it darker if you asked. I find the “usual” to be perfect.
My favorite is the pepperoni; they call it “hand-cut pepperoni.” When it cooks it curls and crisps up at the edges, and has a nice spice to it. This might be the best pepperoni pizza I’ve ever had. The tomato sauce tastes fresh and tomatoey, not canned. There are lots of other options. My husband and nephew swear by the barbeque chicken pizza: not too much of anything, but everything--caramelized onions, chicken, crispy pancetta, and a hint of barbeque sauce--works together. You can build your own pizza with interesting, high-quality ingredients, such as roasted garlic, wild mushrooms, sweet fennel sausage (crumbled, not sliced), and eggplant. There’s something for everyone.
Little City offers more than pizza. I’ve enjoyed a few of their different salads. Burgers, a couple of panini sandwiches, and some interesting appetizers fill out the menu for those that want something other than pizza. Boylan sodas round out offerings in addition to standard fountain drinks, and they do offer beer and wine. The restaurant can be loud when it’s busy, which is definitely weekend nights. The do offer lunch in addition to dinner hours, and they are open seven days a week.
"This is a large pie. Leftovers heat up nicely, if there are any."
Tim & Terri Atwood
"Plain cheese pizza pie is a classic. "
Tim & Terri Atwood
"The BBQ chicken pie marries carmelized onions, crispy pancetta, and chicken with just the right amount of sauce to deliver a perfect bite every time."
Tim & Terri Atwood
"Sausage with wild mushrooms on half. The fennel adds a level of interest to the pie, and I prefer the crumbled approach here versus chunks as you find elsewhere."
Tim & Terri Atwood
"The pepperoni cooks up crispy on the edges and has just the right amount of spice."
Tim & Terri Atwood
"The comic book theme is understated. This is my favorite picture in the restaurant."
Tim & Terri Atwood
