AH-beetz, AH-beetz

 I love pizza and I cannot lie...

I am sure all you you have had a pizza from the national pizza chains e.g.: Dominos, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, Pappa John's, Chuckey-E-Cheese, Black Jack, Dion's et al, and some of you may have had a pizza from my favorite while in High School: Godfather's (which are very hard to find now...)

Connecticut is self-proclaimed as The Pizza State. We spotted a brochure for the Connecticut Pizza Trail where they discuss the five styles of pizzas in Connecticut. Connecticut has the highest density of pizzerias in the country, and nearly 80% of the restaurants, 1,084 out of 1,376, are independently owned compared to a national average of 43%!

While in the US Navy I had the opportunity to visit Naples, Italy, and have a true Neapolitan Pizza from a member of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. The pizza was cooked in a 900 degree wood fired oven in 60 to 90 seconds!!!! HOT HOT HOT! This is where I fell in love with wood fired pizza.

While in Connecticut we had the opportunity to dine on two of the Connecticut styles of pizza: Greek and AH-beetz.

We first went to Mystic Pizza.  This Pizzeria was the inspiration for Julia Roberts' breakout movie by the same name. After eating there we had to watch the movie. They make Greek style pies which according to the Pizza Trail are "Born in Connecticut and baked in a shallow pan. Greek pizza features a light, airy crust and a sturdy base that's perfect for piling on bold sauces, cheeses, and inventive topping combos."

Greek Style at Mystic

We then had several opportunities to dine on Ah-Beetz at Frank Pepe and Sally's.  Regrettably we missed out on the triple crown of AH-beetz as Moderna pizza was closed on the only day we had available to visit.

The kitchen at Sally's

Feeding coal to the oven at Frank Pepe's

The most beautiful undercarriage and NO droop from Frank Pepe's

AH-beetz is now my favorite style of pizza due to the lower humidity in the oven than a wood fired oven and a slight taste of burned coal flavor you might get if you are very lucky!!!!

Where Are We Going Next?

Hudson Valley and Mystic, CT

April 29 - May 2, 2026

We left Pennsylvania headed for the New England states. We spent a couple of nights at a KOA in Newburgh, NY. With limited time, we opted for a little exercise at Walkway Over the Hudson Historical State Park. What great views over the river we enjoyed. We imagine the fall colors would be spectacular. 

We passed on the Culinary Institute of America tour in nearby Poughkeepsie. It was spring break week. Perhaps we'll try again someday. West Point is nearby too. 

We then headed to Mystic, CT, where Harold wholeheartedly embraced the CT Pizza Trail. He has a whole separate blog entry for pizza! We walked around Olde Mystic and downtown Mystic, admiring the drawbridge. We missed seeing the bridge in action though. We picked up a couple of monkeyfist knot zipper pulls for unique and practical souvenirs from Mystic Knotworks.  

If you're into gambling, there are two massive tribal casino complexes nearby that easily rival anything we've seen in Las Vegas. 

 Where Are We Going Next?