BEHIND THE NET: 55 OLD KINGS HIGHWAY NORTH
1/20/2010
I kept hearing about this pizza joint where the concession stand at the Darien Ice Rink used to be. But it couldn’t possibly be any good, right?
This dude I work with My boss has been raving about it. Endlessly.
He repeatedly attempted to persuade me to check it out, but there was always a conflict. At his own Christmas party, we almost snuck out and headed over for a pie until it became crystal clear that both his wife and my girlfriend would view this as rather rude and that the fallout wouldn’t be worth it, even for New-Haven style pizza.
Long story short: I finally made it and it’s totally legit.
Owner Billy Ferguson brought in chef Derek Furino, a former long-time employee of Pepe’s, so the pies at Behind The Net are pretty damn good. Derek and I talked dough and technique as he shucked fresh bivalves for a white clam pie. Clearly he doesn’t stray far from New Haven tradition, but he also takes a shot at a Stamford classic: the sausage and hot oil pie. This dude even uses DeYulio sausage and while it’s nothing like the famed SHO served at Colony, it’s worth trying out.
My favorite pie of the night was the plain mozzarella with red sauce that came straight from the oven with a near perfect crust while others in our group preferred the white clam ( I felt the crust was too thin).
But anyway, it’s probably the best pizza in Darien and definitely the best pizza you will ever eat in an ice rink.
–CP
When are we going to take me to try the Pizza? Is it inside the skating Ring? The pictures look good.
Great work! In this case seeing not beig able to taste online is particularly cruel because it looks really good. Thanks for interesting recipe details.