Diary of a Restaurant Critic, Coronavirus Edition: Where to go when the pizza craving hits

By Greg Cox

April 5, 2020 6:00 AM

CARY

I’m surprised it took this long for it to hit. But somehow, I made it into the third week of my self-imposed stay-at-home order before the inevitable happened: pizza craving.

Granted, I’d had plenty of tasty distractions to keep me preoccupied. I’d enjoyed Flavors Kitchen’s authentic Cantonese food delivered to my front porch, and I’d prepared southern Asian-inspired meal kits that I had picked up from ko.an’s contact-free curbside takeout.

In between, I revived my dormant cooking skills, exploring the many ways to turn canned tuna, lentils and pasta into a meal. Never have I been more thankful for all those cooking classes I took years ago.

But when the pizza craving hit, it hit hard. I could practically smell the yeasty crust and see the pepperonis curling up, taste the savory patchwork of tomato sauce and mozzarella.

This called for quick and decisive action. But who would I call? Spoiled restaurant critic that I am, my experience with pizzeria delivery was negligible.

The margherita Veritas at Pizzeria Veritas in Cary is made up of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, garlic and a generous scattering of torn basil leaves. Greg Cox

Then it came to me. I had heard rave reviews about Pizzeria Veritas, and I had seen photos on social media of their New York-style pies and slices so big they were served on three paper plates. I hadn’t gotten around to checking out the place, though, even though the it had been open for a year and isn’t far from my home.

Then, like a sign from the gods of gastronomy, I saw a post on the restaurant’s Facebook announcing that they had begun offering delivery (currently Monday-Thursday, supplemented at other times by DoorDash).

Based on my experience, the process is seamless, from the friendly person who took my order and credit card number over the phone to the punctual contact-free delivery.

I ordered three 14-inch pies. That’s far more than my wife and I could eat in one sitting, but I considered it my duty to report on the classic New York-style toppings as well as the contemporary combinations that account for the “elevated” part of Veritas’ billing as “elevated New York-style pizza.” OK, and I also wanted to freeze leftovers for future meals.

Owners Mike Martin and Steve Gill have nearly 50 years of New York-style pizzeria experience between them. Martin was taught by Brooklyn-born pizzaioli, so it comes as no surprise that the crust is exemplary.

A pizza with Chicken Tikka on one side and Spicy Honey on the other give an admirable accounting of the contemporary offering at Pizzeria Veritas in Cary. Greg Cox

All the topping combinations I tried were on the money, too. The margherita Veritas — fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, garlic and a generous scattering of torn basil leaves — was true to form. Whenever possible, they use basil grown in-house. At the opposite end of the spectrum, both halves of a pie with Chicken Tikka on one side and Spicy Honey on the other gave an admirable accounting of the contemporary offering. And the Supreme Veritas — pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions and green peppers — was a delightfully nostalgic blast from my teenage past, when that was my favorite combination.

We also shared a large Greek salad (any chance to get some fresh veggies is especially welcome these days). And we sort of shared a cannoli — which is to say that I got one bite. Turns out restaurant critics’ spouses can be spoiled, too.

Tell us about your experiences

One final note, and an invitation. Since I started writing about my takeout and delivery experiences, I’ve gotten a few emails from readers describing their own experiences. In the spirit of crowdsourcing, I believe it would be helpful to share these field reports when I get them. Feel free to send yours to me at ggcox55@gmail.com, and I’ll share them in this space.

I’ll let this report from Jack C. kick things off.

“Boulted Bread had a brilliant setup. They used their slide-up door and put a serving table parallel to the sidewalk. On the table, they had a display of each bakery option with pricing, and they pulled what they sold us from a bakery rack behind them.

“All the breads were pre-wrapped in paper bags with a sample loaf next to the stack of bagged loaves. The credit card slide-in gizmo was taped to the table so I didn’t have to put my hand on it when I slid my card in. The guy asked what tip I wanted to give so I didn’t have to touch the screen. We got out of there touching nothing other than the bags we carried home. Perfect.”

ggcox55@gmail.com

Pizzeria Veritas

1260 NW Maynard Road, Cary or 919-319-3232

pizzeriaveritas.com or facebook.com/PizzeriaVeritas

Pizza takeout and delivery

Here are a few more of my favorite pizzerias that are offering takeout and/or delivery. Policies vary by restaurant and are still in flux, so be sure to check the restaurant’s website or Facebook for current menu and hours.