1st Post and Hoboken's Benny Tudino's

We finally decided to wander from downtown Hoboken and venture to midtown Hoboken's Benny Tudino's. Benny Tudino's is "home of the world's largest slice" and is highly rated by Zagat. As a matter of fact, there were several Zagat plaques, as well as magazine reviews, on the wall near the entrance. Seeing those and the amazingly large pizzas over the counter really whetted my appetite.

The place was decorated ok. Actually, it looked almost like a truck-stop compared to all the other restaurants along Hoboken's busy Washington Avenue. Walking through the doors, one is transported from Hobokenite-dom to a place akin to a Jersey shore local pizzeria, which actually may or may not be a good thing. I guess it's natural for the place to look aged, it has been around for close to 40 years now. There's a lot of red paint all around, framed patches of pebble-wash on the walls, plastic lawn furniture outside, and a full kitchen situated near the window offering a full-view for passersby. The kitchen was fully staffed by 4 or 5 hairy-looking Italians and the floor had about 2 waitresses. The staff behind the counter seemed very hurried when they took our order and rather surprised when we didn't want anything to drink.

One of the magazine postings on the wall said that you should go to Benny Tudino's for pizza that is "soft, chewy." We only realized what that meant after a few bites from our plain pizza slices. The slices were no joke, they were huge! They were served on two paper plates and still had parts hanging off! I've no doubt that they are indeed the world's largest slices, and if not they are certainly one of the top contenders for the title. But just like the well-known saying goes, size isn't everything. In my book, portion size counts for a lot, but it had better be backed up something more. The pizza was quite unimpressive. The crust, though still on the thin side, was kinda thick, soggy, and bland. The layer of cheese and sauce on top kept separating from the crust. The whole thing was, as the magazine described, soft and chewy. I understand that food is truly a very subjective thing to write about but please, it felt like i was chewing on soft rubber or bubble gum long after the taste had disappeared...

I wish we had gone someplace else instead. Actually, we both did.

My rating for this joint, out of 6 cereal boxes: 2 Cereal boxes.
If you're really hungry, an extra large slice will fill you up.

It was really surprising given that they were Zagat's best pizza for a number of years. Food truly is subjective. While other reviews may be beneficial in terms of rating service, cleanliness and the like, things such as taste and value for money truly are subjective and will differ from person to person. This is why me and AG decided to start this blog. We not only need a record of our dining experiences, we also need a way to express our voices and opinions about the places we eat in and the food we try.

Eat well, SK.