A Look At Connecticut's Struggling Calzone Culture

We live in Connecticut, where our leaders have gone All-In on making 'The Pizza State' a part of our identity. Damn you El Presidente, if you hadn't come to New Haven and discovered what we already knew maybe I could still get a good calzone.

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What you see in the photo above represents the last four calzones that I purchased in my hometown Torrington. Basically what you get for a calzone in Litchfield County is a medium pizza folded in half. Maybe an extra scoop of ricotta if you're lucky? I think that the media attention to the basic flat pizza has eroded the skills of our former generations of quality calzone makers.

Photo by Large Dave

The pizza you see above came from Roma in Torrington, which scored a 7.7 from Portnoy, and Sasso's received an 8.1. The highest rated pizza places in Connecticut according to Portnoy are Sally's in New Haven (9.2), Little Rendezvous in Meriden (9.1), and Modern in New Haven (8.8). The pizza that I've enjoyed most recently from Roma was delicious, but I can say the same for a Da Capo pie, or Spartan & Domenick & Vinnies.

The calzone is where my tastebuds have turned towards, and I've had four in a row that resemble a slice of lemon rather than a fat creampuff. Hone your skills calzone creators of Connecticut, I know you have to make a product that 80% of your customers enjoy, but us weird 5% calzone-fanatics are withering away in 'The Pizza State'.

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