Crust Never Sleeps, Part III
It’s no secret that we love pizza. We’ve written about Lola’s–as has Bob Schwarz, who all but dismissed Lola’s as “a very pricey place for pizza.” But so is Pizza Hut, especially if you haven’t been saving coupons for a couple months (and alas, Bob, there’s no beet salad or wine at the ‘Hut).
But pizza isn’t always expensive. Or “pricey,” for that matter. For really good pizza on the cheap here in Charleston, look no further than our own Graziano’s. A large with 2 toppings and two huge drinks ran us about 18 bucks. They have several locations in the area, but I’m most familiar with the ones on Capitol Street, and heck yes, the food court at the Charleston Town Center.
Although they deliver, I always want to eat in at Graziano’s on Capitol Street. It just feels like an old-school pizza parlor should–a dark, and dare I say cavernous space with a juke box and video games in the back. In the front, red and green neon light a couple generations worth of guys masterfully tossing dough in the air. Where else can you wait for your meal while listening to the best of Fleetwood Mac?
Graziano’s is a New York Style pie — thin and crispy until you get to the edge, or “crust proper,” which is generous and puffy. Thick, but crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, as New York Style pizza should be. The sauce of crushed tomatoes is applied with a light hand and topped with mozzarella cheese. The pepperoni at Graziano’s is large–deli sandwich sized. A plus for pepperoni lovers, but those of you who are indifferent should take note–there will probably be pepperoni in every bite you take. Another thing I like about Graziano’s pizza–if you order onions as a topping, they’re applied as thinly sliced whole rings–not as puny diced bits.
As much as I like Graziano’s, it’s not perfect. Their cheese leaves a little to be desired. It reminds me of the overly tangy and somewhat artificial tasting mozzarella my Mom (who’s not Italian, mind you) buys in bulk at Sam’s Club. Cheese is a big part of any pizza’s flavor, and even a small step up or down in quality will yield a tremendous difference in taste.
And the crust, perfect while piping hot, takes on a more spongy, biscuit-like quality once it cools. I think of the neon over Graziano’s like the Great Seal in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: once the pizza passes over that spot, it’s not the same. It’s really tasty, but not the same.
If you plan on ordering Graziano’s pizza by the slice, you have cause to rejoice. When individual slices of their flavorful pie are placed back into the rocket-hot pizza oven to be reheated, something magical happens. The crust is made even more crispy on the outside; the center even more warm, moist and chewy on the inside. I even think the cheese gets better. Town Center Food Court dwellers take note: for my buck, this may be the highest incarnation of the Graziano’s slice–and some of the best pizza Charleston has to offer.
If you go: Graziano’s, 243 Capitol Street, (304) 342-8554
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00am–9:00pm
August 29th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
When I went to State, I briefly hung out with the daughter of the namesake of the Grazianos, Nicoletta.
One of the more killer experiences was going to their house, having her grandmother make us Italian food, and talking about what it was like in Italy under Mussolini.
true story.
August 29th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
You left out the best part about Gaz’s (not a phrase anyone but the laziest of typists uses) place in the TC: you can buy beer in wax paper cups and walk around the mall making questionable purchases.
August 30th, 2006 at 9:27 am
that sounds good to me…
the beer, not the questionable purchases…
August 30th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
When I worked in Charleston from around 2003 until 2005, I went to Graziano’s a hell of a lot. I was all about the spinach and new tomato slices. Although, I never got why they called it “new tomato.” I mean, it was just slices of freakin’ tomato. Whatever. It kicked ass, and so does Graziano’s.
August 30th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
Yeah, but I need a little more luminesence in the back in order to eat. I feel like I am in the twilight zone back there. But I have a serious jones once a month for the veggie sliced pizza. Think, though: put a glass-enclosed dining room at the FRONT, maybe spilling out onto the street. Now, that’s a pizza joint. Or, NY style, you can walk up on the sidewalk and order a slice from a window.
August 30th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Grazianos is big time comfort food for me. I get the eggplant sub, which is really just a giant, greasy, cheesy mess. The people are cool, though they can get on the subject of sex with camels occasionally.
I never asked.
August 30th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
People Who Have Sex With Camels (PWHSWC) need love, too.
August 30th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Perhaps they need love most of all.
August 30th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
Hey, I like the dark space in the back.
It’s the mysterious video lottery room in the back I could most certainly live without.
Oh, and sometimes the lady at the register could stand to be nicer. But only sometimes. It’s a pizza joint, not a therapist’s office.
But if someone were to combine the 2…
August 30th, 2006 at 10:33 pm
Aw now, who’s more classless, the woman, or the man who’ll bang her but won’t take her home to mom?
Or were you still talking about video lottery?
August 31st, 2006 at 1:30 am
Was this really a relevant time for this with the restaurant being closed for the next three weeks on Capital?
August 31st, 2006 at 8:06 am
Many of Charleston’s street population dine from Graziano’s dumpster.
It’s so good you can even eat their pizza from the trash!!
August 31st, 2006 at 2:43 pm
There’s a post for the blog soup kids… where the hell the restaurant people went on vacation this summer? Sitar of India is also down for the week.
August 31st, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Unfortunately, the folks at Graziano’s are under no obligation to clear their vacations with us.
So like, yeah, you can always visit one of their other multiple locations.
And there’s always Lola’s…
August 31st, 2006 at 4:12 pm
Dearest Lawbot,
GazzLady here. Alas, dear, I wielded my heavy guns and deleted your recent post in which you used that word that rhymes with Buck (which was the name of a former lover who used it quite a lot, usually in states of loving abandon). Dear thoughtful, witty Lawbot, whose posts I usually look forward to, yes, I am, I admit it, a family newspaper prude. If you want to be so emphatic in the future do this, dear:
LABWBOT Said: There’s just not a good thing about any of those video lottery spaces in Charleston. I heart gambling as much as the next guy (see, e.g. getting a law degree, leaving the state, dating women I can’t take home to mom, etc.), but they’re just so f****** CLASSLESS.
Otherwise, my WMDs — mine exist — will be have be to be deployed again.
Yours, GZ
September 3rd, 2006 at 3:03 am
Too EFFING funny.