Pizza in Puerto Rico!!

Pizza Man just knows he's got good pizza!

So during one of my very many car hunting trips with my Mr. Miyagi uncle (Tio Edwin), we somehow ended up talking about pizza.  Specifically about how I'm really going to miss New York pizza and how the last time my parents visited, they tried a pizza place near Mama's house and absolutely hated it.  He simply responded "There are some good pizza places here.  You know, like Pizza Hut, Little Caesars..."  I couldn't help myself.  I scoffed.  Yes, like scoffed out loud.  I followed my scoff up with "Tio.  I'm a New Yorker.  Wait, weren't you a New Yorker?!  Pizza Hut?!  Little Caesars?!  That's not real pizza."  He chuckled and said "Actually there is a pretty good place around here that I can take you to sometime."  I told him I'd be interested to go and left it at that.

Fast forward to this week...I checked in with my aunt and she told me we had a date.  "Tio Edwin wants to take us out for pizza tomorrow night."  It warmed my heart that he remembered and turned my stomach when I realized that I really wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.  Pizza in Puerto Rico??  It didn't help that when I arrived at Titi's house, Tio Edwin called and said "Does Michie want to go to Taco Bell instead?"  Ok, maybe I'm sounding like a food snob when I say this, but Taco Bell?!  Are we serious here?!  Ok, I think I am a food snob.  If my boyfriend is reading this, he's without a doubt, nodding his head in agreement.  I often remind him that TGIFridays, Applebees and Olive Garden are NOT appropriate date locations.  I enjoy food.  I enjoy good food, and if you tell me we're going out, Taco Bell nor unlimited breadsticks at The Olive Garden comes to mind.  If Taco Bell is considered to be in the same league as this supposedly good pizza joint, what does that say about the pizza joint?!  Needless to say, I was a little worried about what I would encounter on this pizza adventure.

Mmmm Pizza!

A half hour later we were on our way to the Puerto Real section of Cabo Rojo.  We made a few random turns and next thing I knew Tio's wife Carmen was telling my aunt she passed it.  We made a u-turn and pulled up to Claucamis Pizzeria.  There were quite a few men sitting out front...a few beer bellied 40+ year old biker dudes and a few 60+ year old obvious restaurant regulars.  They all had a drink in hand, and seemed to have been planted there for awhile.

We continued past the "regulars" and entered a pretty empty restaurant (minus another neighborhood hanger-rounder watching some random DeNiro movie with Spanish overdubs on the big screen TV).  Then, a highly-hair-gelled young man greeted us with a handful of plastic one page menus.    Like most restaurants here, appetizers include a medley of typical Puerto Rican snack foods (surullitos, tostones, bollitas de queso, etc.) as well as traditional Italian appetizers (garlic knots, mozzarella sticks, fried calamari).  The menu also offers everything from vegetarian slices to pepperoni, chicken and even shrimp!  They only have a few options of sizes (large pie, traditional slice, or sicilian slice) and beverage wise, they offer alcoholic drinks, sodas and even Piña Coladas.  Now, Piña Coladas are one of my favorite Puerto Rico drinks, but I passed on the opportunity to try one here for two reasons.  One, pizza and a Piña Colada just doesn't sound like an appetizing combination.  Two, once again I'm a food snob, so when I saw that the Piña Colada they offered was the pre-mixed machine version, I had zero interest.

After scanning the menu, we settled on a large cheese pie for all of us to share.  Then, Carmen and I also ordered a vegetarian slice each.  I'm finding that vegetables are a rarity in restaurants on the island so whenever I see the word "vegetable" or "vegetarian" on a menu, I am automatically drawn to it.

Vegetarian Slice

The vegetarian slice, had its high points and its low points.  They basically took a regular slice of pizza and threw a lot of chopped green peppers, white onions and mushrooms on top.  Then, to make it stick to the slice, they added a bunch of extra shredded mozzarella cheese on top!  The extra cheese was a lot and so it didn't really melt well.  In fact, it kinda made the slice look pretty unappetizing.  All in all though, I loved the crunch of the onions and pepper...also, I need to note that green peppers in Puerto Rico don't have the same taste as the green peppers we're use to in the States.  Here, the green peppers taste fresh, crisp and water like.  The flavor is smooth and not acidic at all.  The cheese slice could use a bit more sauce but the crust was delicious and overall the pizza was seasoned well.

Me n my Pizza Man :)

So, did we find a new pizza place in PR?!  YES YES YES!  Does it hold a candle to the pizza from Allerton Avenue, Lorenzo's in Philly or Patsy's in Spanish Harlem? Not a chance!  BUT, for Puerto Rico, it's doable.

P.S. - They also deliver!  Titi and I actually ordered in Sunday night (we checked out Lifetime love movies and the Grammys) and I'm very happy to announce that their garlic knots are absolutely delicious (not too heavy, not too skimpy, soft with a slight crunch, and made with real garlic)!!  They just need some help in the marinara sauce department...