Pizza

Night after night, touring the country for his one-man show, Chazz Palminteri searched for the perfect Italian meal, but 31 plates of linguine marinara gave way to 31 disappointments. Then, he walked into Aldo's , a mainstay of Baltimore's Little Italy, and found not only the pasta he'd been craving but the collaborators for his dream project. Two years later, and the Academy Award nominee is about to add a restaurant to a resume that includes "The Usual Suspects," "Bullets Over Broadway" and "A Bronx Tale," the 1989 one-man show that brought him fame, not to mention a lifelong friend and mentor in Robert De Niro.

Three weeks ago we told you that The Pea Man (aka Thomas McCarthy of Woodside Greenhouse, Caroline County) said he should be bringing peas in about three weeks. Three weeks later he brought peas. By 10 a.m. all of his peas were gone. And so was he. He'll be back next week with more peas. Still, the market seemed especially crowded on Mother's Day, and the craft booths were doing brisker business than usual. Baltimore Sun contributor John Houser III checked out the market's new pizza vendor, Pizza Ruby , which has just stepped in for the departed Red Zebra.

Pat's Pizzeria has made its mark on Harford Countywith its sought after slices and its family-friendly atmosphere. Originally the brainchild of three cousins from New Jersey, Tony, John and Joe, the franchise grew to over 50 locations in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. And today, every Pat's franchise is owned by a relative of the founding cousins. So in the spirit of keeping it all in the family, nephews of the founding partners, Christos and his brother, Stathis Kotanidis, own the Havre de Grace, Bel Air, and Edgewood locations of Pat's Pizzeria.

Timothy Dean may have finally found his niche - and it's at the mall. Last month, the chef, best known in Baltimore for his string of restaurants on Eastern Avenue (and his appearance on the seventh season of "Top Chef"), opened Timothy Dean Burger in the Boulevard at the Capital Centre. The vibe is fast food, but the food - burgers, fries and gourmet pizzas - is worthy of white tablecloths. Over the past few years, the celebrity chef has weathered a string of well-publicized setbacks.

Anne Arundel County police are interviewing witnesses and looking for suspects in the Friday night shooting death of a 20-year-old man who was in a Glen Burnie pizza store during an armed holdup, according to police Lt. J.D. Batten Jr. Police said four men entered Mr. Wings and Pizza, in the 7600 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. at 9 p.m. Friday and announced a holdup. Two were armed. When Misael Abdias Flores of the first block of Kuethe Road in Glen Burnie and a female employee both told them to leave, one of the men shot Flores in the upper torso, then all four robbers fled on foot.

It is inexcusable for your reporter to refer to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as "a physicians group" ("Doctors group says no junk food for the Obamas," May 7). The article not only fails to identify PCRM for what it is - an activist group devoted to promoting a vegan lifestyle - but goes on to parrot their agenda by suggesting thatMrs. Obama's choice to eat a cheeseburger is unhealthy. Worse, it repeats PCRM's crude analogy of eating a slice of pizza to smoking a cigarette.

Facci is a new bistro-style Italian restaurant near Columbia. The good and very affordably food here is from chef Gino Palma-Esposito, who co-owns Facci with his wife Pilar. If his calling card is Neopolitan style pizza made in wood-burning ovens — crusts made from imported dough, sauce made from imported canned tomatoes — his open kitchen turns out very tasty, generously portioned, and thoughtfully assembled appetizers, entrees and pasta dishes, too. Just when you think Facci is playing it safe, it will come close to knocking your socks off, like with the best take on pasta with clams to show up in a long time, a ridiculously satisfying meatball appetizer, or a heavenly dessert like the zabaglione with strawberries.

Everyone loves the smell of piping-hot pizza. But no one loves the smell of a burning pizza box. Turns out, this is a difficult scent to eradicate from the home, and I've tried — even frying tilapia for dinner one evening. But the scent of flaming cardboard somehow persists. Almost all of my friends use the oven, set very low, to keep their pizzas warm in the box while they wait for their guests to arrive, for the evening news to be over or for the salad to be made. No one I know has encountered a problem with this.

The Red Star 906 S. Wolfe St. -- 410-675-0212 Hours --11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. daily Restaurant's estimate --15-20 minutes Ready in --17 minutes With the thinnest, toughest crust and no carrots, this pizza, $9.98, ranked low on our list. We liked the spicy red-pepper sauce and the large amount of chicken scattered on top. But overall, the pizza wasn't that satisfying. Know of a good carryout place? Let us hear about it. Write to sam.sessa@baltsun.com.

New Orleans. Congress and people are in a cutting and banning mood. You hear this all the time now.Today I thought I'd do my part and try to find something to ban and cut.I see in the paper that a boy in Miami shot a man for wanting an extra slice from the pizza the boy bought for some homeless people, including the greedy man. Charity was mixed up in this kid with a heightened sense of justice. I've always been leery of charity for that reason: It's just bait, usually.I also see that in California a pizza thief got 25-years-to-life.

Domino's became the nation's largest pizza chain this week to offer a gluten-free pizza crust, a step to meet the needs of gluten-sensitive customers, Nation's Restaurant News reported. But the crust, made from rice flour, rice starch and potato starch, is not recommended for consumers with celiac disease, according to the trade journal report. Domino's said its new product, available in all of the chain's nearly 5,000 locations and made with no wheat, rye or barley, still is risky for those with celiac disease because the pizzas are made in the same kitchens as pizzas with wheat crust.

It is inexcusable for your reporter to refer to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as "a physicians group" ("Doctors group says no junk food for the Obamas," May 7). The article not only fails to identify PCRM for what it is - an activist group devoted to promoting a vegan lifestyle - but goes on to parrot their agenda by suggesting thatMrs. Obama's choice to eat a cheeseburger is unhealthy. Worse, it repeats PCRM's crude analogy of eating a slice of pizza to smoking a cigarette.

Pat's Pizzeria has made its mark on Harford Countywith its sought after slices and its family-friendly atmosphere. Originally the brainchild of three cousins from New Jersey, Tony, John and Joe, the franchise grew to over 50 locations in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. And today, every Pat's franchise is owned by a relative of the founding cousins. So in the spirit of keeping it all in the family, nephews of the founding partners, Christos and his brother, Stathis Kotanidis, own the Havre de Grace, Bel Air, and Edgewood locations of Pat's Pizzeria.

One-year-old Daniel Herman isn't a big fan of matzo, said his mother, Ahuva Herman. But any lingering fussiness from the past eight days disappeared Sunday as Daniel got his baby teeth into a piece of egg bagel. He bounced and giggled on his mother's lap as he gnawed away happily at Goldberg's New York Bagels in Pikesville. The Hermans, from Queens, N.Y., were in town to visit family for Passover. They were among the hordes of Jewish families that descended on kosher eateries such as Goldberg's, David Chu's China Bistro and Tov Pizza late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, looking to break their fast on yeast breads after the end of Passover at sundown.

Two Anne Arundel County men were charged Friday after an altercation in the early morning outside a Towson pizza parlor, police said. Glen Kyle Staley, 27, of the 1600 block of Wall Drive in Pasadena and Jamar Rashad Patterson, 22, of the 900 block of Mago Vista Road in Arnold have been charged with second-degree assault after getting in a fight near Pizan's Pizza in the 100 block of York Road about 2:35 a.m. Friday, according to a statement from...

Three teen-aged boys face robbery and assault charges in the beating Monday of a pizza shop worker in Brooklyn Park. Anne Arundel County Police charged two suspects, aged 15 and 16, as juveniles with robbery and second-degree assault. Shaquille Davon Johnson, 16, of the 800 block of Washburn Ave. in Baltimore, was charged as an adult with robbery, armed robbery and first-degree assault. The 31-year-old victim told police as many as 10 juveniles approached him as he was taking a break at about 3:30 p.m. behind the Seasons Pizza in the 5500 block of Ritchie Highway.

Shawan Plaza, 11321 York Road, Hunt Valley. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays,11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. (410) 785-LEDO. For years former University of Maryland students or anyone who had lived in the College Park area would make the trek back to Ledo's whenever they were in the mood for pizza, because in those days, there was absolutely nothing like Ledo's Pizza. Today, Ledo fans can order pizza in 20 locations around the state.I stopped by the Hunt Valley Ledo to see if it brought back tasty memories and I was not disappointed.

ONE mother shares a strange dream that came early one morning before her son's first day of school: As she walked the hallways, she realized every billboard was brightly decorated by a corporate sponsor.The dream was forgotten until a PTA meeting some weeks later, when her son's kindergarten teacher explained a schoolwide reading incentive program. Each month, children who finished 10 books would receive a reward. Great, thought the mother, until she heard more.Each child's prize: a coupon from a pizza franchise for a child-size pie. She noticed the bright red roof of the restaurant on the coupon.

Angelo C. Chiazza, the retired owner of a Baltimore County pizza restaurant, died of congestive heart failure March 17 at his daughter's home in Bel Air. He was 88. Born in Wheeling, W.Va., he moved to Baltimore in 1954 and lived on Todd Avenue in Gardenville. Mr. Chiazza , a certified public accountant, became a Mars supermarket manager and was assigned to its Dundalk store. In 1965, he decided to open his own business and founded Angelo's Pizza on York Road in Towson near the old Hutzler's department store.

Tucked into a strip mall on a busy stretch of Belair Road in Overlea, Frank's Pizza & Pasta seems like a million other pizza joints. It's worth a closer look. Owner Armando Buontempo deftly handles traditional dishes from his native Italy, revealing a passion for Italian food. Whether he's behind the stove or chatting up his regulars, Buontempo radiates a friendly enthusiasm he shares with the rest of the staff — which includes his wife and two children. (Frank's was always a family affair; the restaurant is named after Buontempo's cousin and original co-owner, who passed away in the late 1980s)