When I was in the pizza business, on the days when I decided to make myself a pizza, the only way I could keep my employees from helping themselves to my pie was to put anchovies on it. They stayed 5 feet away–from my pizza, and from me. Both of which were fine.
I never thought about escargots.
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No doubt they would have been equally effective, to say nothing of saving my innards a salt lick’s worth of sodium. No, I never considered them, but John Rice of Red L’s Pizza did. His “Pizza Escargot” is in its fourth week of test marketing, and if you want a recommendation from me, you have one.
This pizza sauce here is alfredo (a very good alfredo), the cheese is Red L’s special blend of mozz and provolone, and quite honestly, you could stop right there. The pairing of that sauce and that cheese atop their deck-baked, thin-crust shell is outstanding.
To make what’s good even better, Rice adds a generous slug (sooo cheap, I know) of tender, not-the-least-bit-mushy escargots, a fistful of scallions for crunch, and a scatter of house-ground red pepper flakes.
Never had an escargot? The taste is mild, but earthy, not unlike a meaty mushroom. The effect here, though, is more textural than anything else and not at all chewy or rubbery, as overcooked snails tend to be.
The pie comes in a 12- or 14-inch size and costs the same as the pizza with jumbo spiced and marinated shrimp (another winner, by the way). The Pizza Escargot will remain a special at Red L’s for at least another month, and become a standard menu item if it catches on.
I guarantee you’ll never find this pizza at Imo’s–some things just don’t go together, and escargots and Provel cheese may well top that list. Bon appetit! — Georges Mahé
(Escargot Pizza photo by Katherine Bish)
