Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.
You might have heard about the "Philly Taco"—a cheesesteak wrapped in a slice of Lorenzo's pizza—back in 2007, although I've never seen or even met anyone who actually ate one. Pizza Brain, the World's First / Largest Pizza Museum and restaurant that opened last month here in Philadelphia, is kicking it up a notch with the "Frankford Avenue Taco" ($5) that consists of a slice of cheese pizza topped with a big scoop of pizza-flavored ice cream from the restaurant's conjoined Little Baby's Ice Cream counter.
Sound awful? That's what I thought too. Although I've tried both things separately, and the Pizza is great— even though they call it "gas deck oven American pizzeria style" it's more a hybrid between that and neo-neopolitan, delicious, medium-thin (but still floppy) crust with some char on the bottom, terrific crushed tomato sauce and fresh, locally sourced toppings.
And the pizza ice cream? Think tomato-garlic ice cream with flecks of basil, and strangely addictive. One of those things where you laugh out loud at the first taste but then eat the whole thing.
So how does it work? Buy your slice at Pizza Brain and let them know what you're doing. Walk over to the ice cream counter while your slice is heating up and they present you with a scoop in a cup. Dump it on top of the slice and good luck. The easiest way to eat it is to roll it up, but I suggest being outside because the ice cream starts to melt immediately.
And guess what—it's AWESOME! Sort of like ice cream with waffles but you know, more pizza-ish. A plain slice topped with pizza ice cream is the "classic," but you're free to do whatever you want. Brisket and Horseradish topped "Bob Shieldsmoose" slice topped with Earl Grey-Sriracha ice cream? French onion soup pizza wrapped around bourbon-vanilla? Why the hell not.
Pizza Brain
2313 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (map)
215-291-2965 ; pizzabrain.org
About the author: Hawk Krall is a Philadelphia-based illustrator who has a serious thing for hot dogs. Dig his dog drawings? Many of the illustrations he has created for Hot Dog of the Week are available for sale: hawkkrall.net/prints/.