Marcua's, a little... well, ok, a large slice of heaven.

In the June issue of GQ, famed culinary critic Alan Richman lists the best 25 pizza pies from across the country. Nary a mention of our fair state. Not surprising given the follow-up post on his blog, while listing New York City first in the top ten pizza cities in the U.S. (and by extension, the world), Richman states “Pizza, undeniably, is an urban animal…. The big city is where pizza thrives.”

So, the Jerz not only overshadowed by NYC, but possibly not even given a second thought! Well, given just how seriously we take our pie, it seems harsh not to have even been considered. I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but if you’ve grown up in close proximity to New York City, you would argue that the suburbs are where pizza thrives. All of us have our fave hometown pizza joints, and our cultural identities are indeed tied to them.

Get into talking with anyone from New Jersey about their hometown and before long you’ll be on the topic of the pizza joints in close proximity. There’s the pie, and there’s the why… I grew up in South Orange and it was (and forever will be) The Star Tavern in Orange for the thin crust, and Resevior Pizzeria for the gravy and cheese bomb. And we’re not talking about any artisinal pizza movement, wood fired stoves or fancy toppings. We just know what’s good. A Google search on best pies in NJ yeilded this Chowhound thread that has been consistently updated since 2002!

Those of us who have dual identities tied to both our hometowns and the shore are just lucky to have two sets of pizza joints to associate ourselves with.

We should throw Richman a bone for not paying us no nevermind. “I tried 137 pies in the New York City and I’m not certain that was enough,” he writes. Tough for New Jersey to not get muscled out of the picture here, we certainly have our share of famed pizza joints, as well as a fair amount serving up nothing much better than cardboard, Ragu and Polly-o. If we were to get Richman down the the shore, what would we recommend?

For the best boardwalk pie, I’ll throw my hat in the ring for Maruca’s Tomato Pies in Seaside Heights. There’s the famous cheese and gravy swirl, for one. Very aesthetically pleasing. And the somewhat bitter edge, believed by some to be due to the addition of Monterey Jack cheese with the mozzarella, is a bit out of the ordinary. This one took me a little while to warm up to, to be honest. I became a Marruca’s fan by marriage.

For toppings, you gotta go with the crumbled sausage is the topping of choice (sliced sausage for me is a non-starter – any self respecting pizza slinger crumbles). And these are boardwalk size slices that hold up amazingly firm, but the crust is light and airy just like it outta be. Insider’s tip, ask for it well done!

That’s my pick, what’s yours?