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What we’re covering: 

• Slicing up the latest pizza news, and ideas if you're thinking of cheating on your favorite pizza with another style

• If you could live in a Costco, would you (hint: it may be possible)?

• Red wine: To chill or not to chill

• The most (and least) active generations, t-shirt bras/ball protecting underwear & how to score a date while running

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Pie’s the limit

The world’s best pizzeria, celebrity pizza sightings, pizza travel

The Skinny: If you thought the world’s best pizzeria is surely in Italy, think again. Based on a newly-released index, a pizza joint in this city ranks No. 1 (which is also the home of America’s first pizzeria). 

We’re definitely surprised that Lucali (in Nicole’s ‘hood) didn’t make the cut but, in celebrity news, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were spotted dining there recently. Worth listening to this Page Six clip that includes details of the date, among other pizza topics, with Lucali owner and Dave Portnoy at the One Bite Pizza Fest. 

Find pizza, will travel:  

• Take a bridge or tunnel over to the New Jersey Pizza trail 

• An Actually Useful Guide to Chicago Pizza 

• What is Detroit Pizza and why is it your new favorite? This Reddit thread tackles the topic

• Back on the East Coast, Nicole is a proud owner of a Pepe’s t-shirt and has ancestral roots in New Haven, so don’t forget about Connecticut Style Pizza. CT may sit quietly in the shadow of NYC pizza but – some argue – is a sleeper favorite with its coal fired, crispy crust 

• And of course no pizza conversation is complete without a discussing NYC-style pizza, and here’s Sal’s weighing in with “NY Style” history and the anatomy of an iconic NYC slice 

Now if you love pizza, but are looking to be seduced by a new style and overwhelmed by the above, consider choosing based on our unscientific categorization of them as types of lovers/friends with benefits: 

• The cold-weather booty call: Chicago

• The bad boy/girl: Detroit 

• The shy but fire-y: Connecticut  

• The drunk dial: New Jersey 

• The one you keep coming back to for more: NYC

Hot tip: Inspired again by the Glucose Goddess, our healthier french fry hack informant, you can reduce glucose spikes from pizza simply by doing this. 

History buffs: here is the fascinating full story. You’ll learn how/when pizza was born, why slices are called “Margherita,” and how the U.S. was responsible for popularizing pizza and helping turn it into the global food icon it is today.

Record-breaker: Industry Kitchen hold the world’s record for the most expensive pizza at $2K+. This reviewer loved it; Dave Portnoy didn’t (unsurprising, as we can’t imagine this has the undercarraige he’s looking for). 

PS: Here’s the “Hot Vita” recipe for the pizza pictured above, courtesy of Corto Olive Oil’s sold-out pizza kit.

Pizza and Chill: DIY style

• Fave pizza stone: the cheapest easiest way to get pizzeria style at home – it works by transferring heat and cooking it slower, and more evenly – use in your oven or on your grill.

• Pizza oven: this Ooni outdoor pizza oven could make pizza your “thing.” It’s gas or wood fired, heats up to 950 degrees and has pizza ready to enjoy in 90 seconds (under $300).

• Pro tools: pizza peel to get your pizza off the rack in one piece and the pizza cutter the pros use.

• Pizza cookbooks: Jill’s fave is Pizza Camp (try the Arrabiata pizza) and Mastering Pizza.  

• DIY hack: Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough (this link has great tips).  

Grocery shop talk

Rooms with an [aisle] view   

The Skinny: Did you know: Kirkland Signature is one of America’s largest consumer brands and generated $56B in annual revenue last year – which is even more than Nike and Coca-Cola.

In other news, if you love Costco so much that you want to live there, dreams do come true if you live in South LA. This new apartment complex, rendered above, has naturally become the source of internet discussion after an X post went viral due to its smart use of a click-baity, though misleading, headline. One point the author did point out, after explaining that he isn’t against the project per se, is why the units don’t seem to have enough space to store Costco hauls.

Chill out 

A proper guide to cooled-down red wine

The Skinny: Jill hails from the Midwest, so anytime she sees a glass of ice next to any glass of wine, she gets a little gleam in her eye. White wine spritzers = her holy water. Rosê with ice? No problem.  But she says when she went next-level and started ordering red wine with a side of ice, it got weird. Summer is too hot, we’ve seen this in Europe (yes, chillable reds, not just our go-to Tinto de Verano, which is something different altogether) and guess what? We love it. 

Before you @us, this is more highbrow than we thought as Robb Report says its OK, too, and provided a swishy list of those that are better cooled down. 

Add to cart: 

• Escape with this sparkling red wine from the Prisoner Wine Company – a great place to start with your chilled red wine journey. 

• We broke every single one of our wedding gift wine glasses so if you have done the same, time to buy more.

• If you for some reason don’t finish your wine, Nicole loves this adorable dachshund wine stopper.

Last sip: Today, September 20, is #GrenacheDay and – according to the Grenache Association, who created the “day” – sales of Grenache wines have nearly doubled since its inception. That being said, choose lighter Grenaches for the chilled effect.

OHM, THERE'S MORE

This week’s newsfeed

• The laziest and the most active generations may surprise you, based on the just-released Fall 2024 Wellness Watch Report.

• An item that must be thoughtfully considered is the t-shirt bra; here is a comprehensive review of the best ones, for all types. And as you’re clearing out your stash of bras that you’d be embarrassed to caught wearing in a hook-up, consider recycling them through a local textile drop-off or with a bra-specific recycler.

• So as not to leave the guys out of the convo, sharing these ball-hugging swim trunks and underwear. They come equipped with a “scientifically-engineered” BallPark Pouch®, and we came across them — including a friend wearing the swimwear and highly recommending — while in SC this summer.

• Last week, a Spanish grocery store chain was the hottest place to pick up a date. This week, it’s running clubs.

• Sleep masks are critical to getting proper Zzzs, but we hadn’t heard of smart sleep masks until now. And if you prefer going analog, Wirecutter has worked (and slept) to identify the best ones.

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