Favorite New Food Trucks: La Baia Italian Food
Plus, Bethia shares the best reason to visit Aldi in December.
In this post:
Andy shares his favorite new pizza find, La Baia.
In news, a spot for Pakistani street food opens in Clintonville.
Bethia writes about her affinity for German cookies at Aldi.
Food Trucks
Favorite New Food Trucks: La Baia Italian Food
Now this is a pizza worth freezing for.
By Andy Dehus
I’ve never liked the idea of proclaiming “bests” in regards to anything food related, and I’ve never imagined myself (or, to be honest, anyone else) as qualified to translate experiences so subjective and ephemeral into an assertion so concrete.
But that’s not why I’m avoiding going down that route with this one. I’m avoiding it because pairing “best” with “pizza” is borderline suicidal in Central Ohio (if you’ve ever been online anywhere the topic is discussed, you know what I mean).
So, with feet firmly planted on the ground, I will humbly suggest that the Pizza Genova from the new food truck La Baia Italian Food is my favorite Neapolitan style-pizza among any I’ve tried in the city. Or, to be honest, anywhere else for that matter.
I’m glad I came to this conclusion before I found out that the food truck’s owners, the brother-and-sister duo Anajd and Brisida Dokaj, hail from a small town about midway between Rome and Naples. (By the way, Naples has a bay or “baia”—unlike Columbus.) The owners’ background proves that they came by their craft honestly, but foreknowledge like that wreaks havoc with first impressions.
And first impressions were … impressive. We have plenty of very good Neapolitan crusts around town, but La Baia’s is on another level—more flavorful, more diligently baked, more perfectly textured, and with just the right chew. Salt levels (a crust pet peeve of mine) were spot on across multiple pizzas over multiple visits.
Toppings are conspicuously top quality. The Genova’s pesto is drier, pine nuttier, cheesier and a bit subtler than most, and better off for it. Ribbons of prosciutto di Parma add luxurious buttery umami. Fresh mozzarella is apportioned skillfully to complement the other ingredients without overwhelming them, and punctuated with a single thumbnail-sized mozzarellina. All of these toppings come directly from Italy, and it shows.
Quality sourcing and thoughtful composition was consistent throughout every pie we tried, including the pizzas margherita, Italia, mortadella and boscaiola. A special shoutout goes to La Baia’s almost magically balanced margherita sauce, though some might object to how its wetness dampens the crust.
It didn’t dampen my enthusiasm, and neither did standing outside in the cold waiting for it, making La Baia’s Pizza Genova both my favorite pizza experience and my favorite food truck experience of the year. The truck moves around constantly, but you can track it down on streetfoodfinder.com.
Looking for a gift for that Columbus food lover that has everything? The Columbus Foodletter is full of insider-y insights into the local food scene, including tips on where to eat out, where to shop and what to drink. Consider gifting an annual subscription today!
Notes
Around the Columbus Food Scene
The first brick-and-mortar coffee shop for Black Kahawa, owned by roaster Douglas Buckley, is holding its soft opening this week. You can find the new coffee shop at the corner of Broad and High in Downtown Columbus.
Food Street, a New Jersey-based restaurant specializing in Pakistani street food, held its grand opening this week at 3373 N. High St. in Clintonville. The halal eatery offers a variety of paratha rolls as well as lentil burgers, chaat, jalebi and drinks like rabri doodh. You’ll also find American standards such as beef burgers and chicken tenders.
Holidays
Why I Always Shop at Aldi in December
By Bethia Woolf
I’m a fan of Aldi, where I end up succumbing to the infamous aisle of shame more often than I would like to admit, and my most favorite time of year to visit is in December when the German holiday items arrive.
Christmas cookies aren’t as big a tradition in England as they are in the States. Holiday parties in England more commonly feature mince pies and sausage rolls, but when there are holiday cookies they are typically of European descent so in my formative years I developed a fondness for German gingerbread and spice cookies.
As a German-owned chain, Aldi often has products from the motherland. You may have spotted the pickles and soup and sauerkraut. December is bonanza month for German products, and I love to stock up since a platter of German Christmas cookies makes a fun and easy spread to offer at a holiday party.
Some of my favorite German cookies are the cinnamon stars (these tiny stars make any cookie plate or cheese board seem more festive), the almond spekulatius spiced cookies, the chocolate-covered soft gingerbread cookies, domino cubes and pfeffernusse. If you look for the “proudly made in Germany” label at Aldi, I don’t think you’ll go wrong.
In addition to the array of cookies, you’ll also find some great cheeses available around the holidays at Aldi–don’t miss the aged gouda. Plus, you’ll find lots of delicious German chocolates from Choceur and Moser-Roth. Some of my gguilty pleasures include the candy cane chocolate covered almonds and the marzipan logs. There are also some great cheese board accoutrements in the Specially Selected range. I recommend the scalloped crackers and the Marcona almonds.
So, having saved money on your regular groceries at Aldi (I highly recommend you read the Kitchn’s recent price comparison—spoiler, Aldi won), you can spend your savings on some fun treats for the holidays. And good news in case you missed it, there’s a new Aldi now open in Grandview at 1393 Edgeghill Road.
You can find a full list of Aldi’s seasonal products here.