JFG Nation, lots of things to get to that I want to talk about, the least of which is the fact that this website turns 5 tomorrow, but at the moment I’m sitting among drying paint and drop cloths EVERYWHERE. So so many drop cloths. Fun fact: painting grey over beige will drive your eyes bananas.

In addition to my “birthday” tomorrow, this coming Sunday through Tuesday is my favorite time of the year, the Summer Fancy Food Show!! If you don’t know what he Summer Fancy Food Show is, and you’ve NEVER clicked on the video to the right, then here is my summarized visit to it from three years ago:

I was so fresh faced and giggly back then. 2nd fun fact: I shot TON of video from last year’s 2015 Summer Fancy Food Show, and it never has seen the light of day. Maybe I’ll shoot some more vid this year and do a combo video…where half of the information is entirely dated.  FUN!

Still, every year, the Summer Fancy Food Show provides plenty of memories – to follow along, and see what I’m tasting, you’re going to want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Some of my favorite past SFFS memories: the 2015 SFFS JFG Crew!

Or that time Jen won a random big ass box of seaweed snack:

Or that time Nicole met Devin McCourty and his twin brother hocking cherry juice:

Or that time Jen and I met the most bored Playboy playmate:

Or that time this guy existed:

Yeah, good times, good times. Follow along with me – I’ll be at the show on Sunday and Monday.

Another thing I like to do when in NYC for the show is to make sure any non-show calories goes directly to eating pizza, as highlight by my NYC Pizza Tour posts from last year, part 1 and part 2. I’m hoping to get my fix again this year at my two favorite spots, Di Fara and John’s of Bleeker. Any other NYC pizza suggestions for me? Let me know in the comments below.

Pizza talk is a perfect setup to today’s review of Pizza CS, a local Maryland pizzeria that has (APPARENTLY) been around for four years. What??

(Incidentally, the JFGal and I have crushed 27 pizzas this year so far…I think I’m going to break last year’s record. Or die trying.)

First up, Pizza CS’s standard pepperoni:

Pizza CS’s pepperoni pie is simple: Mozzarella, Pepperoni, Oregano. And it was top notch – this wasn’t your New Haven style super thin crispy crust; this pizza was more of your free form fresh homemade dough that rises and cooks in less than two minutes and has a decent stiff bite but otherwise is decently chewy. The sauce was SUPER fresh and full of oregano flavor. The cup pepperoni – perfect; salty and good. And the cheese didn’t have full coverage but the freshness of the ingredients meant that the ratio was well balanced. Just a perfect pepperoni bite. I highly recommend; I would say I could crush this entire 10-11″ pizza in ten minutes.

Next: Pizza CS’s Capri Pizza!

Pizza CS’s Capri Pizza has Mozzarella, Ham, Mushroom, Olive, Artichoke, Basil. It’s basically an Italian delight – since it was ground up ham, and not sausage, this pizza wasn’t as salty and really let the vegetables take the stage in terms of flavor. The combo of artichoke, olive, and mushroom was super familiar and really resonated an Italian flavor profile. The cheese helped smooth and tie all the flavors together. The ground ham allowed for the entire pie to be slightly meaty in flavor without weighing the pizza down. Simple ingredients, very fresh, that came together extremely well.

It’s clear that the hallmark of Pizza CS is its freshness. Super fresh ingredients, clean dough, and the resultant pizzas were SO LIGHT AND EATABLE. I loved this place; definitely going back.

(Thanks to Ethan for the suggestion!)

PURCHASED AT: Pizza CS, Rockville Pike, MD.

PRICE: $11.50 for the Pepperoni, $14 for the Capri

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

The JFG