El Prez has spoken.
Dave Portnoy, founder of the satirical sports and pop culture blog Barstool Sports, visited Old Forge on Wednesday to sample cuts from “The Pizza Capital of the World.”
And he had a lot to say about the pizza in a video published across social media Thursday night.
Barstool Pizza Reviews features Portnoy traveling all over in search of the best pies and slices — or, in Northeast Pennsylvania’s case, the best trays and cuts.
El Presidente, along with cameraman Frankie, decided to make the trip to NEPA after Old Forge pizza fans inundated Portnoy with emails about coming to the borough to taste a cut for himself.
“Why did we wake up and drive 2 1/2 hours to Old Forge?” Portnoy said in the almost five-minute video. “Because they say they’re ‘The Pizza Capital of the United States.'”
While the world waits for me to go to jail I continue to do God’s Work. pic.twitter.com/Fd4KbDbXwo
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 14, 2019
Portnoy, standing in front of Revello’s Pizza with a tray in hand, explained he researched the borough’s history and knew that the style of square pizza was created for hungry coal miners.
“I actually like it, but I mean … I do like the pizza but to say you’re the Pizza Capital of the World,” Portnoy shrugged before taking another bite of his plain red cut. “I do like this pizza.”
He also referenced several signs and landmarks that boast Old Forge’s “pizza capital” status including Lackawanna County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s orange map pin statue, which Portnoy thought would be larger in person.
“This is what I saw on the internet,” he said, pointing to the map pin. “Frankie, I thought it was the size of a mountain.”
While the video only showed Portnoy tasting and reviewing a cut from Revello’s, Portnoy was spotted at several other Old Forge restaurants including Arcaro & Genell’s, Cusumano, Cafe Rinaldi, Salerno’s Cafe and Mary Lou’s Pizza.
One Bite, everybody knows the rules.
Posted by Russell Rinaldi on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Visited by the Pres today.
Posted by Mary Lou's Pizza on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
#onebite
Posted by Nina Cusumano on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT
