The way we found out about Harlow’s (14319 Madison Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107) was by spotting it’s distinctive, slightly rounded retro building on Madison Ave. in Lakewood. With the distinctive pink neon script sign reading simply “Harlow’s” we had no idea what kind of restaurant lay within. Turns out Harlow’s is a pizza place, but not just any pizza, but specifically Neapolitan pizza cooked in a high-heat wood oven.
Harlow’s is a small space, but exceedingly cute and modern. You can eat pizza at one of the long tables in the main space, at the outdoor patio, or bellied up to the bar. All pizzas are 12″ Neapolitan-style and can feed one hungry person.We always have to get the classic Margherita ($13) the classic with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, EVOO, and fresh basil. Other varieties include a Bianca ($13) white pizza, spicy salami ($15) and the Leonardo ($15) a white pizza with pistachios, grape tomatoes and arugula.
At Harlow’s they keep the balls of pizza dough near the pizza oven, and it is fun to watch the pizzas being assembled before your eyes. Since the pizzas are made to order, there may be a slight backup before you get yours. The pizzas are cooked lightning quick in the authentic, custom wood-fired oven for only a couple of minutes. The Neapolitan-style pizzas come out piping hot with a chewy crust dotted with char marks, and a little sloppy in the middle, like a good Neapolitan pizza should be. We especially love the toppings at Harlow’s and everything is always super-fresh. Though we like all of the pizzas we have tried at Harlow’s, we think the Margherita is our favorite. Sometimes you just can’t improve on a classic.
Along with pizza, you can get a small selection of wine and beer, and interesting aguas frescas (when we were there, lime or watermelon were the choices). From Tuesday – Thursday you can get the pizza to go, but you can’t call in ahead, so keep that in mind. We celebrated our new house by getting some Harlow’s takeout, as you can see below. We are so glad that a fortuitous neon sign spotting led us to the Neapolitan pizza at Harlow’s! 
Forno Rosso (1048 W Randolph St., Chicago, IL) recently opened up a West Loop branch of their original Harlem avenue pizzeria, complete with a 
First, we selected one of our favorite pizzas, the stalwart Margherita – tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella – the classic by which we judge almost any pizzeria. Next, we opted for the “Capua” variety which was topped with prosciutto, arugula and Parmesan cheese. The pizzas arrived quickly, as advertised. The pies initially come out uncut and the server will cut them for you into whatever configuration you may wish. The traditional way to eat this kind of pizza is by knife and fork anyway. Overall, the topping were fresh, generous and uniformly excellent, and the sauce was the perfect consistency. The crust was a little thicker than Neapolitan pies might be, but we don’t have any complaints. 
Eating The World 