The Best Calzone In Florida, Here’s Where To Go

What exactly is a calzone? Depending upon where you are in the country, the answer will differ. However, in Naples you will find one of the best calzones in South Florida.

Of course there are some essential components to a standard calzone. Typically, a pizza dough serves as the foundation. This then brings us back to our opening question. Is this Italian food treat a sandwich, a different form of pizza, a shareable appetizer plate, or all of the above?

Perhaps it doesn't really matter. Calzone enthusiasts will find the distinct factors that separate certain restaurants' way of making this item by its fresh flavors and what toppings and ingredients are inside.

If you recall, there was a time where calzones hit the mainstream in America. For example, Pizza Hut used to offer a menu item called the "P'zone." This pizza chain had a few variations of the P'zone available, but the real thrill was the chance to build your own.

It was their signature dough, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese, but then you pick the topics you want to throw in. This brings us to another question. What makes a calzone so great?

The answer seems to simply be that you mix all of your favorite pizza ingredients together into a giant hot pocket. It's cooked fresh in a pizza oven and certainly qualifies as comfort food. Lastly, it's important to know the differences in how calzones are prepared depending on where you are.

In New England,, for example, a calzone is typically not made with ricotta cheese and is prepared as a more flat-looking food. It's essentially a pizza with a crust baked on both the top and the bottom. It's then cut into strips and delivered in a pizza box.

In the tri-state area a calzone is completely different, you will find a calzone to look more like a halfmoon, and egg shaped delicacy. It's then loaded with ricotta cheese as the signature ingredient. From there, you add your ingredients like ham, sausage, or vegetables.

In Florida, we are lucky enough to have restaurants to cook in both styles.

Located at 3375 Pine Ridge RD, Nunzio's Taste Of Italy was destined to cook up great calzones in a city by the name of Naples.

Here, calzones have their own section of the menu where the stromboli and New York chicken roll items are as well. Nuzio's allows you to build your own calzone. After the dough, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese you are faced with six different meat options. You can also add in vegetables, eggplant, garlic, hot honey or truffle oil.

If you can't decide, I have the perfect sampler for you. Get a chicken roll, which is a dough-filled chicken cutlet, sauce, and mozzarella cheese (essentially, a chicken parm sandwich in a different form). Then, don't overthink the calzone and simply order the cheese option. Throw one vegetable option into the mix (you can't go wrong with green peppers and onions). If you want a little extra kick, sprinkle in some grated parmesan.

This order gives you all of the full flavors of a Nuzio's calzone with the chance to try any hearty option as well, with the homemade chicken roll. In other words, if you went to a restaurant that makes legendary burgers, and then you add one five toppings, you may drown out the full seasoned flavor of the burger.

There's nothing wrong with keeping your calzone simple. You cut this calzone in half and can see the steam flow out. With fresh ingredients then oozing out, it's very hard to control yourself to let it cool down before taking a massive bit.

We've officially made it to Major League Baseball's opening day. And we've got four bold predictions for the 2024 MLB season.

Last year felt like a nice setup for this season to really hit one out of the park, so to speak. 2023 saw the new MLB rules take hold. This was notable with the pitch clock and the attempt to speed up the game. The looming question of what's next for Shohei Ohtani was lingering all year. Obviously the uncommon pitcher/hitter superstar chose to stay in southern California, but headed to move over to the Dodgers.

A consistent, no-frills style of baseball led the Texas Rangers to defeat a young and scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. Both have similar rosters this year, but will either team be as good?

We are already off to a unique start with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers splitting the Seoul Series in Korea. We are certainly teed up for an exciting seven months of baseball.

Some factors came close to finding their way into my four bold predictions, but were not strong enough to grab a spot in the lineup. However, they do remain open questions for baseball fans to look out for as the season unfolds.

In New York, will the Yankees adding the fierce bat of Juan Soto to the team bounce them back from a disappointing season? Soto may have to make up for the lack of depth at pitching now the Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole is starting the season injured.

In Atlanta, the Braves are so talented across the board, it's hard to pick against them in all of the National League. However, I do expect some epic NL East clashes throughout the year between division rivals, the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

We shall see about all of the above. In the meantime, let's hit some 2024 MLB bold predictions to get the ball rolling.

It may be a news subject that fades away, but Shohei Ohtani's name being involved in a potential gambling scandal is not a great way to kick off the season. This general topic is one that all pro sports are taking very seriously and could hang over the organization's head for much of the season. The Dodgers are certainly loaded with stars, but as the Yankees have proven in years past, a monster payroll does not guarantee wins. In fact, too many superstars in one clubhouse can be detrimental to team unity.

MLB has been faced with the challenge of making the games more exciting and engaging. There's only so much you can do to change the rules of the sport without stepping on the integrity of the game. The adjustments to speed things up certainly helped. So did the arrival of flashy alternate uniforms. Nine new teams will have a creative new jersey thrown into their mix. They will be unveiled soon. However, rocking a special edition jersey that is a nod to your home city should make this gear a top-seller in the shops. We've already seen teams like the Diamondbacks add accents of teal and fluorescents into their color schemes. This City Connect theme has been a very successful model in the NBA.

Speaking of uniforms, the Padres adding a sand tone to their away threads is an all-time classic look. The beach and baseball are synonymous. That has nothing to do with why SD will finish ahead of the bigger names like the Dodgers or San Francisco Giants. Fernando Tatis Jr is fully back, and the cornerstone to a team that is full of both speed and strength. The Padres did a great job of giving fans an inside glimpse of their spring training this year, and it certainly appeared as if the club was already having a blast. Their team unity and chemistry will carry them far.

Seattle, and the great state of Washington was so close to starting the year off with a championship parade thanks to the Huskies making the college football finals. They may end the year with one instead, and it will be well worth the wait. Julio Rodríguez is one of the most well-rounded players in the game. He's also just 23 years old. The X factor for the M's, though, will be how solid their pitching is, with the bulk of the rotation remaining healthy all year. The lineup then institutes small-ball baseball beautifully throughout the year, where the team seems to always know how to close out the close games. Ultimately, I'm taking the Mariners over the Braves in the 2024 World Series, which I can foresee being one of the most thrilling finals we've seen in a long time.