Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Thin Is In

Today I'm here to review arguably the best SLICE in New York City: Joe's Pizza, located on Carmine St. in Greenwich Village. Almost any pizzeria can make a nice fresh whole pie, and you'll love it, and the cheese will ooze and bubble, and you'll be very satisfied. However, there are very few pizzerias in the world who can boast a good slice. 

The key to a good slice is freshness. I cannot emphasize this enough. In order to accomplish freshness, some pizzerias will keep low amounts of pizza behind the counter. They risk a customer coming in 4 minutes before a new pie is out of the oven in order to achieve this. However, more often than not, the customer will wait the 4 minutes to grab a slice fresh out of the oven. The "wait time" gamble often pays off for the pizzeria. The other way to achieve freshness is a central location where you have high turnover. Joe's Pizzeria is located extremely centrally, near the foodie tourist mecca of Bleecker Street, the NYU bars of Greenwich Village, and the bustling West 4th Street subway station. So they crank out pies all day long.

Joe's is another one of those amazing Greenwich Village institutions, with an Italian immigrant owner, a classic recipe and expert training, and 20th century pedigree. Joe Pozzuoli started Joe's in 1975, and has been succeeding at the pizza game ever since. Joe's makes one of the definitive pizzas of New York City simply by their crust. This crust is by far the thinnest I've encountered in any slice joint. Always floppy, never failing, this crust is the perfect NY style. And while Joe's consistent presence in international guide books may pack in the tourists, the confused masses never deter me from making Joe's one of my favorite weeknight slice places in the whole city.

Crust Thickness: Super Thin
Crust Softness: Firm
Crust Char: Tan
Crust Puffiness: Airy
Sauce: Authentico
Cheese: Grated, Superior
Style: NY Style
Slice Appeal: Good

*** - Excellent

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.






Thursday, October 10, 2013

Ray's

One of the most famous appellations in the NYC pizza scene is Ray's. Over the past 50 years, we have witnessed Ray's, Famous Ray's, Famous Original Ray's, Ray Bari, and Not Ray's. Some have closed, some have moved, some have been sold and morphed into a soulless chain, some lost their lease, some lost their owner. At the end of the day, the epitome of what Ray's should be is actually the pizza joint formerly known as Famous Ray's: Famous Roio's.

Mario DiRienzo opened Famous Ray's in 1973 at the corner of West 11th Street and 6th Avenue, and named his pizzeria after his Italian family's nickname. The pizzeria changed hands many times, eventually closing in October, 2011 after landlord and legal drama. However, Mario DiRienzo swooped in, changed the name to Famous Roio's, after his Italian family's town, and reopened in April, 2012 with the help of his 27-year-old nephew, Christian. Sadly, Mario DiRienzo passed away in September, 2012, leaving the business and recipes to Christian. As with many things in New York City, this pizzeria is full of people, memories, ghosts, and history.

Famous Roio's has always been known for its major abundance of juicy cheese and thin, but soft New York style crust. These two elements really distinguish Famous Roio's from your average slice joint. Famous Roio's is also generous with their distribution of sauce, a smooth purée packed with concentrated tomato flavor. Finally, they have a prime location with lots of foot traffic, which ensures freshness. Many times I'll go for a slice, and just happen to get one from a fresh pie. For me, there is no other true Ray's in the city. Only Famous Roio's.

Crust Thickness: Thin
Crust Softness: Soft
Sauce: Smooth
Cheese: Grated, Average (though Abundant)
Pepperoni Crisp: Flat
Re-Heat Factor: Good
Style: NY Style
Slice Appeal: Good

** - Very Good

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.








Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Pizza for the Pauper

Let's be honest; New York City can sometimes be too expensive. The rent is too damn high, for starters, and that results in across the board high meal prices in restaurants who need to pay said rent. And then there is the elite food scene, which features $295 tasting menus (Per Se), $26 burgers (Minetta Tavern), and $5 slices of pizza (Di Fara Pizza). All three places are widely acclaimed, by the way, and difficult to get reservations/served.

So it is easy to focus on New York City's high maintenance offerings rather than the plethora of free and cheap activities and restaurants. You can basically walk anywhere in Manhattan, and it's probably going to be interesting. Or you can walk over a bridge into a borough and enjoy the river views. I've been to several Yelp Elite events with amazing quality free food and alcohol. Art gallery exhibition openings, open houses, fancy supermarkets, and liquor stores all offer little freebie tastes. You're in luck if you like to try free wine and cheese. And we have many $1 pizza joints scattered throughout Manhattan.

Tonight I decided to try the 2 Bros. dollar pizza place in midtown, on W. 46th St. between 5th and 6th Ave. 2 Bros. is a mini-chain, with 8 locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. While this particular location is a predominantly business luncher type of place, there were still some people in there when I went for dinner at 7pm. 

Places like 2 Bros. are great for several reasons. First, there is high turnover, and that equates to freshness. For me, the main killer of slice joints is lack of freshness. Nobody wants to eat a slice of pizza that was made 5 hours ago, with a few cold discs of pepperoni tossed on top, then re-heated in a 500 degree oven for 2 minutes. Nobody wants that. So for slices? Freshness is king.

2 Bros was also great because it was basic. Just a standard tomato sauce with some herbs and spices, average cheese, average dough. Nothing offensive, nothing exceptional. The crust, however, was made in standard NY style, with a soft, but thin inside, and crisp browned bottom. I swear, I have eaten much worse slices of pizza in NYC that were not a buck.

Crust Thickness: Thin
Crust Softness: Firm
Crust Puff: Flat
Sauce: Smooth
Cheese: Grated, Average
Style: NY Style
Slice Appeal: Good

* - Recommended

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.



http://www.2brospizza.com


Sunday, October 6, 2013

Ah, Nicoletta

Michael White, aka Chef Bianco, is well known and well regarded in the New York City fine cuisine community. His restaurant, Marea, is regarded as one of the best seafood restaurants that we have in this city, which is saying a lot. He owns several other restaurants as well, Osteria Morini, Ai Fiori, and two newbies: Costata and the Butterfly. I've tried Marea for a special 29th birthday dinner, and have been to Osteria Morini a handful of times (hint: try the meatballs). However, my favorite Bianco restaurant is his pizzeria, Nicoletta.

But first let's back up and talk a little bit about Michael White's bio. He was born in Wisconsin, but his passion for food led him to study in Imola, Italy, a small town outside of Bologna. Chef Bianco lived and learned there for seven years, before returning to the states to swoop up stars from both the New York Times and the Michelin Guide, as well as a few James Beard awards.

So this New York by way of Chicago by way of Italy by way of Wisconsin saga has all somehow rolled together and given us Nicoletta. Michael White has said in interviews that he wanted to make a pizzeria inspired by his Beloit, Wisconsin hometown pizzeria called Domenico's. This pizza is more 'murican, less Italian. More strip mall, less SoHo boutique. More Pizza Hut, less Grimaldi's.

And yet this pizza is FABULOUS! The fine ingredients and topping combinations were clearly concepts of this accoladed chef. However, it is the crust that screams midwest. It is not the typical thin New York crust, but instead a bit more substantial. The pepperoni curls up beautifully, and the pizza is garnished with tangy sprinkles of parmesan. It must also be said that the side dishes and desserts are strong in their own right. Chef Bianco's famous meatballs with grandma's red sauce have come over from Osteria Morini, and while I'm not a dessert person, I was blown away by the creamy fior di latte gelato. We topped ours with blueberry limoncello and amaretti cookie crumbles, but you can get creative.

Crust Thickness: Average
Crust Softness: Firm
Crust Char: Tan
Crust Puffiness: Airy
Sauce: Smooth
Cheese: Grated, Superior
Pepperoni Crisp: Crispy and Curled
Style: Unique

**** - Pizza Perfection

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.





Music Nerd Alert: the post title is a reference to "Ah, Violetta" in the third act of Verdi's opera, La Traviata.

Spanish Bombs

My husband Dave and I got married on May 5, 2012. It was a beautiful day with all our family and friends, and the only thing that went wrong was the humidity. I had my hair in an up-do though, so it worked out for me. After our wedding, we traveled to Spain to bask in the Basque country, marvel at Madrid, and... bark.. in Barcelona (sorry I couldn't think of one).



We started our Spanish journey in Madrid, which is both the national capital and the tapas capital. We wanted to try everything! We feasted on many different tapas, ham, olives, cheese, tortilla española, and croquettes, just to name a few. However, we did manage to sneak some pizza in of course. The first piece of pizza we tried was a small place in the Cortes neighborhood. It was remarkable because they really loaded it up with dried herbs, and the crust had a nice puffiness to it.


The next pizza we tried was during a tapas crawl before a night out at some bars. It was much closer to the American style pizza, in standard triangular slices, which might be expected as we were in the touristy neighborhood near the Plaza Mayor. This was the best pizza we ate in Spain, and the pepperoni was super crispy.


Look how happy we are there! Awwww, honeymooners.

After a few days in Madrid, we took a long, 5-hour train ride to San Sebastián, located in the Basque region on the coast of northern Spain. San Sebastián is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and is known for being a major foodie capital. From Michelin starred restaurants like Arzak and Mugaritz, to the average pintxos bar (pintxos is the Basque equivalent of tapas) in old city, every chef in San Sebastián is aiming to be innovative. I absolutely loved it here, and it didn't hurt that the town is situated on a half-moon bay, nestled in the hills.


We of course managed to sneak in some pizza. After a leisurely afternoon grazing on pintxos, we stumbled upon a pizzeria and I decided there was no harm in trying a slice.


This pizza was super cheesy, with the nice broiled bubbles, situated on a super thin crust. It was delightfully delicate, and similar to American bar pie.



Our final leg of the trip was Barcelona, land of Gaudí. We did some amazing architectural tours, wandered a bit, and of course tried the pizza. The first stop was a small place on a touristy street near La Boquería market, and was pretty lackluster. Nothing special, just your average re-heated moneymaker on a cafeteria tray.


Our last night though, we had much better pizza near our hotel in El Born. Here it is, half-devoured.


This pizza was much more towards the European style, with a thin crust, good sauce, and not too much cheese.

Overall, Spain gave us some great memories and beautiful food. But my food memories there revolve more around ham and cheese bechamel croquettes, and less around pizza.



Saturday Night Pizza Party

New York City is known for its fantastic restaurants. You can find amazing quality food here, from almost any country in the world, at any time of day or night. However, sometimes the best Saturday nights are spent hanging out with your best buddies at a friend's apartment, ordering a bunch of pizzas, and playing funny videos on youtube.

Last night was one of those nights for me. We headed to my friend's apartment in Williamsburg and ordered three pizzas from Williamsburg Pizza. I had previously tried Williamsburg Pizza for free at a Yelp event, and was impressed then. They offer great varieties like gorgonzola and pear, and a tasty nonna slice. However, they present these fancier slices on a typical soft, thin, New York crust, and there lies the strength. Anybody can make fancy pizza with fancy toppings, but Williamsburg Pizza is special because they make it for the local masses.

Crust Thickness: Thin
Crust Softness: Soft
Crust Puffiness: Flat
Sauce: Authentico
Cheese: Grated, Superior
Pepperoni Crisp: Crispy
Style: NY Style

*** - Excellent

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.




Saturday, October 5, 2013

Wine + Pizza Pairings

So let's get this out of the way. I don't drink beer. I drank it a few times very early on in college, but decided I didn't like the taste and bloaty aftermath. So I made the decision to stick to just wine and liquor as my spirited beverages. Senior year of college rolled around, and my friends decided it was unacceptable to dislike beer. "You'll be so much happier if you like beer!" they enthused.

So we made plans to go have pizza and beer. They promised the carbonation of the beer, the malty foam, and the bitter taste would really sing with a good cheesy slice of pizza, and I'd be cured. At any rate, I failed to see the magic, because I still do not drink beer to this day. To me, pizza and wine is a much better combination.

The wine world is a complex one. So many grapes, so many adjectives that I don't understand. Taste is a very difficult ghost to identify. Even after taking a few wine classes, visiting vineyards in Napa, and reading several basic articles, it still doesn't come together for me. So admittedly, I have some more wine research I need to do, but I mostly leave it to the pro's to recommend something nice for me.

If you're looking to pair wine with pizza, you have to strongly consider your toppings. Tomato sauce has an acidity, while mozzarella cheese has a richness. Pepperoni has a punchy spice, clam pizza has a briny seafood quality, while mushrooms have an earthy umami flavor going on. Take all that into consideration.

One basic suggestion is to keep it light. Do as the French do, and make the food the star, not the wine. Pizza itself is a rich food with strong flavors, so don't make your wine compete with it. If you're going for a red wine, many sommeliers recommend a light-bodied Pinot Noir, or Chianti.

If you're looking for a white wine instead, I love pairing pizza with an affordable Austrian Gruner Veltliner or an Italian Friuli. I first discovered Friuli regional wine at Otto Pizzeria in Greenwich Village, and was blown away at how nicely they paired together.

Don't discount a sparkling wine or Rosé either. The carbonation in a sparkling wine mimics that in beer, as well as my other favorite pizza pairing from childhood: Diet Coke!

When in doubt, though, head to a good wine shop nearby, and ask for advice. Tell them your toppings and let them guide you. Or you could take a pizza and wine pairing class! Husband and I attended one at the Greenwich Village wine haven and restaurant, Corkbuzz, this past winter. Our class was taught by the sommelier and co-owner, Laura Maniec. We got to try 6 tastes of wine and small squares of thin pizza, all with different toppings (the butternut squash was seasonal and most memorable).




Recommended NYC Wine Spots:
Sea Grape - West Village - 512 Hudson Street - http://www.seagrapewines.com
Union Square Wines - Union Square - 140 Fourth Avenue - http://www.unionsquarewines.com
Corkbuzz - Greenwich Village - 13 East 13th Street - http://www.corkbuzz.com


Not Everyday is Christmas

"Not everyday is Christmas.
Sometimes your car won't start,
Your MetroCard said it already swiped, 
And you know damn well it didn't."

That quote is from indie rapper Max Burgundy (https://soundcloud.com/maxburgundy) riffing on having a bad day. Now yesterday was no bad day for me by any means (I mean it was Friday, so how bad could it be, right?), but it was a little too humid for October, and I did have some lackluster pizza for dinner. And honestly, it wasn't THAT bad, it was probably average, but it was just not as great as other New York City pizza establishments.

I ordered from Gotham Pizza on seamless, a Manhattan mini-chain with four locations: Chelsea, Midtown West, and two on the Upper East Side. Now before I order from seamless, I always cross-reference Yelp to affirm that I'm going to get a good pizza. Yelp gave me a four-star green light, so I bravely moved forward.

The crust was thin on the bottom, but too rough on the outer rim. I like some softness to my crust; it should mimic a freshly baked baguette. They used some fresh herbs on top, which was a good touch. However, the herbs couldn't hide the low quality sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. The pepperoni was not crisp at all, but instead floppy, undercooked discs of disappointment. It really reminds you that you're not eating quality ingredients. Now again, I must reiterate that Gotham Pizza is not THAT bad. They'd probably be stand out in other parts of the country. It is just not that good in New York. 

Crust Thickness: Thin
Crust Softness: Cracker
Crust Char: Tan
Crust Puffiness: Flat
Sauce: Smooth
Cheese: Grated, Average
Pepperoni Crisp: Flat
Style: NY Style

No Stars - Not Recommended

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similar to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Sunnyside Smiles

I work in Queens, so I am often walking around the smirkingly charming neighborhood of Sunnyside in search of a decent lunch option. This is Irish pub central, but I can't really swig pints of Guinness then go work for another 4 hours, right? And while I'm mostly of Irish descent, shepherd's pie and corned beef are not always crave worthy cuisine. Friday lunches are all about pizza, and Friday lunches in Sunnyside are all about Sunnyside Pizza.

The owners are second generation Italians from a town called Pomigliano d'Arco, a Neapolitan suburb set in the shadow of Mount Vesuvio. From the moment you step into the peanut sized pizza shop, you feel like you're part of this cozy neighborhood, part of the old New York City in the 20th century. The owners are always welcoming, from their overall warm disposition to their "how's it taste?" inquiries, and "have a great weekend sweetie" valedictions. They know their regulars. They appreciate the business. And they play oldies radio.

The pizza succeeds due to the quality of the ingredients, but also due to the chef's thoughtfulness. A plain slice is fantastically juicy and satisfying, but so are other slices. They experiment with Nonna slices, BBQ chicken, and the garlic bread slice. The garlic bread slice is pretty creative. Inspired by garlic bread, they dress the dough with chunky tomato sauce, mozzarella AND parmesan cheeses, and ribbons of minced garlic. Vampires beware.

Crust Thickness: Very Thin
Crust Softness: Soft
Crust Puffiness: Flat
Sauce: Authentico; chunky on some slices
Cheese: Grated, Superior.
Grease: Greasy
Style: NY Style
Slice Appeal: Good
Known for: Sesame Seeds on the outer rim of the crust

** Stars - Very Good


What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.




http://www.sunnyside-pizza.com

Thursday, October 3, 2013

La Pizza Au Courant

Buona sera mes amis. My first pizza review post will be of my favorite pizzeria of the moment. I get so excited when husband agrees to order from here via seamless. I get even more excited when my buzzer goes off and I realize the pizza man is at my apartment! And my heart palpitates when I hear the footsteps trudging up the stairs, to stop in front of my door and drop off this box of deliciousness.

I'm talking about Fiore's, located at 165 Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. Fiore's on Bleecker is a newcomer to the extremely competitive NYC pizza scene. Most newbies don't make it. Due to high rents and a multitude of fantastic options, you really have to come with your A-Game. In this neck of the woods, you have long time heavy hitters such as Joe's, Bleecker St. Pizza, and John's. You have Neapolitan maestro Keste. A few blocks away, there's Arturo's on Houston St. And up 6th Ave. you'll find Famous Roio's, the one that started all that Ray's nonsense. There is no lack of options in the West Village and Greenwich Village.

Fiore's, while new to this location, was established in 1995, which seems like just yesterday, but was almost 20 years ago (guh - I feel old). They have definitely and purposefully perfected their craft. This pizza is inspiring. With a focus on quality ingredients and a scientific fixation for properly cooked pizza, Fiore's turns over a fine product. Read about the metrics, straight ahead.

Crust Thickness: Thin
Crust Softness: Soft
Crust Puffiness: Flat
Sauce: Sweet, Authentico
Cheese: Grated, Superior
Pepperoni Crisp: Crispy and Curled
Re-Heat Factor: Good
Grease: Greasy
Style: NY Style

**** Stars - Pizza Perfection.

What the Stars Mean:
Stars are awarded similarly to the New York Times restaurant reviews. 1 star is recommended, 2 stars is very good, 3 stars is excellent, and 4 stars is pizza perfection.

hello.

Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? How big is the universe? These questions are frustrating to a human, and no amount of deep thought or philosophy will answer them. We are, at this pin drop in history, not capable of understanding the world around us, floating aimlessly, and there's nothing we can do about it.

But do you know what I understand? PIZZA. I can eat pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in the same day. I can eat pizza 7 days a week. I can eat pizza while on vacation in a foreign country in lieu of gaining culture and eating what the locals eat. I can eat pizza at a McDonald's in rural central California. I can eat pizza when I'm full. I can eat pizza when everyone else wants dessert, and the pizza box has been sitting out with like only 2 leftover slices, after everyone has devoured their pizza already. Those 2 leftover slices have my name on them.

And so I decided to start this blog to document my passion for pizza. Yes, my family and friends know this passion well. I grew up nagging my mom to order Domino's every night. She almost always refused, but every Friday, we were allowed as a family to order from Angelo's, the local New Jersey pizzeria, instead. When we would travel, my parents would have their one date night alone together, order a hotel pizza for my brother and me, and this would be my highlight meal of the trip. When I went to college, every Sunday was Lazy Sunday, when my roommates and I would order massive amounts of Pizza Hut,  gorge, and watch Lifetime movies all day. After college, I started dating my husband, Dave. Our first date was at Dee's pizza in Queens. When he proposed to me, he hid the ring in a pizza box. And now as an adult, like most other female adults, I try to watch what I eat, have my veggies, and indulge in the exquisite pleasure that is pizza.

So why the celestial slice? Because pizza is the food of the gods. Because pizza is out of this world. Because while I may not understand the universe, I can understand what makes pizza heavenly. Bon Appetit.