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