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Right back at ya, Prairie! Haha.

DZ, I think this may be the new beginning of something beautiful (and constructive with respect to our NY/CHI pie-offs). Keep it movin!

JMB and AK - just gonna ease back into the slice game...there'll be drivebys, oh there will be drive bys! But first, I had to put Frank B in check!

Don't send the Real Slim Shady!

Kathryn, that is your own call to make - with respect to neapolitan quality, I'd put Luzzo's up against No 28 any day of the week; Arturo's sucks; UPN is damn close to the best I've had in Naples. On the other hand, W Vill has a much better street slice selection. Artichoke is too damn much for me. If you're sitting down, head east; if you're out and about and not much of a teetotaler, go west, young man!

NYCFG, you know you're my man but I'm not talking about their sloppy 3am street slice - give their margherita slice a try - that sauce will knock you on your ace although nothing else is incredibly impressive about the slice - mozz and crust leave something to be desired. but you'll walk away and say that was some san marzano goodness!

AK, I think you may be onto something here and I'm not sure what to make of it. Perhaps we should refrain from making any proclamations regarding new pizzerias and let them find their own way.

But, then again, we wouldn't really be doing our job. Hey, its not our fault that Isabella's pimp pizzaoli, Luigi, had to return to Naples (for Cosa Nostra meetings or otherwise) and they immediately saw a decline in quality. And we're not to blame for Artichoke's inconsistent and overtopped pies, either!

I'm grabbing my pen and pad....I've got an article to write!

NYCFG, just a plain slice, but there stuff can get pretty stale so if doesn't look fresh, just order a plain in order to give them a fair shake. Certainly not up to par with Vinny's, UPN, or Luzzo's, but a decent alternative for the neighborhood. Stromboli is more of an after-bar, Gigantor slice, although it has always been pretty good when I've been there late night. Also, in ABC City, a place called Gnocco Cafe serves up a decent Margherita - give it a try - I think 10th between A&B or 1&A. peace

Ah, Dan, but you're missing the point, as people from Chicago are so wont to do. It isn't about how many Friday's or Bennigan's there are in Manhattan or Chicago - it is about how we choose to utilize them. Here, we use them as public bathrooms whereas, in Chicagoland, they are your neighborhood meeting places, where people gather with friends to enjoy that all too important communal dining experience, much like you do with your fun 'party pizzas' at Vito & Nick's.

So let's hear it - what did you think of the other 10 pie joints?

@NYC Food Guy - Holy Shet, you gotta be f'ing kidding me, you should auction off your deceptive moniker for charity cuz if there is any FOOD that should be known in NYC, it's pizza. Una Pizza Napoletana is two blocks away from the choke on 12th street between 1av and 2av. It is undoubtedly one of the city's best pizzerias, and I know I'm not alone in saying that. Your ignorance is too great to sustain your title sometimes. And Luzzo's, a very respectable Neapolitan alternative is just down the street on 1av. Come on man, that shet is lame.

I will say, though, that I agree with you and Barbara Hanson (who writes like a saucy little sass! Barbara, please call me for a personal drive-by...) regarding the Choke's gimmicky and, really, erratic way of running a pizzeria. It has been as maddening as, say, your lack of knowledge of the city's best pizzerias! (Shame on you NYCFG, shame shame!)

Everyone needs to step it up a notch around here! And yes, you've been Bubbled (but not you, Barbara, you tangy little tart).

And Dan Z, get outta here, man - you've never had a slice from Artichoke (or have you? Weren't you here recently?). Nevertheless, I like the references to some of the Midwest's top chain restaurants, which you probably know all too well, you Napierville-residing co-ed softball stud!

Dan, Lombardi's, in my opinion, has really gone down in quality since my visit in 2006. I've been back several times since then and have been very disappointed which is really unfortunate, because it is America's first pizzeria.

I'm a pizza margherita/plain pie guy all the way, so to me, it is essential that crust, sauce, and cheese (and sometimes, basil and olive oil) are all on point and blend well together. Toppings - I can take them or leave them, they aren't essential on NY pies and can sometimes take away from the balance of a truly great pizza.

Garv-man, all I want is for you to come to NY, we'll all be pals (for the weekend, after that, the war's back on), and we'll have some great pies. Doesn't get any better than that, old buddy!

Whaddya say?

Listen, I don't want endless chants of how great NY is (I already know that, provincial d*bag that I am), but I do think that a little back-and-forth between NY and Chi never hurt - especially on America's Favorite Pizza Blog.

That said, nobody wants to break out the bats and start wackin em around (well, at least I don't). You've come to the defense of Chicago just as strongly as I rep NY - and that's probably as it should be

@DZ: Good to hear that you will be visiting NYf'ingC this summer. Now if I can get a guarantee that you won't waste your time at pretenders like Lombardi's and Arturo's, we're in bidness. Of course the best Chicago bar pizza is going to be better than most of our street pie - no argument, there - but I think you're going to find that when you put NY's top pies up against V&N, et al, there won't be much to say after that. If you think that Pizzeria Bianco is the best thin crust pie you've ever had then NY will certainly take thin Chi pie to school - our best pizzerias have a lot in common with PB.

I just want one thing from you when you return to Chicago in July, Dan - be honest with yourself. It takes a man with more chutzpah than even the great Mike Ditka to realize when its time to give another city its props. If you put our top 5 pies up against your top 5 thin Chi pies (as close as you can get to apples to apples between NY/Chi), you will have very little left to say other than "Vito and who's?"

Believe dat!

you're a trouser trout, simon, but i still love ya!

King Hater strikes again, using questionable and self-defined terms to frame his arguments. simon, if the definition of 'pizza' only includes pies topped lightly with san marzano tomatoes, then there are, maybe, 20-25 restaurants in new york serving 'pizza'. when you walk into your neighborhood slice shop, you most certainly are not getting 'pizza' as you define it. simon, are you sure you really want to define it that narrowly? a very small percentage of new york pizzerias are using all san marzanos - you should know that. you're one step ahead of yourself, chief. no surprises there, though.

Dan, I affectionately refer to chi-pie as 'casserole' because that's what it reminds me of...i do agree that it is pizza, but it is a completely different animal than ny pie - no room for argument there. even the thin, bar pie served up in the chi is a separate breed than our stuff....i would say it is a different approach to making pizza more than anything, ya dig?

i have to admit, i love my chicago 'casserole' as much as the next native midwesterner. it isn't pizza as we know it in ny and it is certainly its own entity, but it is damn good if you're in the mood for it. i was so surprised to find pizzeria uno was known as another mediocre chain restaurant when i moved out the east coast. the original pizzeria uno doesn't have all that applebee's-bootleg garbage on the menu and i agree that they do make a decent chi-pie, but they are certainly no lou malnati's nor pizano's. hey, i heard a dirty rumor that pizano's was now closed. chi guys is this true? oh, and welcome to the team! djb

Not quite time for a smackdown yet. But, who the F is Simon?? Who are you, Simon? Are you Simon from American Idol? Are you judging this article on a scale of 1 to 10 based on my stage presence? Are you the Simon the doorman over at the Serious Eats offices? Let's bring it back to the blogs, brother! Normally, I'd require that you make an appointment to get housed, but I may just tee you up in this here Comments section, you deekhead!