Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

NY NY on Barbur off the Terwilliger curbs is run by a true NY import and has the closest to the real thing I've found. He got written up in the local pages back in '01 I think for having the largest pie in town, thus requiring a dine in only because they couldn't make a box big enough. Slices are massive and topped to order.

After having tried pizza in Old Forge, PA and NYC (Luzzo's) and New Haven (Pepe's white clam) on a recent trip, I was curious to go back to 2 Amys which is my local DC fave and a place I haven't been to in a while. Every margherita I have ever had there has been stellar and this time might have been the best ever. It is a minimalist pizza. Not covered with a sauce, but what I call a tomato wash. Brilliant fresh tomato flavor, creamy dairy bite from the cheese, large pieces of fragrant basil, and a razor thin crust that is piping hot and fluffy on the edges. The light drizzle of olive oil adds a gorgeous scent, unlike the comparitively heavy hand at Luzzo's which only add slipperiness. (still, Luzzo's was a terrific pizza.)

The best pizza I have eaten in twenty years.

Imo's is ok if you really need a St. Louis style pizza fix, but the best is Joe Bacardi's in Eureka, Mo. It's the best there is.

I have a new Pizza Favorite in West Village:

Pizza Mezzaluna
146 West Houston Street at MacDougal
212-533-1242
http://www.mezzalunany.com/
Free delivery, open late and a block from Bleecker. It's polished high-end Italian thin crust -- awesome pizza and as cheap as Pizza Box or Famous Joe's Pizza.

Salads are fresh and pasta was al dente.

I've eaten there a couple of times and now it's the favorite pizza at the office. Deliveries are fast.

only if they are really obnoxious or just on a mission to annoy me.

the only thing i liked about sbarro's was that they served beer so no big loss there.

you know, I've been to Ella's in the past few months and I actually like them. You have to realize that if you're comparing it to NYC, then the standards are relative. But for DC? Like Ed remarked, it's better than the run-of the-mill joint you might have in DC but I think for DC, it really is a notch above the regular chains and all. (Oh, and in regards to Ed's comments about Ella? Turns out the restaurant owner named it after his daughter).

Now on occasion, the pies at Ella's have been rushed out to me and the quality wasn't so hot and the cheese to sauce ratio was out of balance. And I like Ella's a lot better than Matchbox....since Matchbox is now in the rejuvenated area of 7th Street, and the Verizon Center is the main hub for all kinds of sporting events, I find Matchbox to be too damn crowded. I've eaten there about three times and I found that their pies don't have enough crispness to its underside. It was so thin that you couldn't pick it up either and the toppings would just slide right off the slice.

But still---for DC? It's at least a step in the right direction.

There is a new place called Moroni and Brothers that's been open for a little over a year; I haven't had a chance to stop in. The owners used to work at Pizzeria Paradiso.

Can I ask a question?

Does grandmas ever come with toppings? Seems regular, just sauce and grated cheese, maybe broccoli rape, and MAYBE roni.....in other words, more than one or two toppings would be to much?

Thanks.

There are no great NY style slice joints to be had in Portland. Escape from New York Pizza is pretty mediocre. Their crust is a little on the thick side and they are heavy handed on the cheese. Hot Lips can do a decent slice, but isn't better than your average New York corner slice.

The best places in PDX are no-slice establishments—whole pie or no pie. Apizza Scholls takes the cake for east-coast style large pies. Ken's does a great neapolitan-style pie. Carboni's on MLK, which doesn't seem to get any press, makes a good pie. They imported their wood-burning oven from Italy and seem to take their pizza pretty seriously. Their dough is handmade and their crust has a nice char. Their large pizzas are 16" though, which is not-quite NY sized.

I will also vouch for Hotlips. I'm saying this from a less affluent student standpoint, but they have great local and organic topping combinations that keep me coming back. It may not be N.Y. but it's worth at least a try for a few bucks. They also have awesome sodas.

Hey hey now, where's the love for HOTLIPS pizza? Sure, it may not be N.Y style, but it's my fave slice purveyor in town.

As a current Reed student and native New Yorker, my advice is to just avoid Portland pizza so as to not tarnish your cherished memories of Brooklyn. Although Apizza Scholls is, as everyone seems to agree, very much worth a trip or five, I haven't yet had a decent slice (as opposed to a pie.)

I'm with everyone else in saying Apizza Scholls. It got a lot of press when it was featured on No Reservations. Seriously amazing pizza- I might even say better than the pizza I usually have while in NYC. The crust is made by hand and cooked in a brick oven and is absolutely perfect. No more than 3 toppings on a pizza, perfect crust, and wonderful sauce. The only problem is that you have to usually line up at 4:30 to get in- once pizza sells out, it's gone for the night!

A Beautiful Pizza at 3342 SE Belmont.

A bunch of friends of mine and I had a party earlier this summer where we each brought our favorite pie. Apizza Scholls, Ken's, and Pizzacato were all represented. It's A Beautiful Pizza blew them all out of the water. It wasn't even close.