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Sorry, when I made my post about Luzzo's I was under the impression that he was going to three pizzerias, not just one.

If you're going to just one of those three I don't think it is a question, Motorino is the best. Only question is Manhattan/Williamsburg location, idk, has there been any consensus on which is better or are they pretty much the same?

Di Fara is definitely worth the trip but he already said he doesn't have time for that. Although if he did that would be the place to go.

Go to Di Fara. The way you phrased your question it seems like Di Fara is your #1 choice.

Co., Motorino, and Lombardi's are all likely to be there when you return but I wish I could say the same for Di Fara. Make it work. Go at an off-peak time (late lunch before they close to prepare for dinner). It's 40 minutes from Times Sq by subway. Otherwise you'll come and likely enjoy any number of great pizzerias but you won't have been to Di Fara. If you have time for a second choice, then consider those others, but if I were you, I'd pay a visit to Dom.

Hope you like NY!

btw - just re-read my post. might have come off more critical than i thought - no flame intended (but this pun? for sure!). sorry bro.

anyhow - i thought i'd branch out from his list to give him more options.

i've always had the exact opposite sentiment with adam's luzzo-motorino comparison - even did a same-afternoon comparison on my birthday, and the general consensus definitely prefered luzzo overall. i can't exactly pinpoint why i do; i like its thinner crust style better.

as for the new york coal-oven - lombardi's? really? i'd happily take the original patsy's or possibly even one of the chain locations of patsy's or angelo's over it. I'd take grimaldi's over it, even if their inconsistent pies and tourist trap line get worse every year. i guess it works as a good tourist location due to its proximity to the brooklyn bridge. I'd take nick's and totonno's UES locations over it. ever since i first went to lombardi's in '02, i've always been underwhelmed by its hype--although i've always appreciated its history.

artichoke basille's may be overrated, but i believe their proximity to union square helps those that want to see what di fara's is like. "wha?!", you say? well, my fave di fara offering is his square slice, and i think the basille boys' square slice at least gives a hint to the uninitiated what dom's work may taste like without having to make a three hour minimum trip. it's not the same, but the cost/benefit ratio can be helpful to a tourist with a tight schedule. just don't bother with the artichoke slice.

I dunno. If I were doing Naples-style and had to choose between Luzzo's and Motorino Manhattan (which is literally just around the corner), I would HANDS DOWN go to Motorino. Luzzo's, every time I've been (and I've gone many times at the insistence of people who write to tell me it's great), has had an absolutely flavorless crust. There is just no way that Luzzo's is in the same league as Motorino.

And, to get things back to apples-to-apples, comparing a Lombardi's pie (Neapolitan-American) to a Naples-style pie is apples to oranges. If you wanted a traditional Neapolitan pizza, then, no, you wouldn't go to Lombardi's.

But part of what Josh was asking was "Any suggestions out of those three that would best sum up New York pizza?"

Like I said, if pressed, I would have to say that, of the options Josh lists, Lombardi's best "sums up New York pizza." The traditional Naples-style pies are a relatively recent development in NYC pizza, with perhaps the first incursion of the genre coming in 1987 with Mezzogiorno in SoHo. But, according to pizza maven Ed Levine, La Pizza Fresca (opened in 1996) really pioneered the Neapolitan-pizza movement here in the city. All these types of pizza best represent Naples.

And, of course, you're going to get a lot of people who say that the coal-oven places like Lombardi's (or Totonno's, Patsy's, John's, Arturo's, or Grimaldi's) aren't truly representative of New York pizza since what most people eat day to day are slices from run-of-the-mill neighborhood pizzerias.

To sum up, given Josh's choices above, I would say ...

Motorino: If you want THE BEST TASTING pizza, prefer trad Neapolitan-style, and don't necessarily care about NYC pizza history.*

Lombardi's: If you want to get a taste of the whole NYC coal-oven thing. (Be sure to ask to see the oven, and see if they'll reel off some of the specifics of how it works.)

Co. Company: If for some reason you're near it and don't have time for the others.

*In the interest of historical accuracy, I have to point out that the current Lombardi's is not in the original location and has not been operating continuously since 1905, which is when Gennaro Lombardi first applied for his pizzeria license. The original, at 53 Spring Street, closed in 1984. The current one opened in 1994 at 32 Spring Street, with a Lombardi grandson (also named Gennaro) as co-owner. Eric Asimov has more on the history of the current Lombardi's founding in this 1996 article from the New York Times.

I would go to Luzzo's rather than Lombardi's. I know people seem to be mixed on Luzzo's but I thought it was great when I went and if you are looking for Naples-style pizza it is definitely a lot closer than Lombardi's. I've only been to Lombardi's once but it wasn't that great. An OK pizza but if I was only going to visit 3 that definitely wouldn't be one of them.

Motorino has been great 2/3 times I've been there. Last time it wasn't nearly as good but hopefully that was just a one-time thing (talking about williamsburg location).

there's something about beets the next day that makes the whole beet scene wonderful!

Based on this review I went last night. My expectations were high. As a New Yorker trapped in pizza-deprived Massachusetts, I'm always on the lookout for something good.
We ordered the Salsiccia e Friarelli (described above) and the Diavola (buffalo mozzarella, salami, red sauce). I enjoyed the Friarelli - we didn't get as much broccoli rabe as you did. It was very well balanced and the crust was perfect. But the Diavola was so much better. There was a surprisingly small amount of tomato sauce, but it was a wonderful, subtle and intense sauce that opened up like a fine wine after a couple of slices. There was a thick, sweet flavor of basil and plenty of excellent olive oil. The mozzarella was moist and nicely melted. The cornicione had an audible crunch at first bite, but the whole of the crust was chewy and moist.
Thank you for an excellent recommendation!

@Carey
That Broccoli rabe does look better. I think Gran Gusto just made my dinner plans for when I head up to boston on monday night.

Any Boston area pizza-eaters care to join?

It seems that they just attach the word "Neapolitan" to any 12 inch pizza anymore.

Pizza Oggi, now in Cambridge, has some consistently great pizza. Great crusts, usually sprinkled with poppy seeds or whatever else is hanging around, and hight quality toppings. www.oggigourmet.com

Emma's crust is all wrong, it is wafer thin and too much like a cracker for my liking. I have given up on finding a good slice of Italian pizza in Boston. I have found most of the establishments in the North End to be tourist traps, and the remainder outside of that area are Greek owned and better suited towards diner food than authentic pizza.