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Adam out of respect for the Wooster St legacy I kept Pepe's at #3 because of the respect issue and because there are other pies Like the Clam which are out of this world. But I observed other people cutting into their pies and everyone was having the same issue and looked upset that it was taking so much work to eat their pies.....

the slice when you would pick it up would stay straight that's how tough the actual crust has been coming out of the oven lately at both locations.

I've eaten Pizza in quite a few cities and I've followed the GQ Pizza Article on a few of the Detroit pizzeria's since I have family on my wife's side who live out that way.

I really enjoyed buddy's pizza and actually found photos on my cell phone that I sent in. Way different pizza squares and such....

But back to New Haven, for the health conscious Pizza eater up the road about 4 miles up on Whitney ave in Hamden there is Olde World Pizza they do lo carb and even wheat pizza. It's not coal oven but it's pretty good stuff as well.

I haven't eaten yet at the new Yonkers location or the Mohegan Sun for Pepe's but once they went to 7 days a week and opening up at 11:30am something has changed, you need more staff, different people making the pizza and it's just different at Pepe's right now...

I should send them an email because I'm asked all the time 6'3 300lbs which of the big 5 is the best and I tell anyone depends on what you like on it. Sausage hands down is Zupps...... Modern is bigger in seating capacity, very thin Apizza...But they have won best pizza in the Advocate for the past 7 years....Ballot stuffing who knows..... But everyone I know loves Modern. The one thing I do love in regards to the peperoni used at Sallys and Pepe's is that it's cut off the stick.....It doesn't get any better than that......

Then you have to go down the block on Wooster for Italian Ice at Libby's.
Libby's has a new location in North Haven right down the street from me.
Homemade just awesomeness is all I can say. You want any Italian Cookie or Angel Wings, expresso , etc.....It doesn't get any better than Libby's after throwing down.....

Anyone ever wants to do a Pizza throwdown with a Former/Transplanted New Yorker.....

Just drop me a line.....

Enjoy the weekend and holidays everyone...

Check Popeye's or Bojangles or whatever fried chicken places near you are doing.

Motorino's pizza is very close to the napolitano pizza I grew up with in Italy. It's not American-style pizza. I understand it's different. I love it! If the chef is there, he inspects the pies. I've seen him throw away pies that were too charred.

I have to agree, this seems messy and not practical. Having said that, I love Alton and everything he share on his shows, his idea or not. I think I'll probably have to try this at least once.

www.jeredbrown.com

Queens really does have it all, except for a tiki joint with a website. You'll have to rely on The Queens Tribune's review:

King Yum
181-08 Union Tpke., Fresh Meadows
http://www.queenstribune.com/archives/diningguide/reviews/kingyum.htm

Try Locanda Verde for bfast. The crispy garlic potatoes are awesome, as is the french toast. It is not expensive and downtown in Tribeca. Great place.

walk to the back and go downstairs here: http://www.niagarabar.com/

there's a small basement with a thatched bamboo bar where you can catch guys playing weird hula-fusion ukelele rock. or at least that's what happened when i was there.

Thanks everyone for all your great feedback, Josh S. here. I will fully admit that I don't know the difference between Naples and Neapolitan so forgive me if I made things confusing. I had narrowed down the list to these 3 based upon proximity to other items that I will be nearby.

As I had mentioned I just don't think that Di Fara is truly and option for me. With my schedule it looks like the only day I could potentially make it, is Monday and well I know they aren't open on Monday or Tuesday.

Based upon everyones recommendations and comments I think I will be choosing Motorino for my choice of pie. While I am all for history, I will be more certainly impressed with the taste of the pie rather than the history. Depending on a couple of factors I might be able to make it to Lombardi's if anything for comparison and completeness.

Joe Swifka, who used to create tiki drinks at the now defunct Elettaria, is working at Flatiron Lounge serving tiki drinks on the weekends, I believe. You might want to call to double-check his hours.

I'm with Ed. Let's eat pie.

I'd have to agree with Sean. The DiFara experience is worth the trip. DiFara's probably isn't my favorite pizza (here I go - not succumbing to 'groupthink'), but Dom is probably my favorite pizzaiolo.

And when you tell people you had pizza in New York and someone raises the eyebrow and asks, "but did you go to DiFara?" your response can be a Gary-Cooperish "yup."

I want to chime in since I grew up in New York City and now live 10 minutes from the Big 5 Modern, Sally's Pepe's, Zuppardi's and Bar.

Pepe's the last 3 times in the past 2 months and 1 time at the Spot which is the original Pepe's. Their crust I couldn't even cut it with my knife and it was beyond noticeable. 4 times same Original Location and the same experience it's not a coincidence until I read the other posts on here today.

Sallys sauce when you ask for extra sauce is the sweetest of the bunch. The rudeness factor makes me laugh but my wife refuses to eat there and she's a native and lifer of the area. The issue is they can only squeeze in 10 pies into their oven at a time and they take phone orders if you can get through.

Modern is our favorite out of the Big 5 the Italian Bomb is a hearty pie sausage, pep, bacon, onion, red pepper. I'm a Pepperoni guy that's all I need and sometimes just good old Sauce and Grated does me fine as well.

Bar Pizza is made by someone who used to work at Sally's so that's why it gets high marks as a sleeper pizza. I've only had pepperoni and cheese and it was pretty good.

Zuppardi's in West Haven...Their sausage Pie is really good not Coal Oven though and the decor is very old school.... Gives it Character.

1.Modern
2.Sally's
3.Pepe's
4. Zups
5. Bar

"My experience is also that Pepe's is much more variable than it was when the previous generation was running it and before its expansion, but I have had some remarkably good pizza there recently...."

IMO, I strongly feel that product AND consistency is what makes a great pizzeria. Most pizzerias, either because of lack of ingredient quality, lack of skill sets by the pizzamakers and/or lack of passion are not even capable of making a great pizza to begin with.

A "great" pizzeria is capable of making a great pizza and is driven to get as close to that greatness as often as possible.....which is most of the time.

It sounds like Pepe's is in the process of falling, or has already fallen from greatness, even if it can still crank out a great pizza from time to time. That's really sad to this pizza lover and a situation that hopefully will right itself sooner than later.

Adam, the pic of the Sally's pizzas look delicious BTW. I need to get to New Haven ASAP! --K