I've said it before check to see who is throwing the pie at S and C. If its Carmine walk away. If its Sal's grandson eat up. The difference in how they throw Carmine (way to thick), grandson(just like his mentor nice and thin) makes all the difference.
as was said earlier....Walk the extra few blocks to Best Pizza.
One of my favorite slices w/o a doubt. My list of joints is almost identical to pizzabloggers. What i like most about Joes is the balance. Perfect ratios of cheese and sauce on top of a truly quality crust. More is not better its just more. I have ordered pies from my other faves "light on the cheese". For some this is heresy for me its all about giving all three components a chance to shine. If you blanket a slice with too much cheese(the most common offense) you are not even given the chance to taste the sauce. Joes is "daniel san" performing the crane kick on those cobra kai (cheesy) bastards.
Seeing Best Pizza has only been open a few months I think we can presume that it has become the default #1 choice. It has in my household! The only thing we struggle with is plain or white?? How is this usually settled? Large plain and a few slices of white! The young proprietor (Frank) is a truly nice guy. I think with him and Paulie G our nabe is cornering the cool owner, operator joints. Lucky Bburg/Gpoint.
esny has it right. i love fresh jalapenos on my pie not the pickled variety you see in this pic.
there is a real reason as to why the pizza cognition theory won't hold true at Mimis. those who have eaten there for a long time (in my case about 25yrs) will remember the patriarch of the place. the old man was pizza's version of the "soup nazi". he was gruff, rarely smiled but threw one of the best pies in the city. i'm sure the ingredients have remained the same and the recipes as well but the pizza is junk compared to what the old man used to throw. when he passed and gave the biz to his son the craftmanship that went into each pie disappeared with the dad. i can't eat a mimis slice anymore! if i didn't have the memories of it being so fantastic i probably could. the other thing that i remember about the dad is he made his dough into the most incredible loaves of bread. i always had a cut up loaf in my freezer. it was the ultimate breakfast for an insane pizza lover. mimis is the ultimate proof that the pizzialo makes all the difference.
thanks for clearing up my misinformation. on my first trip i saw you manning the oven so i incorrectly assumed you threw the pie. the qualitative analysis i made concerns the "stretching" as you put it in your post. on my first trip the dough reached out past the pan and the resulting crust was considerably fluffier/less dense. it appeared on my follow up visits to be the same amount of dough just not stretched as much. the resulting pies while still solid were not as amazing as the pies i had on my first visit. i apologize if my comments have no basis. i cant see how the "stickman" imparted this difference in the cooking process but i eat(a lot) but don't make pizza. so what do i know? thought you might enjoy the feedback as well as the readers of slice. continued success to you Paulie i will be back soon.
maybe not the most appropriate thread for this remark but....have been to PG's 3x this month. all 3 visits were made with different pizza nerd buddies of mine. i'm afraid the first visit was by far the best pizza for one reason only, Paulie threw the pie. my advice to all who visit is to go when the place is busy(prime time 7-830) so the maestro himself is throwing. i have stressed on many occasions that i believe the pizzialo has a much bigger impact on the final product than one would think. although the pie was still good there is a noticeable difference(in the crust) between Paulie and his crew. i will continue to patronize at a rate of 2 to 3 x per month but just my 2cents.
fair enuf dmc here goes....
first let me say two things about my point of view that cause me to have different standards than a lot of our fellow fanatics: 1) I am a vegetarian 2) I prefer n.y style pizza to neapolitan. The first trait clearly disallows me to review what the others in my party felt was a main contributor to PG's quality. As i did not enjoy the meats I can not offer an opinion. As for my pedestrian palate and its preference for a n.y style pie, what can i say? For me the paradigm will always be Totonnos and Difara(i can hear Lou T proclaiming me an idiot already). Disclaimers aside PG's pie.
I had 2 pies: regina and greenpointer. Breaking down their components as follows. The crust was incredible on both. Perfectly cooked just a little fluff(a few air bubbles in the cornicione) but rigid enough not to exhibit the dreaded neapolitan droop. Paulie's crust was as good a neapolitan crust as i have ever had. The cheese was of high quality. Did not add too much moisture to the pie and was put on in the ratio i prefer. A member of my party lamented that she prefers more cheese. I do not want a pie completely blanketed in cheese and often deconstruct my pizza to remove a large amount of dairy. As for the sauce. I'm afraid this is the one area in the pie that i found to be a little deficient. The quality of the tomatoes(we all know the lengths that were taken to pick these) was top notch. However the sauce was truly one note. I think it simply lacked a little seasoning(salt,pepper,garlic) i'm not sure what?? but it was a little flat. For that reason i actually preferred the greenpointer(arugala,fior di latte,parmigiana,olive oil and lemon juice). This pie was an artisanal creation. Anyway hope that is a more sufficient assessment.
i can tell you go to Indus Valley on 100th and bway. they have an amazing pickle mix(not just lime and mango but lots of other interesting items thrown in the mix). it is not listed on the menu but they sell a large order of this mix. it keeps for awhile and i always have some in my fridge. best indian pickles i've ever had.
a talented hand is perhaps the most important part of a good crust. 2 examples of this. Sal from Sal and Carmines who passed this past year was the emprasario of that establishment. i had the luxury of walking by and peaking in to see if he was working. when he was i shot right in for a perfectly thrown crust. another example of an ordinary slice made at its peak was Mimi's on 84th and lex. you can not force me to eat a slice there now but up until 15yrs ago it was a top 5 slice joint in manhattan. all of the credit went to the owner/pizzialo who threw every pie. he like sal was a grumpy old man but boy could he make a pizza. in fact he used to bake italian bread in the pizza oven and it was amazing.
i prefer my slices two ways: very well done or room temp(no reheat). so in the summer i most often choose option #2. i love a slice 10mins after its come out of the oven. i find a well done slice can hide or improve a not so great slice but a warm/room temp slice shows all faults. in other words the room temp slice better be of excellent quality.
so took a trip down from the uws on this rainy wed to check it out. first of all everyone should know that the place is Extremely non-desript. i knew it was on 1st ave btwn 7th and st marks. i walked right by it. its tiny and has no signage. i had to ask someone on the street and the guy says ,"yeah its right over there and its awesome". with my hopes up i entered a very interesting small place(one table). I'll cut to the chase with the pizza. Both the square and neapolitan were very tasty. the neapolitan is almost the coney island Totonnos ny/neapolitan cross. at first taste i found it a little flat. all it really needed was a tiny bit o salt. when i got up to get a little i see these two crocks on the counter. one with hot peppers , and the other roasted garlic both in e.v.o.o. a very nice touch indeed. a little of each with a smidge of salt elevated the already quality slice. the crust was thin, and light, yet crisp.
the square was even better. they did a great job of applying oil. the crust bottom had that nice infusion of quality oil that adds a little crunch. the pillowy middle was not overly doughy.
the sauce and oil used on both pies was truly high quality.
the cheese was the least traditional aspect of these pies. after eating several bites of each i asked the pizza man "what is that cheese i'm tasting and smelling that's unusal?". "its not mozz,its not parmigiana, not romano?? its got a real nose to it..." he says "you've got a good palate we use a little......." go try it and see if you can place it w/o the answer...overall a very good place
hey adam i always lack the skills to contact you but had to ask if you have seen or heard of the new joint South Brooklyn pizza on 1st ave and 7th? just got pics from a friend and boy does it look tasty..both their margherita and grandma(sicilian) look very similar to Artichoke. Will be going on monday to try it out. Just a heads up.
have tried them all..like taim and azuri but no mention of kwik meal cart is a travesty..personally while not traditional kwik meal has no equal
there are people who don't like pizza?
yes.organic avs are superior.
also avocado butter is tasty.
i like them mixed with most acidic fruits my favorites are mango/avocado/touch of salt and kiwi(with skin)/avocado
could u be more specific as to the type of flour please?
i have heard many debates over whether a.p flour is the correct choice(tender vs flaky). what did u use to make the biscuit in the pic?
Lou,
your pizza looks mighty tasty. i couldn't agree more with you when you say the crust is the most important element to a great pie. on that note i just have to ask if you've seen the hullabaloo caused by the NY magazine review of the place that caused our fued, Pulinos.? It has been a huge story in the city this week as Mcnally went out of his way to call Tully the man who negatively reviewed his joint a fat guy who is out of touch with the downtown scene. What was the main critique of Tully?
"But Appleman won’t be judged by New Yorkers on the authentic qualities of his charcuterie. He’ll be judged on his brittle, thin-crusted pizzas, the early reviews of which among the assembled pizza geeks at my table ranged from politely subdued to downright hostile. “This crust tastes like matzo,”
or the even more recent review from Jay Cheshes Time Out New York
"Appelman's wildly inconsistent individual pizzas are much thinner and crisper than the new neapolitan stars at motorino and keste. At their worst they're brittle as crackers with meat,cheese and sauce sparsely sprinkled on top"
Looks like their are many folks out there who feel Nate has failed at making an edible crust. Cheers to you for knowing how to do it.
Truly looks great. I now have a reason to go on a Jersey pizza run(make mine well done please)
As for the part of the story where he undercharges you that brings back memories of college. In poughkeepsie where i went to school we had one decent pizza option: Napolis. If you ordered delivery the prices were standard. If you went to the pizzeria it was unreal. 2 pies,a chicken parm,3 sodas..."hmmm 15$". Tony (the owner) loved to take care of his primary source of revenue.
i wanted to send it to you Adam but didn't know the protocol. glad u guys enjoyed it.
the only slice worth eating at artichoke is the square. it is my favorite square in manhattan. veloce is funny as when it immediately comes to the table it is good but the time between first and second slice turns it into a soggier product. ideally go to veloce with 4 people(4 slices per pie) and order them one at a time
i finally made it to paulie gees this past thursday night. had wanted to gor for awhile but was waiting to go with a fellow pizza freak and buddy. i'm not going to give a detailed blow by blow but simply state it was an all around good experience. the pizza was truly tasty, paulie gee was a consummate host and the place itself is very cool. i highly recommend a visit for all who have not been yet.
An excerpt from the NY magazine review of the pizza joint. I found the other components of the pie to be very good but the crust not good at all. Apparently I'm not alone,
But Appleman won't be judged by New Yorkers on the authentic qualities of his charcuterie. He'll be judged on his brittle, thin-crusted pizzas, the early reviews of which among the assembled pizza geeks at my table ranged from politely subdued to downright hostile. "This crust tastes like matzo,"
watch daniel tell about his favorite places to eat in n.y.c
at about 2:30 in the piece he talks about DiFara
At about 2:30 in, he declares his love for Di Fara. [Hat tip to Moxieland in SE Talk!]... More
The best vegan junk meal in town. The real trick is to order it as an appetizer. Significantly cheaper and w/o the bland side veggies. If you get takeout the side sauce is also bigger. We often score their mushroom gravy as an extra dipping option.