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A combination of the two? $4. slices will shorten the lines and the wait.
What percentage of the ingredients in a DiFara's slice come from other countries, particularly ones that use Euros?

The dollar is historically weak and it has weakened in a short time, when the dollar is weak, imports are more expensive. How much of his pizza is comprised of imported ingredients?

I think he is partially passing on the price increase and taking advantage of the high demand/long wait to justify a price increase. That combination plus a general increase in prices ie. inflation has led to a 25% increase.

Mazzorella. Great on pizza and good on cheesesteaks.

The secret to finding a decent (not great) pizza in remote parts of the country is to go to an Italian restaurant (not a chain) and order a pizza there.

It is not always decent but often it is. If you try three Italian restaurants in a place like El Paso, one is likely to have a decent pizza.

I am from Brooklyn, NY (Sheepshead Bay) and spend summers back home. Rounders on W 6th street is the real pizza in Austin.

Those others are wannabees. I have tried them once and will never return. At least not on my own dime.

I tried Saconnes and was not impressed, but I may try them again.

Why did DeMarc's close? Quality control? I never ate there.

Steven Green

@ronzoni: Thanks for the recs. Homeslice and East Side have hit my radar, but I didn't know about Saccone's or Rounders.

Dear Adam, How about a little more contemplation about the state of the slice in general. In '04 you lamented the $2 slice. And now the Times is saying that the $3 slice is just around the corner. While I understand the complaint of many pizza shop owners, I really think the price of wheat has a lot less do with their price than their utility bills. $28/50lb bag of wheat amortized over god-knows-how-many-pies just doesn't seem to justify a $.50 price jump. Utility bills tripling in a few years however...

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2004/06/ugh_two_bucks_a.html

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/mmm-pizza-a-slice-but-at-what-price/index.html?hp

Bertucci's has become a chain, devoid of its original calling and, as mentioned in the article, expanded way too fast for its own good. By now, the Flatbread Pizza Co. has taken what Bertucci's used to be known for and beaten them at their own game.

I never order pizza at Bertucci's, but they do make effective use of their brick ovens for other dishes, too. Their baked tortellini w/ chicken is friggin' superb.

All in all, a more-than-worthy alternative to the dreaded Olive Garden.

I first heard about Patsy's (original or franchise) in October 2002. I went to the East Harlem original and was absolutely enamored by coal fired pizza crust. Since then, I have been to several (maybe all) of the franchise Patsy's Pizzerias and very pleased with the product and atmosphere. This past October, I went again to the original after not having been back since 2002. I must say I was disappointed. See, the franchise Patsys' use thicker spicier pepperoni and a higher quality fresh mozzarella. My theory is that the original Patsy's prides itself on providing slices whereas no other coal fired pizza place (I am aware of) offers that. In doing so, however, the original Patsy's must use slightly cheaper ingredients. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the pizza but I ate a lot of pizza this past October (Pizza Month - http://www.thespotlightwithseantaylor.com/pizza07.php) and perhaps had unreal expectations and memories of the original Patsy's.

Thanks, Adam, for the timeline for Patsy's/Nick's/Grimaldi's/Lombardi's/Massa's! I always wondered about that.

Manchego! Iberico! Mahon! Give me a Spanish cheese any day -- Ole!