piPod 1.2 is now available. Significant upgrades to ver. 1.0 include implementation of additional Browse-by-Neighborhood hierarchy within boroughs subsections. (Users who prefer browsing by pizzeria may still do so.)
Added functionality also includes cross-referenced linking among entries. Typo minimization was also deployed for this release; users of 1.0 will notice that you can now buy "pints" of sauce from Di Fara sted "points."
Pizzerias added: Broadway Pizza & Pasta (Bx), Brother's Pizzeria (SI), Full Moon (Bx), Giovanni's (Bx), and Sal's & Carmine's (Mn).
PHOTO OP Slice editor and publisher Adam K. (above) during a photo shoot Saturday for a small piece on piPod that the New York Daily News ran in today's edition.
AS BIG AS SOME OF THE RATS WE SEE IN NEW YORK A photo of Chuck E. Cheese doing what he does best—scaring the pants off the young tykes while annoying the hell out of parents. This photograph and the one below are courtesy of Eric Neely, from his series on the ridiculously sized rodent. Thanks, Eric!
Macon police reported that the 17-year-old female employee was dressed as the character -- a gray cartoon-like rodent with large front teeth -- when a 31-year-old Macon woman threw a piece of pizza at her Sunday afternoon. [ read more >> ]
[Thanks to Amanda G. and Jen J. for spotting this.]
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND A screen shot from Slice editor in chief Adam K.'s Outlook Express in-box.
A good amount of the offbeat pizza news I regurgitate on Slice comes to my attention via Google News and its News Alert feature, which sends users e-mails whenever something moves on the wires with whatever search parameters the user has specified. Today at 6:28 p.m. EDT, I received a News Alert e-mail about piPod. How d'ya like them apples?
I never thought this little guide would get this much attention. Since posting about it at 3 a.m. or so on Tuesday morning, we've seen more web traffic in three days than we did the past two months combined. Much of the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with maybe one person on a site somewhere commenting that it was neat but didn't contain as many pizzerias as he would like.
Fair enough criticism. I came up with the piPod idea Monday on my subway ride home from work, wishing I had the phone number for House of Pizza so I could call and check if they were open. At that point, the idea of piPod hit me, and, instead of trekking to House, I went home and culled together version 1.0 of the guide. Wanting to see the idea through in one working session, I left out a lot of pizzerias, with Staten Island and The Bronx getting one pizzeria only (and with some embarrassing typos in some of the files).
I'm working on correcting both the sparse nature of the guide (and the typos). The next version of piPod should be out by Tuesday night.
We at Slice would like to thank everyone who has written us e-mails praising piPod or who has sent us "glaring omissions." We'd also like to thank all the websites that have posted about piPod, especially iPodLounge, gizmodo, boingBoing, and Kottke—those four really started the ball rolling. We'd like to list everyone who has linked to the guide, but there are too many right now! (But you can see some of them here.)
Oh, and of course, thanks to the Slice staff for all the work you've done over the last nine months: Seltzerboy, E-Rock, and Amanda G.
Most of all, I'd like to thank my dad, for buying me the iPod when he and my mom were in town the other week. Thanks, Dad!
In other piPod news, we're pleased to announce that you can find the lil' iPod-based pizza guide at its own dedicated URL: www.piPodNY.com (though it's not case-sensitive, so don't let the shift key slow you down).
Not just anybody. Preferably a CSS/Movable Type coder geek wiz.
As many of you have noticed, Slice displays all wack in Mozilla browsers. I think there's some sort of errant DIV or /DIV tag in there causing this, but I've never been able to figure it out. I'm pressed for time during the day today, and might not even be able to figure s**t out with the proper time. I've made .txt files out of the Slice template codes and zipped them in a folder called, appropriately, help. Take a look, and e-mail me (admin (at) sliceny dot com) if you see what I'm doing wrong. Apparently the Main Index displays fine (?); it's the archive index pages that are all screwy.
The first person who figures it out ... if you're in New York City or ever visit, pizza's on me!
UPDATE: All wack Mozilla issues should be fixed now. Apparently there were some problems with the way I was commenting out things in the templates. Many thanks to Brian in New Jersey and Jort in the Netherlands. Both will be well fed by Slice staffers either at the next Slice event (Pizza Club, Pizza Fridays, Slice Road Trip) or at their convenience the next time they visit New York.
The Netscape 4.X issues are another matter. I've given up on trying to resolve those. You folks should upgrade to Mozilla, MIE, or Safari.
JOHN'S OF BLEECKER Slice Pizza Club No. 4 met at John's of Bleecker, 278 Bleecker Street, yesterday evening. It was the first pizza club held on Manhattan soil.
This entry is essentially a placeholder and acknowledgement that, Yes, Slice Pizza Club No. 4 did indeed meet last night. Though we originally met at John's, the evening turned into a Bleecker Street pizza crawl, and hit up Bleecker Street Pizza and Joe's on the corner of Bleecker and Carmine (but not Famous Joe's in the middle of the block on Carmine). We capped off the evening with dessert at Mary's Dairy.
After all that food, I went home and fell asleep, my stomach no doubt draining my energy as it wrestled the twin dairy demons of cheese and ice cream.
You're going to have to wait until later this evening or tomorrow morning to read the full report, but till then, amuse yourself with this image above right. This obviously collaged picture sits in the window of John's and probably goes a long way toward explaining the blessed nature of Slice's favorite food.
[Slice does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. All pizzerias with pie-themed religious imagery are welcome on this site, no matter what faith. (We do discriminate against Chicago-style, however. That stuff's the devil's work.)]
Like a hand in a glove, like milk and honey, like two peas in a pod—the Big Apple and pizza just go together. But lately it seems Apple Computer and pizza have had some weird connection. First Slice created and brought you piPod. And now we're reporting on this pizzabox PowerBook case.
From a UK company called Human Beans, PowerPizza, as it's called, is designed to disguise your Apple Macintosh PowerBook as a pizza. From the website:
Desirable laptops are desirable to thieves too. Disguise your laptop with a PowerPizza and reduce the risk of getting it nicked.
PowerPizza is designed so you can use your laptop without removing it from it's disguise. They'll think your having pizza for lunch again whilst you�ll be preparing that last minute presentation for the board, on your shiny new laptop.
We at Slice don't think PowerPizza is real, as the front page of Human Beans has a link to "Fictional Products." On the Biography page, the folks there seem to be some kind of design group concerned with keeping personal items secure.
We don't know if we'd use it if it were real, though. To maintain the illusion, you'd have to carry the box in a vertical position—not the most comfortable or space-efficient way to transport a laptop on the subway. Besides: We'd probably end up recycling our iBooks with the cardboard on Wednesday night.
Whatever the case, it's good for a gander. So there you go.
Calling all club "members": If you've forgotten or didn't know (or are blind and don't see the skybox to the right), Slice Pizza Club No. 4 is tonight at John's of Bleecker. 7 p.m. Be there or be a square slice. As always, look for this guy when you arrive.
What to get for the pizziola in your life who has everything? Why, pizza jewelry, of course! If you're on a budget (the price of a slice has gone up lately, after all), synthetic-ruby pepperoni are available. The baubles are available in the precious metal of your choice (silver or gold), and, in the New York fashion, come as slices or whole pies; a Sicilian-slice charm is also available. Don't forget the gold pizza cutter if you really want to show how much you care.
If you're ready to make the ultimate romantic gesture, surprise the lady in your life with a 14-karat gold slice bracelet with forty rubies and twenty diamonds. At $1,599.95, it's more reasonably priced than most engagement rings, which will just get covered with pizza grease anyway.
###
DESIGNET JEWELRY'S PIZZA LINE URL:http://www.raru.com/pizza.htm Phone: 888-727-8266; Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Slice, America's Favorite Pizza Weblog™, is very proud to bring you piPod, a field guide to pizza that takes advantage of the Notes Reader in the latest version of the iPod operating software.
The guide is organized by borough and is meant to be a quick-and-dirty on-the-go reference tool. As such, entries are brief (some not so brief), covering the basics while focusing heavily on how to get to featured pizzerias.
In version 1.0 (downloadable below), we've included our favorite pizzerias, most of which are in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Queens, Staten Island, and (especially) the Bronx are underrepresented, we know. A couple entries are included not because we've been there but because we wanted the info in our iPods for future trips. If you see a glaring omission or factual error, send us the relevant information [adam (at) sliceny dot com] and we'll include it in future releases.
piPod Key: C = Coal-oven; P = Pies only; + = Recommended; ++ = A Slice favorite. Hence [CP]+ = Coal-oven, pies only, recommended.
To install piPod: Download either the ZIP or SITX file and UnZip or UnStuff it. Plug your iPod into your computer. When it shows up on screen, locate the "Notes" folder within it. Simply drag the piPod folder into the Notes folder. piPod is 84K when expanded. (And don't tell us you don't have room for that. Just delete one of those ridiculous Black Album mash-ups wasting disk space on there.)
To use piPod: Go to your iPod's main menu, select Extras > Notes > piPod. Entries are arranged by borough.
DOWNLOAD piPod 1.2 (.zip) piPod 1.2 (.sitx) [DL .zip format if you don't have StuffIt Expander 7.0 or StuffIt Deluxe 7.0 or greater.]
Here's hoping you get some use out of this guide. Happy (p)iPodding!
###
iPodLounge: For further reading on all your iPod is capable of. Pod2Go: A handy tool for synching your iPod's Notes and Contacts. Download news, weather, and horoscopes. You can even use it to get RSS feeds from your favorite blogs on your iPod.
[Slice editors are PC-ignorant. We've tested piPod on Mac OSX 10.2.8, and all instructions are Mac-based. If you have to do something different to store items in the Notes folder on PC, please let us know.]
If you don't own an iPod, click here to buy one from Amazon. It's a car stereo for New Yorkers. It's really changed the way Slice editor-in-chief Adam K. and roving reporter E-Rock listen to music, allowing us to get the skinny on all the hot new bands. Plus, if you don't have one, you can't use piPod!
THERE AND HERE Lombardi's, at 32 Spring Street in Manhattan, is both old and new. The original Lombardi's, licensed to sell pizza in 1905, was located at 53½ Spring Street. It closed some time ago and was reopened by the the original Lombardi's grandson in 1994 at 32 Spring Street.
Sometimes the Slice editorial team gets so caught up in search of the consummate New York pie, we often lose sight of how pampered pizza life in this town can be. Not that the arcana of turning coals (Lombardi's coal-fired oven is pictured at right) to produce a consistently charred crust isn't worthy of discussion; obviously it is, or none of us would be here. But every now and then, it's nice to get a kick in the tuches from outside the concrete jungle to remind us of the suffering that pizza lovers endure in much of the country.
Such was my experience after dining at Lombardi's a few weeks ago. Last month, my family was paid a visit by some of our oldest companeros, who flew three thousand miles with the stated goal of eating well—or at least well enough—for one week. New Yorkers by pedigree, all granted me a few hours' reprieve from suburban ennui to indulge, among other things, their taste buds.
If you find opinion polls accurate and important, then Lombardi's serves up as fine a pie as you're ever likely to slide onto your palate: Seven of the group's eight eaters are still salivating. If you're a skeptic by nature, or can't distinguish Gallup from a gallop or a galop, then perhaps you'll join me in taking the road less traveled. For the purists among us, sadly, Lombardi's has become another frayed page in Gotham's gastronomic history book.
As loyal Slice readers know, Lombardi's is the elder statesman of New York pizza. Founded by Gennaro Lombardi nearly one hundred years ago, this is America's original pizzeria (even if it is a few doors down from the patriarch's famed beginnings). Genetically speaking, every pizzeria is indebted to it. Culinarily speaking, this grande dame has seen better days. Its sons and grandsons—Patsy's, Totonno's, and Nick's among them—may be younger, but most of them are also much wiser, at least at making pizza.
We ordered three pies (see photo at left), sampling an array of toppings: sausage, mushrooms, and meatballs, in addition to the standard variety. None of the toppings jumps out as especially abundant or tasty, with the exception of fresh garlic (there's no charge; just ask). As for the basics, the fresh mozzarella is the highlight of the Lombardi's pie: smooth, sumptuous, and stellar—and it comes standard on all pies. The sauce was slightly tangy but lacked spice. I wonder if they've heard of oregano and basil, a few delicate herbs that might have elevated an otherwise average sauce beyond just "simply red."
There may be a more logical explanation for our pies' mediocrity. The crust was so unusually thick it made for a doughy delivery that distracted from the other flavors. And it got worse with each pie; number three was one of the thickest I've had in a while, and was even tough to chew in places. Even the vaunted coal-fired char couldn't outweigh these pies' rubber bottoms.
Why the disparity between my opinion and others'? Who can say. I recall Lombardi's serving a solid pie as recently as three years ago; this was the others' inaugural sampling. I have eaten more pies than I care to count from places like Di Fara; most members of my group are normally content driving through Fast Food Nation. (As family friend RL noted while his slice dripped olive-oil tears, "The only oil we get in California is from Jiffy Lube.")
So perhaps Lombardi's does serve a need. Most visitors are desperate to get their hands around a supple slice but aren't eager to stray far from downtown. Tucked into a charming double storefront just a stone's throw from Ethnictown, Lombardi's is convenient, inexpensive, and friendly. For those with just a few hours or even a few days to see the sights, Lombardi's has held up much better than its Little Italy famiglia and offers a solid if spare representation from the canon of New York pizza. But for locals and intrepid visitors interested in maximizing their exposure to pizza perfection, just a slight sleuthing of the streets will reap much greater rewards.
THUMBPRINT Twenty-seven years ago, after Seltzerboy broke his right arm, RL (above left) gave the 4-year-old tyke and his mom a lift to the hospital. Seltzerboy returned the favor last month by giving RL and his clan a ride to the pizza place of his dreams. PLIGHT AT THE ROUND TABLE Seltzerboy, his family, and a few lifelong friends (above right) enjoy an afternoon at Lombardi's last month. While the company was great, the pies at the Little Italy pizzeria were uneven.
Slice just got off the phone with a very nice young woman at Bacci Pizza (so nice, in fact, that we almost felt a little bad about how we diss Windy City pie so much). Through a spotty cell-phone connection on my end (crappy T-Mobile), I was able to confirm word of the Black Widow's victory. How much she ate is still a matter of uncertainty, but I think I heard the nice Bacci employee say "six and three-quarters."
Now we're pretty sure it wasn't six and three-quarters slices. Heck, any member of the Slice staff could handle that. We're guessing that the 105 lb. Ms. Thomas ate six point seven five pizzas. My word, and be still our beating hearts!
UPDATE: Even though the Trib was scooped by Slice (you heard it here first, kids!), that paper's story has confirmed Ms. Thomas's winning amount. The 100 lb. wonder ate 6.5 slices, according to Tribune. According to the Bacci employee, that number was closer to 6.75. While that may not sound like much, a recent commenter to this post tells us that one Bacci slice might as well be an entire pie.
Regular Slice readers already will have read about Ms. Thomas, the International Federation of Competitive Eaters, and the pizza-eating contest in which there was some NYC-CHI smack-talk goin' on. We're sad that New York's own Ed "Cookie" Jarvis didn't win it for the Empire State, but we're happy for Ms. Thomas, our favorite U.S. competitive eater (and the No. 1 ranked one at that).
No. 1 Seltzerboy and I are getting out early today (summer Fridays, yo). We're gonna hit up Patricia's in the Bronx. I know I might have mentioned Di Fara earlier in the week, but we don't have any Bronx reviews on Slice. This is a glaring and embarrassing omission that we will correct by Monday.
If any readers can make it and want to join us, we'll be leaving from midtown (42nd b/n 5th + 6th) around 2:30 p.m. Drop us a line so we can coordinate: adam (at) sliceny dot com
UPDATE: As of 2 p.m. today, Slice will not be going to Patricia's. We apologize for creating false anticipation among the readership. Circumstances beyond our control have robbed us of our summer Friday today. We will try to go to Di Fara after 5 or 6 p.m.
No. 2: You thought we forgot about the Pizza Club for June, didn't you? No way. It's short notice, but we're hoping the easy central location will make up for it. So be there Wednesday, June 23 at John's of Bleecker Street is the place. The time: 7 P.M.. This is our first after-work club meeting. The weekend clubs have had mixed turnout, so we're trying it midweek and afterwork. As always, the club has flexible "membership," being open to anyone who simply shows up to eat pizza with us.
John's is one of the few coal-fired oven pizzerias left in the city (although new ones seem to be popping up all the time lately). It was founded by John Sasso, who learned the trade in the employ of Gennaro Lombardi, the city's�and the nation's�first pizziola (first licensed one, anyway). Mr. Sasso's family continues to operate the original location as well as some others throughout the city. We haven't been in a while and will take this opportunity to sample the fare once again. Hope to see you there!
JOHN'S OF BLEECKER STREET Location: 278 Bleecker Street (b/n Jones and Morton), Manhattan 10014 Phone: 212-243-1680 Payment accepted: Bring cash, folks. That's all they take.
The New York Times Boldface Names column is absolutely obsessed with pizza. Exhibit: This is the THIRD time this year that the delicious dish has made a cursory appearance therein. (Here are Numbers One and Two.)
We're pressed for time at Slice at the moment, so I'll let the column's lede speak for itself:
PASCAL ROSTAIN and BRUNO MOURON are in town for the opening of their exhibition, "Star Trash,'' at the Star Trash Store in SoHo. For $6,000 you can buy one of their pieces, which include the celebrity refuse of MARLON BRANDO, CLINT EASTWOOD, JACK NICHOLSON, LIZ TAYLOR and CHARLIZE THERON. Meeting Mr. Rostain at a Tuesday party at Le Bernardin, where guests sipped Veuve Clicquot and ate lobster ravioli against a background of framed garbage, our Boldface correspondent did her best to contain her disgust.
He demonstrated, opening his eyes very widely and peering closely at a box of macaroni and cheese from the JOHN TRAVOLTA piece. It includes water bottles, a Fed-Ex box that contained the pizza that Mr. Rostain claims Mr. Travolta has flown in from Chicago every day, a SARA LEE cake container and cans of baked beans. No wonder the guy has had a weight problem.
Oh the horror! How is it that the man who played Tony Manero and Vinny Barbarino, of Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, respectively, how can this man fly in Chicago pizza? The man was born in Englewood, New Jersey, fercryinout. He should know his pizza.
Proof that Hollywood—or perhaps Scientology—corrupts.
CAUGHT IN HER WEB Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, ranked No. 1 in the United States by the International Federation of Competitive Eaters, will go mouth to mouth against some of the biggest eaters in the world Saturday as she participates in the Bacci World Pizza Eating Championship in Chicago. We've been fans of hers since she won the first-ever turducken-eating contest last Thanksgiving. She is the stuff dreams are made of.
We've seen competitive eaters chow down on some pretty rank stuff (bovine testicles and brains, anyone?) in their quest to eat themselves to fame and fortune. But on Saturday they will face perhaps the nastiest stuff ever to grace a plate: Chicago-style pizza.
Anyway, competing in this year's pizzathon will be all 105 lbs. of Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas. If this woman can put away pizza the way she has hot dogs (25 in 12 min.), cheesecake (11 lbs. in 9 min.), and pulled-pork sandwiches (23 in 10 min.), then she's likely to join hey-good-cookin' Brynne Humphreys on the Slice crush list.
Also competing will be New York's own Ed "Cookie" Jarvis (left), who holds the world ice-cream (1 gal. 9 oz. in 12 min.) and cannoli (21 in 6 min.) records.
As much as we're enamored of Ms. "Black Widow" Thomas, however, we at Slice have to throw our weight behind Mr. "Cookie" Jarvis. Not only will he be reppin' the Empire State, but he's gotta school young-punk Mark Skiba into submission. I mean, check out this little dillhole's remarks in the Chicago Trib's story:
Last year's winner, Mark Skiba of Downers Grove, is undaunted by the infusion of talent from afar. He trains once or twice a week, eating three or four pieces of pizza as fast as he can. He drinks about 1 1/2 gallons of water to expand his stomach, and believes he can compete with the likes of Jarvis, who has little trouble eating 10 pounds of food at a buffet.
"He's from New York," said Skiba, 18. "He doesn't know real pizza like from [Chicago]."
Hmm. Then again, if this thin-crust version of so-called real pizza is anywhere near as grody as the Windy City's deep-dish garbage, Mr. Jarvis just might face a disqualification due to "urges contrary to swallowing" (aka "vomiting").
Good luck to all involved (except you, Mr. Skiba).
###
As an aside, readers might also want to know that the original Nathan's in Coney Island will be hosting the IFOCE-sponsored International Hot Dog Eating Contest at noon on July 4. Slice will most likely be in attendance to cheer on Japan's Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi as he defends his title (50.5 dogs in 12 min.).
And if watching the speedeaters scarf down dogs makes you lose your appetite for tube steaks, you can always head over to nearby Totonno's for some REAL pizza. If Slice is at Coney that day, we'll be sure to drop by Totonno's afterward.
For the record, Slice Editor in Chief Adam K. recently set a personal pizza-eating record last Friday at Patsy's in East Harlem: 10 slices.
Seltzerboy and I are lucky enough to benefit from "summer Fridays" at our place of employment—from Memorial Day through Labor Day, we get out at 2 p.m. at the end of the week (if it's not too busy here).
This Friday should be cake. Or make that pie. I don't know what Seltzerboy's plans are, but I know I'll be heading out to Di Fara Pizza in Midwood, Brooklyn. Send me an e-mail if you'd like to come along, and we'll figure out when to meet: adam (at) sliceny dot com.
"IT was the kind of Thursday night at Cafe Milano a transplanted New Yorker would have savored," our man in D.C. reports. "Big-topped women, the air thick with Cuban cigar smoke, and every table up front filled with the glitterati . . . In one corner there was Dominick Dunne, still spewing invective over the Nicole Brown Simpson murders." In a different corner, reports our correspondent, who wished not to be ID'd, "sat Prince Abdullah of Jordan, fresh from a Domino's Pizza run (he took 14 pies back to Amman with him)..."
How much does a Domino's pizza cost? About $12. With the exchange rate today at .714 JDs to a dollar, that would be 8.56 JDs. So the prince paid about 120 Jordanian dinars (plus airfare) for his intercontinental take-out.
A gang of 20 Puerto Rican Day paradegoers trashed and robbed an Upper East Side pizzeria, cops said.
Five men, all from Mount Vernon, were charged with robbery; 15 were hit with disorderly conduct.
Police said the mob entered Famous Original Ray's Pizza on Lexington Avenue near 88th Street after the parade ended, upended an ice-cream freezer and hit a worker with a bottle.
The thugs fled, but were arrested at 93rd Street.
We suppose that next year all UES pizzerias will board themselves up during the parade.
A HAVEN FOR PIZZA LOVERS Frank Pepe (left) of Frank Pepe's and the crew at Sally's Apizza (right). These New Haven, Connecticut, pizzerias are said to rival (some even say surpass) New York City's legacy pizzerias.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Former mayor Ed Koch, in a commercial urging New Yorkers to volunteer as "cultural ambassadors" to visiting GOP conventioneers.
In a stance that has some folks grumbling, former New York City mayor Ed Koch, a democrat who is backing President Bush in his reelection bid this year, is doing some campaigning of his own. He's urging New Yorkers to volunteer at the Republican convention when the Grand Old Party visits the city in August. He's been on this kick for a while now, and today marks the debut of a television commercial pushing this message. What caught our attention in the New York Times's story:
"New York City, the greatest city in the world," Mr. Koch says in the 30-second spot, which is produced and directed by Grey Worldwide, and is to begin broadcasting today. "No wonder the Republicans are coming here for their national convention. While they're here, make nice. Volunteer to show 'em the ropes. They won't know uptown from downtown. They've never ordered pizza by the slice." [Emphasis added.]
We at Slice were thinking along similar lines: A lot of these conventioneers won't know our city's pizza protocol. So we're putting politics aside, hoping to find common ground in Gotham's pizzerias. To that end, we've been developing a special pizza guide for visiting GOPers. Look for it at the end of August, and forward the Slice URL to any Republican you know who will be attending.
A nearby pizza shop puts a coupon on every box: collect 15, you get a free pizza. My husband and I, enthusiastic trash pickers, take them from other people's discarded boxes. We do not generally buy pizza from this particular shop, and I think they might intend those coupons for their paying customers. But if those customers don't want them, can we use them? Lisa Kelly, Philadelphia
There's a pair of images I want linked in my mind -- trash and pizza. Mmm.
No harm done. That coupon is proof that someone purchased a pizza. The buyer may use her coupon, give it away or discard it. If she does this last, it's up for grabs. In the Pleistocene era, when stores distributed Green Stamps, you could honorably collect any you found. The pizza situation is similar.
If the pizzeria wants to restrict its offer to regular customers, it can easily institute a nontransferable punch-card system, as many shops do -- among them, for example, the hair-salon chain SuperCuts.
This reminded us (at least two of us here at Slice) of our college years in Lawrence, Kansas, where there exists a pizzeria named Gumby's. Gumby's was take-out/delivery only and sold ten-inch pies for $3 or $4. Their pizza boxes had cut-out coupons, and collecting ten of them got you a free pie. We used to do the same thing this woman did, but likely had a much easier time of it, given that we lived in the dorms our freshman year and there were about 400 students placing Gumby's boxes in the recycling rooms at the end of each floor's hallway.
Whether Gumby's was worth it even when free is another matter, but when you were three sheets to the wind at three in the morning, nothing beat it. (Except maybe Pizza Shuttle.*)
GUMBY'S PIZZA Location: 1445 West 23rd Street, Lawrence KS 66046 Phone: 785-841-5000
PIZZA SHUTTLE Location: 1601 West 23rd Street, Lawrence KS 66046 Phone: 785-842-1212
* Call eight-four-two-one-two-one-two/ Call us now, Pizza Shuttle/ We'll bring it to your door and we're toppin' it with more/ Call us now, Pizza Shuttle/ For fast and free delivery/ Pizza the way it's supposed to be/ Just give us a call and you'll agree/ It's Pizza Shuttle pizza for me/ Call eight-four-two-one-two-one-two/ Call us now, Pizza Shuttle. [Ten years later and that jingle is still burned into my brain. Ugh.]
For those of you into pizza and pleasure (aren't they one and the same?), reader Tien found the following post on Craig's List:
ALL PLEASURES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL !!
Sample the five different types of pleasures and experience how
Jewish insight and wisdom can help you maximize what life has to
offer at a witty thought provoking presentation in the Romainisheh
Shul.
Wednesday June 9 at 7:30PM
FREE PIZZA AT 7PM with RSVP
89 Rivington Street (btw Ludlow and Orchard)
RSVP 1-888-883-4726 or
rick@discoveryproduction.com
www.discoveryproduction.com
We would hope there are more than five different types of pleasure, but they've got pizza at this shul, so that's one down.
THE thing about Neapolitan pizza, one axiom goes, is that the higher the grade of the olive oil, the better the thread-count of the proprietor's clothes.
So while a new national law mandates what can authentically be called Neapolitan pizza, the legislation also exposes a deeper, ages-old rift about whether pizza is best served to the masses or the classes.
Advertisement
Italian pizza makers, politicians and the modern-day proletariat had set aside a century's worth of squabbling over tomatoes, basil, cheese and oil to focus on a larger topic that threatened them all: Neapolitan pizza was under attack, facing impostors worldwide.
As one local pizza maker, Alfonso Cucciniello, put it: "Everyone in the world is trying to do this type of pizza. In Japan, in China, in the United States, in Miami."
We're not sure what to make of the rules. They don't really affect us here in New York, as we've only got a couple pizzerias striving for Neapolitan pies. The story would have been more interesting if Mr. Baker asked the Italian pizzamakers what they thought of New York–style pies.
SAY NUMBER 13: Dom DeMarco, Slice's "Italian hero," makes the cover of this week's Village Voice. The alt-weekly's Robert Sietsema tallies his top 100 Italian restaurants, DeMarco of Di Fara fame clocking in at lucky thirteen.
Robert Sietsema of the Village Voice runs down his top 100 Italian restaurants. Seeing as how pizza is Italian or Italian American (depending on style), there are more than a few pizzerias in the mix.
The usual suspects appear throughout as well as a few surprises and what might be hidden gems. Following, we've digested the list, ignoring any nonpizza establishments. For the full list, click here.
We were delirious yet dismayed to see Dom DeMarco of Di Fara Pizza on the cover—heartened that Mr. DeMarco is once again getting the recognition he deserves but upset that the crowds at his pizzeria will inevitably grow larger (and also perplexed that he ranked no higher than thirteen while less-deserving places sit in the top ten).
Well, without further ado, here is the list, parsed for pizza entries...
How Deep Is Your Love ... for Pizza? Enough to cram two slices into your face at once? [From the website myatari.]
I was goofin' around on the Web yesterday and found this image of Tony Manero (John Travolta) from Saturday Night Fever eating pizza. Employing a novel approach to downing two slices at once, Mr. Manero has folded the pieces around each other. Filmed in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, Saturday Night Fever's main character would have grown up around plenty of good pizza. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of worthwhile pizzerias still operating in those neighborhoods. L&B Spumoni Gardens (Bensonhurst) and Lento's (Bay Ridge) come to mind.
Update: Tony Manero double-folded his slices at Lenny's.
Just opened, according to last Sunday's New York Post, is Abbondanza's. What they say:
Thin-crust, wood-oven pizza is the specialty at this Village newbie, where over-the-top toppings include roasted Vidalia onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, Cajun chicken and fried calamari. Lots of sandwich and salad options. Pasta, too, and it's also BYO.
Doesn't really sound like our bag here at Slice, but if those are the types of toppings that fill your sack, there you go.
HOLY SMOKE! A new coal-oven place has opened recently. Named Luzzo's. It's at 211-13 First Avenue, between 12th and 13th. Here's what NYMetro has to say about it:
Coal-burning ovens are hot commodities for pizza makers. Thanks to city codes, the only way to get one is to inherit it—which is what Charles LoPresto has done at Luzzo's, his new East Village restaurant. At one time, the spare, bare-bones space housed a bakery read more ...
Garden State Slice [This is the debut entry of Amanda G., our New Jersey bureau chief. She'll be checking out pizzerias west of the Hudson for Slice. — Ed.]
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Grimaldi's in Hoboken is on the corner of Clinton and Second streets, a short walk from the Hoboken PATH station. Like its namesake east of the Hudson, this Grimaldi's has a coal-fired oven. Our New Jersey bureau chief's half-pepperoni–half-mushroom-olive pie. | Photographs by Amanda G.
I had high hopes for our trip to the Hoboken branch of Grimaldi's. My husband, Steve, and I had eaten there a couple of times when we lived down the street. We had ordered take-out on occasion, and I remembered the pizza having a chewy crust that was perfectly charred; a bright sauce; and mild, melty cheese.
So when Steve, my sister, and I headed over there for dinner recently, I was expecting, more or less, pizza perfection. What we got was anything but, despite a pleasant atmosphere (I do love the red-and-white tablecloths) and a well-dressed salad to start things off. We ordered a large pie, half pepperoni and half mushroom and olive. It was delivered to our table with a flourish, and looked delicious. But when we prodded it gently with the provided spatula to remove the first slice, a soupy center came to light. There was a small puddle of liquid pooled on top of the pie and underneath the crust. I attempted the Fold Hold, to no avail, and had to eat the pizza with a knife and fork.
The slice, to its credit, tasted good, despite the mushy foundation. All the toppings were fresh (well, apart from the olives, which seemed canned) and the sauce had the perfect balance of ripe sweetness and bright tang. The pepperoni was meaty and spicy and didn't require major effort to chew, which was good. I particularly enjoyed the cheese, which cooled quickly and made for easier eating.
But that sorry, soggy, soupy crust ruined it for me. I missed taking that first bite of the slice, where your teeth push through the cheese and it just burns the roof of your mouth a little before you pierce the crust with a satisfying crunch. I tried to simulate the experience by piling some of the sauce, cheese, and toppings onto a bit of the handle-crust that remained crisp, but it wasn't the same.
Of course, this beautiful state of ours has plenty of other fine pizza parlors to visit, including local favorites right in town (East Brunswick) like American Pie and Stefano's. This Pizza Patrol is on the move. ... Till next time.
Editor's note: From time to time, Slice correspondents leave New York City. When they do, they always bring back the lowdown on New York–style pizza in other parts. Here is the second and final part of E-Rock's Sin City chronicles. Read Part One here.
Fear and Loathing: Pizza in Las Vegas?
Meaningless Streets: From a banner-laden "Brooklyn Bridge" to a half-ass "Grand Central" to a street-scene food court area, Las Vegas's New York New-York Hotel & Casino is a mishmash mock-up of an imaginary Manhattan.
Whenever I talked pizza with my New York co-workers in Vegas (which happened more than you might think), their explanation as to why the pizza in the casino Mecca wasn't up to snuff always came back to one issue—the water. One co-worker remarked, "The water here is so disgusting that you can practically smell it coming out of the tap. The bagels here suck, too." It takes good water to make good pie, so I'm assuming our friends at New York Pizza & Pasta used bottled water or had the stuff imported from the Big Apple. Too bad I couldn't stick around long enough to ask them their secrets.
As I recounted in the first part of this Vegas dispatch, New York Pizza & Pasta was a splendid surprise. But I figured things could only go downhill from there. My next assignment, on strict orders from the top brass at Slice, was to go to New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Strip and try the pizza. I knew it wouldn't be pretty.
I'm a reluctant fan of Curtis & Kuby. I started listening to them accidentally upon moving to New York City, falling asleep to the paranoid alien-abduction stories on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell (now hosted by George Noory). The radio, still tuned to WABC 770-AM from the night before, would wake me the next morning, and I'd listen to the right-wing Guardian Angels leader and the left-wing defense attorney do the whole liberal vs. conservative thing with a rapport that was actually entertaining.
Anyway, it was on this show last year that I first heard the theory, expounded upon by Mr. Sliwa, that subway fares followed the price of a slice of pizza. (That is, when fares were $1.50, the average price of a slice was also $1.50.) Around the time of the fare hike, Curtis argued that rides simply couldn't go up because slices were still anywhere from $1.50 to $1.75. It was a clever observation at the time and is one of the most insightful things Curtis has ever said.
Why so much? The record-high prices for milk have driven up mozzarella prices, too. And pizza-price hikes have driven some to what we here at Slice deem madness:
"I'll make my own at home, using ketchup and English muffins, before I pay $2 a slice," fumed Manhattan pizza fan Bev Astro. "Pizza should be a buck fifty, a buck seventy-five, tops."
But some folks (who Slice feel more akin to) liken it to smoking:
For pizza aficionados like Rusty Granger of Glendale, Queens, the food that made Ray's famous is like cigarettes: a habit you can't kick, at any price.
"I gotta have my slice - thin crust, double cheese, a sprinkle of garlic," said Granger. "Even if it costs me $5 a slice, I gotta have it."
It's a leap year, which means vapid electoral speculation takes on its quadrennial presidential proportion. While the full-blown vituperation that marks most campaigns is still in the on-deck circle, the insipid image-shaping is well under way.
Under the headline "Shopping For A President," Mr. Tierney opens with a scintillating interrogative: "If George W. Bush were a food, what would he be, and what kind of shoppers would be putting him in their carts?" The answer, at least the one according to experimental psychologist Howard Moskowitz, caught Slice a bit off guard.
"Bush reminds me of pizza: variations on a theme," Mr. Moskowitz said. "Someone who will eat one kind of frozen pizza will eat most other kinds."
Since we at Slice have labored many hours pontificating on the poetry of pizza—which we view as a peaceful coalition uniting delicate yet piquant flavors—the first sentence left our editorial board a little mystified. But the second part mollifies us somewhat. After all, frozen pizza comprises fake ingredients presented as authentic ones.
But Mr. Bush can yet prove otherwise. In less than three months, he will lead the Republican Party in its occupation of New York. The Slice staff would welcome any attempt he and his coalition made at defeating the frozen- and chain-pizza hegemons by patronizing one of Gotham's many fine pizza establishments. We even promise fair and balanced coverage of any such event.
As for the food with which Mr. Kerry is aligned, Mr. Moskowitz said he'll pick a pack of pickles. "Some people like high-impact pickles; others hate them and like a pickle with a mild crunch. You can't please people by giving everyone a middle-of-the-road pickle." How true. A voracious consumer of kosher sour pickles since the Nixon administration, I can attest to this stodgy vegetable's polarizing perception. Even we fans will admit it isn't the most attractive delicacy at the deli counter. But after a bite or two, it becomes easier to appreciate the many possibilities packed within the pungent pickle. Especially when one compares it with frozen pizza.
This got us to thinking about what other foods we would include in our political shopping cart. Former President Bill Clinton would probably be bubble gum. Check, please!
Perhaps this is good time to remind our readers: It's only a democracy if we make it one. Register to vote, and mark your calendars.
Slice, America's Favorite Pizza Weblog™, is very proud to bring you piPod, a field guide to pizza that takes advantage of the Notes Reader in the 
John's is one of the few coal-fired oven pizzerias left in the city (although new ones seem to be popping up all the time lately). It was founded by John Sasso, who learned the trade in the employ of Gennaro Lombardi, the city's�and the nation's�first pizziola (first licensed one, anyway). Mr. Sasso's family continues to operate the original location as well as some others throughout the city. We haven't been in a while and will take this opportunity to sample the fare once again. Hope to see you there!
Prince Abdullah of 
From yesterday's 
Randy Cohen's "The Ethicist" in this past weekend's 
I had high hopes for our trip to the Hoboken branch of 
Anyway, it was on this show last year that I first heard the theory, expounded upon by Mr. Sliwa, that subway fares followed the price of a slice of pizza. (That is, when fares were $1.50, the average price of a slice was also $1.50.) Around the time of the fare hike, Curtis argued that rides simply couldn't go up because slices were still anywhere from $1.50 to $1.75. It was a clever observation at the time and is one of the most insightful things Curtis has ever said. 
