Clicking in to the Slice mailbag this morning, I've got this email from Lance R. in L.A. He's asking me for my recs vis à vis his itinerary here in New York City. I've answered him below, but I figured this would be a great question for any opinionated homeslices out there to weigh in on. Please do, and help a brother in pizza out. —The Mgmt.
Alright, Kuban, you gotta help me out.
Like that other person who recommended Bollini's in L.A., I am coming to New York exclusively for food. Four days over the Fourth of July.
I know you get questions like this all the time, and you're probably thinking Read the site or Get Ed's book. I have and I have. And I wrote you a big, food-coma-induced review of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix that you never put up (probably with good reason), so I've at least tried to give back. But I really need your guidance.
If it was just me it would be all pizza, but I'm married. Here's the schedule:
Friday: Dinner at Babbo Saturday: NEED PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST AND/OR LUNCH. Una Pizza Napoletana for dinner (have to go for the kinship with Bianco, the master) Sunday: NEED PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST AND/OR LUNCH. Dinner at Luger's Monday: Lunch at Jean-Georges. NEED A PIZZA TO END ON; flying out of Newark
I'm in Midtown, so that might be a problem. Brooklyn seems to own. I am thinking Di Fara for sure, but I'm mixed up on the rest. Can you just give me your top three or so? We're literally not doing anything else but eating so traveling isn't a problem.
And just in case anyone writes you for LA pizza advice, here's how it looks:
1. Mozza 2. Vito's on La Cienaga 3. Joe's of Bleeker in Santa Monica 4. Village Pizzeria on Larchmont 5. Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock
That said, I'm going back to Bianco after I get back from NYC because it is the best place on the earth.
Thanks in advance, and I love the blog even I get left hanging.
—Lance
-----------------
Dear Lance,
Shit. I never put up yr Bianco review. Crap. There was no good reason that I didn't. It was awesome. I'm really getting stretched thin lately and dropping a lot of things. I'm gonna go look for it in the inbox and get that going. Look for it on Slice later today.
Here are my recs for you. I'm hoping anyone else reading this will chime in, too.
Friday: Dinner at Babbo
Awesome. I haven't yet been myself, but almost every damn person I know reports that the best meal they've ever had has been from Babbo.
Saturday: NEED PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST AND/OR LUNCH. Una Pizza Napoletana for dinner (have to go for the kinship with Bianco, the master)
I don't know what you'd do for breakfast pizza. No decent pizzeria I know of is open for the morning meal. Maybe try saving a leftover slice or two from whatever you did the day before. Try to get a slice at Artichoke for lunch. The line is long, though. 328 East 14th Street, New York NY 10003 (East Village); All Slice intel on Artichoke Basille's
Better yet, scratch Artichoke. Get a lunch pizza at Totonno's in Coney Island. There are two Totonno's in Manhattan, but they're not as good. And you can get a feel for what Coney Island is/was like. It's torn to hell now by the asshats known as Thor Equities, who bought up a bunch of amusements there and boarded them up only to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with them ... but you'll get an idea of what it was once like. And you can still ride the Cyclone. Totonno's, 1524 Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11224; All Slice intel on Totonno's
Sunday: NEED PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST AND/OR LUNCH. Dinner at Luger's
Franny's. It opens at noon. Great pizza. Get the clam pie there, if they have clams. Also other good house-made meats (salumi/charcuterie/whatever) on the menu. The pizzas are small, so you and yr squeeze can get 2 to 3 pies and share, depending on appetite. 295 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217; take Q train to 7th Avenue Station; All Slice intel on Franny's
Monday: Lunch at Jean-Georges. NEED A PIZZA TO END ON; flying out of Newark
Depending on what time you leave, try hitting up Lucali's in Carroll Gardens. It opens around 6 p.m. Maybe you can eat there and still make your flight. If not, you could always roll the dice and try Patsy's in East Harlem. They've been slipping lately in my opinion, but our man DJ Bubbles says it's still the best in the city, if you get a fresh mozzarella pie. (The regular mozzarella pies are too loaded with cheese and get soggy.) Lucali's, 575 Henry Street, Brooklyn NY 11231; All Slice intel on Lucali's. Patsy's, 2287 First Avenue, New York NY 10035
I'm in Midtown, so that might be a problem. Brooklyn seems to own. I am thinking Di Fara for sure, but I'm mixed up on the rest. Can you just give me your top 3 or so? We're literally not doing anything else but eating so traveling isn't a problem.
My top three are covered above, in no particular order:
Di Fara
Lucali's
UPN
Franny's
Totonno's
Hope that helps. And we'll see if the pizzaheads out there can come to your aid as well.
I'll be in NYC from June 13-26... a few of these were already on my pizza itinerary and it looks like there's a couple I should add. Thanks for the post, and for me, quite timely.
Babbo may not be the best meal I've ever had, but it is damn good. I heartily recommend ordering the following...
Appetizers: lamb's tongue vinaigrette, grilled octopus, warm tripe, crispy pig's foot, any salumi plate
Pastas: goose liver ravioli, chianti-stained pappardelle, gnocchi with oxtail ragu, mint love letters
Mains: Sweetbreads
For pizza, be aware that Artichoke has extremely strange hours. Often they are not open for weekend lunch. I believe at some point Otto was open for breakfast. Not sure if they still are.
But Otto is a solid "skip" on pizza. Lance's tastes are impeccable. It would be recommendable for a breakfast pizza only because no other top-end places are open.
As a New Yorker living in Los Angeles, I cannot recommend the slices at Village Pizzeria on Larchmont.
Unlike NY pizzerias, they don't cook their pies all the way through. Instead, they pull them out still pale and partially cooked, until you order a slice, at which point they heat it for about 10 minutes to finish cooking it.
In my experience, this results in a slice that is scalding hot yet still tastes underdone.
I think you'd do OK if you ordered a whole pie from them, from scratch, but avoid the slices.
Gotta ask for well done at Village and you gotta get a pie, as you said Shred. Should have mentioned that. Village is also fairly inconsistent, but LA pizza is LA pizza. We take what we can get. I've done literally 60-something different places including 30 in the last year and it's tough finding quality. What are your big guns? Maybe there's that diamond I've missed.
Thanks, Kathryn. With Adam's recs and your Babbo rundown, it's going to be an amazing weekend.
I've created a map for myself consisting of a mix of places that have been very strongly recommended to me as well as a few that have some historical significance. Many of the frequently-mentioned places on this site are also on the map. I'll be happy if I get to half of these places on my trip.
Just found your site and love it. Im from Coney Island, living in New Orleans, definitely not a pie town. We're doing a formal Piza Tour here and have hit 4 places so far, none too good so far. Ill post my write ups in the future if you'll have them. My input to this post would be L& B. Im glad to see that it is somewhat revered/ respected here because to me its my number one. Sicillian only of course. There used to be a place under the Kings Highway D train station that had PErfect Sicillians, more traditional than LB but awesome. Thick with a perfect three level crust. Decent sauce and cheese. ANyone remember this place? Its been 20 years. Grew up on Roccos Brighton beach which Im sure doesnt rate now but it did back then.
I cannot believe that no one has mentioned Del Mar pizza in Sheepshead Bay. The flavor of that pizza is so old time Brooklyn. It tastes like pizza did when you ate it before seeing a movie at the Avalon or Kingsway. Maybe I should keep quiet. Next they'll be an hour wait like Di Fara's. (which incidentally was my Midwood H.S. pizza place that I ate at every day- which I'm sorry to say-sorry Angelo is not as good as Del Mar)
I live in Dallas now and brought my daughters to Del Mar. They were freaking out over it!Shelley Finkelstein
i believe the pizza place slicy;s talking about in bklyn under the station was Armondo's. Note- those were never capers on that pizza-if you get my drift. not the cleanest pizza place-lol the other good pizza on the highway (that what we used to call it) was bella donna's. my sisters favorite.now you don't have to rack your brain like i do every day remembering something.-shelley
Dont know what you call the difference in the LB sicillian and the more trad. thicker one, but there used to be a place by EJ korvettes shopping center. I believe it was Bay Pizza. They had the thinner, cheese on bottom Rectangular pies. So light and crispy with just a slight layer of breadyness.
Armondos! Yes. You are right Shelly, it was definitely a late, late night place and we did smoke a lot of weed back then although I dont remember any extra seasonings on the pie.
I still tell the story about the time I went in and like any serious eater, I asked for a particular slice of the pie.
The guy looked right at me with a straight face and said NO! Im like, NO?After a few seconds of staredown, I said, Why not? He waited a few more seconds, smiled and said, I got a better one for you! He did and it was a perfect square slice.
@Lance: thanks! Note that I know folks who go crazy over the duck, lamb chop, and ribeye at Babbo, but I haven't personally verified the deliciousness.
@Lance: I can't say I've tasted as far and as wide as you have, but I too have been on a quest for a great LA pizza. Mozza and Vito's are definitely high on my list.
Joe's in Santa Monica isn't bad but it's a bit too far for me to drive to on a whim. And it's nowhere near as good as the actual Joe's of Bleecker (or Joe's in Park Slope, or the original Joe's when they were on the corner of Bleecker & Carmine, which is the best of all possible Joe's!)
Definitely check out the pizzas at Bloom (go2bloom.com). I like the "lamb sausage & sweet peppers" and the "rosemary comte cheese and potato." Or if you want something more traditional, start with the plain (sauce/mozz/basil) and build from there.
For those times I don't want to wait for a spot at the bar at Mozza but want something similar, my fallbacks are Terroni on Beverly, Cube on La Brea (their whole menu is spectacular, but they're a little generous with the salt) and Little Dom's on Hillhurst.
I have yet to try Casa Bianca. Thanks for reminding me about it!
Oh - and if you do make it to Otto (and you really should) be sure to order the Sardinian Iced Tea and the Olive Oil Gelato. Both are worth going out of your way for.
I'm a novice when it comes to NY pizza, moving here a year ago, but I'll throw out Nick's Pizza in Forest Hills (Queens). It's a bit of a trek from Midtown, but is one of my favorite pies thus far.
Obviously pizza brings out the passions and the opinions of people everywhere.its good to see LA pizza fanatics exist,too...but...as far as Larchmont pizza...ugh...definitely lacking in the crust...Iwas at Joe's ofCarmine st yesterday and had a fantastic fresh mozz pie with a couple friends...as good as any i ever had in NY...all that was missing was the sound of pounding jackhammers and basketballs from the 4th st courts to make me feel more at home...full review coming...Casa bianca in eagle rock? fuhgheddaboutit...there was a disgusting slimy glaze of some kind on the pizza, not to mention the bizarre slicing technique that completely turned me off..just dont see what the attraction is here....ciao
Casa Bianca is strictly about the sausage. If you don't like it, don't bother. A lot of friends agree with you, but a lot of others like Jonathan Gold really dig Casa. I'm in the middle, but since there's not a lot of quality pizza in LA, I've grown to like it. I drive a half hour to Joe's every three weeks or so I can appreciate your love for it, but I personally don't think it stacks up against the best from other major cities. Also, the pies are always better than the slices.
People can grow to like anything...definitely pies over slices at Joe's or just about anywhere...maybe not DiFara's or Patsy's but that pie was perfect.I went to casa bianca after reading about it in Gold'd Weekly column but it was a major disappointment..just my opinion...now im starting to salivate, may have to try Vito's on La Cienega...been hearing about it lately.
Vito's is actually pretty good, I put it almost on par with Joe's. They have a white pie with pesto that's amazing. Sauce is a little bland, but the rest of it's pretty good. Of course, it helps that they're within walking distance of me.
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21 Comments:
I'll be in NYC from June 13-26... a few of these were already on my pizza itinerary and it looks like there's a couple I should add. Thanks for the post, and for me, quite timely.
s4xton at 10:36AM on 06/11/08
Babbo may not be the best meal I've ever had, but it is damn good. I heartily recommend ordering the following...
Appetizers: lamb's tongue vinaigrette, grilled octopus, warm tripe, crispy pig's foot, any salumi plate
Pastas: goose liver ravioli, chianti-stained pappardelle, gnocchi with oxtail ragu, mint love letters
Mains: Sweetbreads
For pizza, be aware that Artichoke has extremely strange hours. Often they are not open for weekend lunch. I believe at some point Otto was open for breakfast. Not sure if they still are.
kathryn at 12:29PM on 06/11/08
But Otto is a solid "skip" on pizza. Lance's tastes are impeccable. It would be recommendable for a breakfast pizza only because no other top-end places are open.
Adam Kuban at 12:33PM on 06/11/08
My thoughts exactly.
kathryn at 1:14PM on 06/11/08
Thanks, Kathryn. Your thoughts are always awesome.
Adam Kuban at 1:24PM on 06/11/08
As a New Yorker living in Los Angeles, I cannot recommend the slices at Village Pizzeria on Larchmont.
Unlike NY pizzerias, they don't cook their pies all the way through. Instead, they pull them out still pale and partially cooked, until you order a slice, at which point they heat it for about 10 minutes to finish cooking it.
In my experience, this results in a slice that is scalding hot yet still tastes underdone.
I think you'd do OK if you ordered a whole pie from them, from scratch, but avoid the slices.
shred at 7:13PM on 06/11/08
Gotta ask for well done at Village and you gotta get a pie, as you said Shred. Should have mentioned that. Village is also fairly inconsistent, but LA pizza is LA pizza. We take what we can get. I've done literally 60-something different places including 30 in the last year and it's tough finding quality. What are your big guns? Maybe there's that diamond I've missed.
Thanks, Kathryn. With Adam's recs and your Babbo rundown, it's going to be an amazing weekend.
Lance Roberts at 1:14AM on 06/12/08
I've created a map for myself consisting of a mix of places that have been very strongly recommended to me as well as a few that have some historical significance. Many of the frequently-mentioned places on this site are also on the map. I'll be happy if I get to half of these places on my trip.
s4xton at 8:32AM on 06/12/08
My bad... the link should be http://tinyurl.com/63kbue.
(Editor, feel free to fix the previous comment if it makes more sense.)
s4xton at 8:40AM on 06/12/08
Just found your site and love it. Im from Coney Island, living in New Orleans, definitely not a pie town. We're doing a formal Piza Tour here and have hit 4 places so far, none too good so far. Ill post my write ups in the future if you'll have them. My input to this post would be L& B. Im glad to see that it is somewhat revered/ respected here because to me its my number one. Sicillian only of course. There used to be a place under the Kings Highway D train station that had PErfect Sicillians, more traditional than LB but awesome. Thick with a perfect three level crust. Decent sauce and cheese. ANyone remember this place? Its been 20 years. Grew up on Roccos Brighton beach which Im sure doesnt rate now but it did back then.
Slicey at 11:41AM on 06/12/08
I cannot believe that no one has mentioned Del Mar pizza in Sheepshead Bay. The flavor of that pizza is so old time Brooklyn. It tastes like pizza did when you ate it before seeing a movie at the Avalon or Kingsway. Maybe I should keep quiet. Next they'll be an hour wait like Di Fara's. (which incidentally was my Midwood H.S. pizza place that I ate at every day- which I'm sorry to say-sorry Angelo is not as good as Del Mar)
I live in Dallas now and brought my daughters to Del Mar. They were freaking out over it!Shelley Finkelstein
shelleyb at 11:45AM on 06/12/08
i believe the pizza place slicy;s talking about in bklyn under the station was Armondo's. Note- those were never capers on that pizza-if you get my drift. not the cleanest pizza place-lol the other good pizza on the highway (that what we used to call it) was bella donna's. my sisters favorite.now you don't have to rack your brain like i do every day remembering something.-shelley
shelleyb at 12:00PM on 06/12/08
Dont know what you call the difference in the LB sicillian and the more trad. thicker one, but there used to be a place by EJ korvettes shopping center. I believe it was Bay Pizza. They had the thinner, cheese on bottom Rectangular pies. So light and crispy with just a slight layer of breadyness.
Slicey at 12:04PM on 06/12/08
Armondos! Yes. You are right Shelly, it was definitely a late, late night place and we did smoke a lot of weed back then although I dont remember any extra seasonings on the pie.
I still tell the story about the time I went in and like any serious eater, I asked for a particular slice of the pie.
The guy looked right at me with a straight face and said NO! Im like, NO?After a few seconds of staredown, I said, Why not? He waited a few more seconds, smiled and said, I got a better one for you! He did and it was a perfect square slice.
Slicey at 12:20PM on 06/12/08
@Lance: thanks! Note that I know folks who go crazy over the duck, lamb chop, and ribeye at Babbo, but I haven't personally verified the deliciousness.
kathryn at 1:03PM on 06/12/08
@Lance: I can't say I've tasted as far and as wide as you have, but I too have been on a quest for a great LA pizza. Mozza and Vito's are definitely high on my list.
Joe's in Santa Monica isn't bad but it's a bit too far for me to drive to on a whim. And it's nowhere near as good as the actual Joe's of Bleecker (or Joe's in Park Slope, or the original Joe's when they were on the corner of Bleecker & Carmine, which is the best of all possible Joe's!)
Definitely check out the pizzas at Bloom (go2bloom.com). I like the "lamb sausage & sweet peppers" and the "rosemary comte cheese and potato." Or if you want something more traditional, start with the plain (sauce/mozz/basil) and build from there.
For those times I don't want to wait for a spot at the bar at Mozza but want something similar, my fallbacks are Terroni on Beverly, Cube on La Brea (their whole menu is spectacular, but they're a little generous with the salt) and Little Dom's on Hillhurst.
I have yet to try Casa Bianca. Thanks for reminding me about it!
Oh - and if you do make it to Otto (and you really should) be sure to order the Sardinian Iced Tea and the Olive Oil Gelato. Both are worth going out of your way for.
shred at 7:35PM on 06/12/08
I'm a novice when it comes to NY pizza, moving here a year ago, but I'll throw out Nick's Pizza in Forest Hills (Queens). It's a bit of a trek from Midtown, but is one of my favorite pies thus far.
phillipjman at 8:48PM on 06/12/08
Obviously pizza brings out the passions and the opinions of people everywhere.its good to see LA pizza fanatics exist,too...but...as far as Larchmont pizza...ugh...definitely lacking in the crust...Iwas at Joe's ofCarmine st yesterday and had a fantastic fresh mozz pie with a couple friends...as good as any i ever had in NY...all that was missing was the sound of pounding jackhammers and basketballs from the 4th st courts to make me feel more at home...full review coming...Casa bianca in eagle rock? fuhgheddaboutit...there was a disgusting slimy glaze of some kind on the pizza, not to mention the bizarre slicing technique that completely turned me off..just dont see what the attraction is here....ciao
L.A. Pizza Maven at 11:12AM on 06/13/08
Casa Bianca is strictly about the sausage. If you don't like it, don't bother. A lot of friends agree with you, but a lot of others like Jonathan Gold really dig Casa. I'm in the middle, but since there's not a lot of quality pizza in LA, I've grown to like it. I drive a half hour to Joe's every three weeks or so I can appreciate your love for it, but I personally don't think it stacks up against the best from other major cities. Also, the pies are always better than the slices.
Lance Roberts at 1:24PM on 06/13/08
People can grow to like anything...definitely pies over slices at Joe's or just about anywhere...maybe not DiFara's or Patsy's but that pie was perfect.I went to casa bianca after reading about it in Gold'd Weekly column but it was a major disappointment..just my opinion...now im starting to salivate, may have to try Vito's on La Cienega...been hearing about it lately.
L.A. Pizza Maven at 1:52PM on 06/13/08
Vito's is actually pretty good, I put it almost on par with Joe's. They have a white pie with pesto that's amazing. Sauce is a little bland, but the rest of it's pretty good. Of course, it helps that they're within walking distance of me.
Lance Roberts at 7:14PM on 06/13/08