Posted by Adam Kuban, February 10, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Almost every time I'm on Staten Island, I pop into Nunzio's for a slice. And while I wait for the quick reheat I always stare at the photo above. It's from when Nunzio's was in SI's South Beach neighborhood, before it moved to Grant City, along Hylan Boulevard.
Oh, Pizza Hut, you finally have the answer to every girl's proposal fantasy! Check out this deal. Not only do you get a RUBY ring, limo, fireworks, flowers, a videographer and photographer to capture the magic, but you also get the NEW Pizza Hut Dinner Box, all for just $10,000. Wait, sorry, that actually doesn't include the Dinner Box. That'll be $10 extra. But if that doesn't say "Baby, let's do this thing!" then I don't know what does.
The fine print is the best part on this thing. Only 10 available—VERY exclusive. Must be purchased by 2/14/12, but you can get a full refund if not used by 3/31/12. Did someone say AmEX points? And only one per customer; polygamist need not apply.
About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.
Earlier this week there was a new product release from the British department store Marks & Spencer: Toaster Pizza! When I first saw the announcement, it seemed worthy of a mention; finally a product that would solve pizza's lack of toaster compatibility. The heat resistant sleeve protects the pizza and the heating elements. Just how many lubricated minds have attempted to revitalize cold pizza in a toaster without this? The sideways toaster method seems like a reasonable solution.
Posted by David Kover, February 9, 2012 at 9:00 AM
[Photographs: David Kover]
Rotten City Pizza
6613 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 (map); 510-655-CITY; rottencitypizza.com Pizza style: New York Oven type: Gas The skinny: These pies have potential, but were undone on our visit by a crust that went soggy Price: Pies, $22-$27
For most San Franciscans, Emeryville is known as the local home of IKEA, or possibly as the headquarters of Pixar. Well, purchasers of laminate furniture—and probably Buzz Lightyear too—need sustenance. While IKEA does serve pizza, we found ourselves more motivated to check out the offerings at Rotten City Pizza. Not just because it seemed a more likely option for a slice that would satisfy, but also because local mobile pizza entrepreneur Casey Crynes credits Rotten City as playing a small role in the development of his pizza skills.
Rotten City Pizza actually sits a couple miles away from IKEA and the mallscape that surrounds it, in a rather quieter part of town. As the traditional gas deck ovens behind the counter and the Times Square subway sign above the entrance indicate, they specialize in slices of New York-style pizza. You can get a whole pie, but plan to take it out. The restaurant has no tables, only a narrow counter along the wall that's too shallow to comfortably support a whole pizza box (we tried). The kitchen space, where Crynes worked a few shifts in order to refine his dough-stretching technique, takes up more than half the restaurant space.
Note: For the four weeks between January 14th and February 11th, I'm adopting a completely vegan lifestyle. Every weekday I'll be updating my progress with a diary entry and a recipe. For past posts, check here!
Paulie Gee's Red White and Greenpeace. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
Days 25: Tuesday
Breakfast: Tostada with beans and avocado. Lunch: Spinach, potato, and caper empanada, black beans and rice. Dinner: A few vegan pies at Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint.
In my Vegan Experience entry from a couple days ago, I drew a conceptual map charting my cravings. Along the bottom axis was how badly I wanted to eat something, and along the left axis was how meaty that thing was. In the far bottom right corner, at maximum crave and minimum meatiness level was one single word: pizza.
The word means many things to many people, but for most of us, the very first thing that comes to mind is a round disk of flat bread, baked at very high temperatures so that it achieves a crisp, lightly charred outer crust and a soft, pillowy, pliant crumb, topped with a sauce of minimally seasoned crushed tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and perhaps a bit of basil.
But the real question: can vegans still enjoy great pizza?
691 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (map); 718-499-5052 Pizza Style: Charred, thin crust New York pizza, whole pies only, top shelf ingredients. The Skinny: Like his brother Mark (owner of Lucali), Chris Iacono uses a gas- and wood-fired oven to produce thin crust New York-style pizzas with a Di Fara-inspired blend of three cheeses and impeccable toppings, all in a warm and romantic ambiance. Price: Plain pie, $22; toppings $3 each except artichoke topping is $8; garlic and basil, free.
Notes: Dinner only. Closed Tuesdays. Beer and wine. Cash only.
I knew Chris Iacono could make good pizza. Before opening his own place last year, he made pies for about three years at his brother Mark's excellent pizza restaurant, Lucali. But as I headed for the first time to Giuseppina's, the place he opened last year at the corner of 20th Street and 6th Avenue in Brooklyn, I wondered how Giuseppina's would compare. Specifically, would Chris's dough and brick oven achieve the same level of thin, chewy-crunchy brilliance? (Yes.) Would the sauce be the same? (Yes.) Would Giussepina's, like Lucali, provide a candlelit experience worthy of date night?(Yes.)
With Lucali as small and busy as it usually is, Giuseppina's presents an excellent option for easier access to this brick-oven buffalo mozz version of New York pie—especially if you live in Park Slope or Sunset Park. Giuseppina's, in fact, (sort of) takes reservations. They suggest calling the same day, at 5 pm. When I called prior to going, they happily offered to hold a table for eight at 6 pm on a Saturday.
Those plugged into the pizza blog scene may already know Michael Berman from his own project, Pizzacentric. Now let's see what makes this pizza-loving man tick. —MS
It depends. For a benchmark, I like to try plain tomato and mozzarella, and I usually prefer the quality of fresh mozzarella to that of low-moisture mozzarella. But plenty of places have toppings or combinations that stand out above and beyond plain.
The Pizza Cognition Theory states that "the first slice of pizza a child sees and tastes ... becomes, for him, pizza." Do you remember your first slice? Where was it from, is the place still around, and if so, does it hold up? On that note, has your taste in pizza evolved over time?
I don't remember my first slice. But growing up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, there were two pizzerias that I had often: Pizza Oven, in Rockville; and the Pines of Rome, in Bethesda. I'm pretty sure Pizza Oven is gone (they made rectangular pies with thin crust and elevated edges), but the Pines of Rome is still there—and still making great pizza, I should add. (If you go to the Pines of Rome, try both the red and the white pizzas.)
