The lower east side strip just below Houston near Allen street has plenty of great bars and night spots. But is there anywhere to get a decent slice to postpone the next morning's hangover?
Pala on Allen Street riffs on Roman-style pizzas sold by the foot and served on pizza peels. The funghi e salsiccia pie ($17) we tried was plenty for two, generously topped with fior di latte and rich fennel-spiked sausage. The pizza was well-salted and had a delicate hit of hot pepper. The woodsy flavor of the mushrooms seeped into the crust, imbuing it with mushroomyness. My only complaint was that the crust will only appeal to bread lovers who want their pizza soft and pillowy. For me, it was too close to doughy.
Eater After Isabella's Oven announced that it would close (but possibly reopen in another location), Curbed brought word that someone there had taken a sledgehammer to the joint following a dispute with the landlord. Now, Eater has pix of the aftermath—and it's not pretty. The space is now utterly unusable as-is—though it looks like at least the foundation of pizza oven is still intact (you can see it in the photo above in the upper right-hand corner). There's probably not much hope in using the location as a pizzeria again, as there was virtually no room for seating inside....
Two pizza-related things of note on Eater as of late. 1.) Today, we find out that Wylie Dufresne's WD-50 serves "pizza pebbles." Some back story, if you're unfamiliar: Dufresne is one of them molecular gastronomist types, which means he does crazy stuff with food—like making pizza pebbles. As described by Adam Roberts, they are "... made by mixing variously powdered pizza components—tomato powder, parmesan powder—with a garlic-infused oil. The resulting pebbles are presented with dried slivers of shitake on a pepperoni emulsion." Roberts has a photo of the things, but the photo ain't so pretty....
Isabella's Oven, 365 Grand Street, New York NY 10002 (near Essex Street; map); 212-529-5206 It's been a while since the Bubbster has had much to say about anything on this fair weblog. I've been astray for some time now, but I've found my way home. Although, I must say, it doesn't feel much like home in recent weeks. Isabella's Oven causing such an uproar on the site because of a recent dip in quality certainly isn't music to my ears. And who wants to respond to comments in CAPS from Jeff B when he suggests that Two Boots is...
Update (1/28/2009): Isabella's Oven Closed Until Further Notice Memo to Jeff B.: DUDE. Chill the frak out. We get the point. You think Isabella's Oven sucks. Did we need the drive-by on every post about the place? That said, you bring up a good point. Here's the deal ......
From left: A Di Fara half-plain, half-artichoke pie; pizza-makers at Franny's; an Isabella's Oven Margherita D.O.C.; Una Pizza Napoletana's marinara pie. Last year around this time Slice/Serious Eats contributed to Pim Techamuanvivit's Menu for Hope charity raffle. Our giveaway was a guided pizza tour for four. Well, the winners—Anthony Kinik and Michelle Marek of Montreal food blog An Endless Banquet—finally made us make good on our prize. (It took them almost a year because they live in Montreal and I secretly think they were waiting for the loonie to beat the dollar before making a trip to the U.S.)...
Update (1/28/2009): Isabella's Oven Closed Until Further Notice Ladies and gents, the always opinionated DJ Bubbles has checked in once again. Because I never know when he's going to strike, I'd been unofficially calling his stunning dispatches "drive-bys." Now I'm formalizing it. Here's the DJ Bubbles Drive-By on Isabella's Oven. It's a must-read, so do click through the jump. —Adam Words by DJ Bubbles | It has been said before that having a great meal can be a transcendent experience. When someone has poured all his soul, energy, and being into something so divine, you can taste it in every...
Update (1/28/2009): Isabella's Oven Closed Until Further Notice photographs courtesy Isabella's Oven I had a truly great pizza in a new pizza place on Saturday, and though I'm not going to tell you that I have seen pizza's future and its name is Isabella's Oven, the way Jon Landau did a zillion years ago when he saw Springsteen live and declared that he had seen rock and roll's future, I will say I had a pie that would easily make a New York City top ten list and maybe a national one as well. Now in New York, when you...
A round-up in New York magazine lists. Stop me if think that you've heard this one before: Solo Pizza Address: 27 Avenue B, New York NY 10009 (East Village, near 3rd Street) Phone: 212-420-7656 Chickie Pig’s Address: 121 Ludlow Street, New York NY 10002 (LES, near Rivington) Phone: 212-254-9972 URL: chickiepigs.com With a name like Chickie Pig's, this place better be damn good. Mosco Pizza Address: 105 1/2 Mosco Street, New York NY 10013 Phone: 212-227-9150 Not for Tourists notes: "Good pizza in New York is pretty run-of-the-mill. You can get it anywhere. Anywhere, that is, except Chinatown. I’m not...
