Entries tagged with 'Nolita'
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 3, 2009 at 7:00 AM
Hot off his GQ Top 25 Pizza List, Alan Richman (right) takes on a few recently opened NYC pizzerias—Tonda (East Village), Ignazio's (DUMBO), and Emporio (Nolita). Let's take them in order.
On Tonda:
The toppings here are overly ambitious yet flavorsome, but the crusts are flabby, tasteless, barely charred, and lacking the puffy outside ring that is reminiscent of a true Naples pie. My favorite menu item by far was the arancini, listed under “Neapolitan Street Food” but as far as I know found just about everywhere in Italy. These little rice balls were wonderfully crunchy, the only item we tried that came to the table crisp.
Ouch. But when it comes to Ignazio's, it gets worse. To say Richman doesn't like the joint is an understatement. On Ignazio's:
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 6, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Photograph from "Boppadopoulos" on Flickr
New York magazine gives a rundown on where to get clam pizza in New York City:
- Franny's: 295 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 (b/n Prospect and St. Marks; map); 718-230-0221; frannysbrooklyn.com
- Bussaco: 833 Union Street, Brooklyn NY 11217 (near Seventh Avenue; map); 718-857-8828
- Lombardi's: 32 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 (near Mott Street; map); 212-941-7994; firstpizza.com
- Otto: 1 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10003 (corner of 8th Street; map); 212-995-9559; ottopizzeria.com
- Fornino: 187 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (at North 7th Street; map); 718-384-6004
- South Brooklyn Pizza: 451 Court Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (near 4th Place; map); 718-852-6018
I can't vouch for all of these. I like Lombardi's clam pie and Franny's (uh-may-zing). I'm not big on Otto's or Fornino's because they do that annoying still-in-the-shell-while-topping-your-pie thing. (That's Otto's pie above.) Based on what I've had at South Brooklyn, I'd skip the clam pie—when I've had it, their regular pie has had a tough, too-crunchy crust.
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 30, 2008 at 11:00 AM
If you're not into the habit of picking up the Onion satirical newspaper, here's a reason next week. From an email we just got from the folks at L'Asso:
The L'asso Pizza Guide—the definitive guide to pizza—will be carried as a NYC Onion insert (10/9/2008). The guide is a humorous and informational guide to pizza—from its humble beginnings in ancient times to its current incarnation as one of the world's favorite foods. It's been a year in the making!
The one-of-a-kind guide chews on the anthropological aspects of pizza (Are you a dutiful dabber, a hi-fi folder, or a spicy sprinkler?), pizza's storied history (like its link to Rome's leader of women's lib), and the ABC's of all things pizza (from the world's furthest pizza delivery to the most popular toppings in Japan). Plus, just like the slices it pays homage to, this hand-held reference is easy to digest and carry.
Silly us, and we thought that Slice was the definitive guide to pizza.
It'll be interesting to see what's in the L'Asso guide and how much of it Slice readers have already digested in the five years that Slice has been chewing on the anthropological aspects of pizza—from the "fold hold" to "tip sag" to the "pizza upskirt." Hmmph.
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 25, 2007 at 4:32 PM
It's been awhile since Slice has waded into the plaintive muck of Craigslist's Missed Connections section. So come with me, my loves, to the swamp of love that spawns That's Amore. —The Mgmt.
At New Park Pizza on CrossBay Blvd today with your friend - m4w: If this work's I'll not only be really happy but amazed! At New Park Pizza on Cross Bay Blvd in Howard Beach Queens this afternoon. You are light skinned and you were sitting with your girlfriend who was darker. You were wearing what I think I remember was a pink Tee shirt with something written on it. You had a small white box in front of you on the table that you were sitting at and you were looking at the content and smiling. You are beautiful with an amazing smile and although I should have talked to you I was in kind of a rush and didn't want to embarrass you in front of your friend and I still regret it. Tell me what you had in the box and I'll know it's you. I hope this work's because I would hate to think I will never see you again.
pizza parlor- waverly place - m4w (West Village): you were sitting at the table adjacent to me. I commented to you about the oily pizza. You had an incredible smile. Please contact me.
To My Dream "ozzie"...The One of Three - m4w - 29 (East Village): As the bar was closing, we shared a simple kiss...I said "see you at the pizza place" yet you weren't there...If you're out there, I wouldn't mind a quick snog before you head back to Oz...And yes, there will be power ballad singing...
How was that Lombardi's pizza? Saturday night on the 6. - m4w (Murray Hill): Saturday night: you bought a pizza at Lombardi's, then headed back uptown on the IRT [that's the 6] from Spring to 33rd, clad in brown boots and other earth tones, and carrying a tote with three initials. 'bout 10:00 PM or so. My route was the same. Sans pizza and boots, tho -- white cords, cutoff linen shirt, black glasses, unshaven. Coulda shoulda. But didn't! So write me a note and we can correspond while I'm away in France for a week or two.
Bella Napoli Madison Ave - 30: Tall Asian women in Chloe jeans ordering pizza in front of me. Really hot. Would like to meet you.
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 9, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Reader comment and response is still pouring in thanks to yesterday's New York Times story. So many great comments and recommendations. And questions. Reaching into the proverbial mailbag, we have ...
Dear Slice,
Do you know of any good late night or 24 hour pizza places in NYC?
—Bilal
Dear Bilal,
Slice is a homebody, more prone to lying prone on the couch at night, remote in hand, watching Battlestar Galactica. But our favorite late-night (if not 24-hour) place is Vinny Vincenz. Great squares here. Sunday through Thursday till 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday till 4:30 a.m.
Late enough for you?
And, as always, readers, if you know of any good 24-hour or late-night pizzerias, chime in with your comments!
Hasta la pizza,
Adam
VINNY VINCENZ
Address: 231 First Ave., New York NY 10003 [East Village, b/n 13th/14th sts.; map]
Getting There: L train to First Ave. Vincenz is practically on the corner
Phone: 212-674-0707
URL: vinnyvincenz.com
Posted by DJ Bubbles, October 19, 2006 at 10:05 AM
An interesting item hit the Slice inbox yesterday.
OK guys, put this in your pie and smoke it!
A couple of caveats: The list isn't quite as definitive as it claims to be, as it is missing any critical analysis of Staten Island, Queens, and Bronx joints. When you guys post this on the site (front page, please), perhaps you may want to refer to it as "The Definitive Manhattan and Brooklyn Top 10 List." We've all been to these places enough times to know what's going on and who's coming with their A game and who isn't.
Seltzerboy, as a fellow SU alum, I tried to get in touch with you when I first moved to New York, and I also furnished you with a copy of the Syracuse Pizza Manifesto, another masterwork I coauthored. But to no avail, I never really heard back from you other than a weak Orangeman shout out. We'll take you choads in a pie-off any day of the week! Now, without further ado....
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 31, 2006 at 2:18 PM
In yesterday's New York Times F.Y.I. column, the question was raised: Where was the first Ray's Pizza, and what's the story behind it?
A. Why don’t you ask something simple, like what happened to Judge Crater? Some New York culinary questions (just who invented the black-and-white cookie is another) are destined to remain shrouded in mystery. The evolution of Ray’s Pizza resists an easy explanation....
The Ray’s question is also bristling with lawyers. Rosolino Mangano, of Famous Original Ray’s Pizza on Columbus Avenue near 83rd Street, went to court in the early 1990’s, registered that name and branched out with many identically named Ray’s, run mostly by relatives, with others under license. Then there was Ralph Cuomo, who in 1959 opened a Ray’s Pizza at 27 Prince Street and then another one on First Avenue and 59th Street; the second location ended up in Mr. Mangano’ s hands. Other would-be Rays said they had a right to their versions. Some joined forces; some sued. You get the idea.
Slice suspected as much, from the research we've done on the topic, that's why you've never seen an in-depth investigative piece on the place on this website. I mean, if the might and muscle of the Gray Lady couldn't uncover the truth, we're afraid the Ray's question will forever remain a greasy mystery.
FURTHER READING
From A Full Belly, March 18, 2004:
Food Wars claims that there are at least 3,000 pizzerias in New York, and at least 30 of them use some form of “Ray’s” in their name including but not limited to Ray’s, Ray’s Pizza, Famous Original Ray’s Pizza, Ray’s Famous Original Pizza, World Famous Ray’s Pizza, Not Ray’s Pizza, and RayBari Pizza. A quick poll of Citysearch finds 2788 results on “pizza” and 45 results on “Ray’s pizza”. The thing is, there is no Ray.
Using his mom’s pizza recipt, Ralph Cuomo opened Ray’s in 1959 in Little Italy, which quickly became known as the place to buy the slice (and later, the place to buy a slice AND some heroin, but curiously enough Food Wars fails to mention this bit of trivia). In the early 60’s, Cuomo opened a second Ray’s (54th and 7th Ave), which was eventually bought by Rosolino Mangano. Mangano changed the name to Famous Original Ray’s, even though it wasn’t the original. Mangano now goes by the name “Ray” even though legal name is still Rosolino, and has opened Famous Original’s all over New York City. Mangano also claims that he is the “Ray” that has made the name "Ray’s" famous.
In 1981, Mangano sold a store to someone else, who continued using the name “Ray’s” and soon more “Ray’s” pizzeria variations began popping up. Ralph Cuomo then attempted to trademark the name "Ray’s." The three "Ray’s" pizza players eventually incorporated together, trademarked the name Ray’s, and then went after everyone else using the name.
But wait, there’s more! Joe Bari bought a “Ray’s Restaurant” in 1973 and turned it into a pizzeria and added his own name, Ray Bari Pizza. Bari believes he, not Mangano of Famous Original Ray’s, made the name famous by using cab drivers to spread to word about the pizzeria. Joe Bari refused to change the name, and was sued by the corporate Ray’s, and eventually changed his restaurant name to RayBari Pizza.
And there you have a small slice of the contentious history behind New York pizza.
You Can Call Them Ray [New York Times]
New York Pizza, Part 1 [A Full Belly]
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 4, 2006 at 4:41 PM
Heath Ledger. 3/29/2006. Lombardi’s Pizza. 32 Spring St. 8pm. Sat down with 2 friends, in the booth right next to me. No Michelle and baby Matilda. Ordered a sausage pizza. Looks like he likes the sausage, not just in the movies. (I’m sorry, bad joke).
[
Gawker Stalker]
Posted by Ed Levine, February 16, 2006 at 8:43 AM
Here's the American Pizzeria Timeline, which includes only two non–Pizza Belt entries, Tommaso's and Uno's:
1905: Lombardi's, on Spring Street in New York City, is granted the nation's first license to sell pizza.
1910: Joe's Tomato Pies opens in the Trenton, New Jersey, Chambersburg neighborhood.
1912: Papa's Tomato Pies in Trenton opened by Papa, who learned his trade at Joe's.
1924: Anthony (Totonno) Pero leaves Lombardi's and opens Totonno's in Coney Island, New York.
1925: Frank Pepe opens on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 10, 2005 at 11:02 AM
Get thee to Lombardi's.
(Doesn't quite have the ring of a nunnery, but what are you going to do?)
Slice predicts lines to rival those of any major religious pilgrimage when Lombardi's throws open its doors on the 5¢ pie deal today.
Looks like Lombardi's is predicting the same thing. And Gothamist editor Jen Chung provides the photographic evidence via her Flickr photo stream.
Anyone else in the neighborhood today is encouraged to send Slice shots of the line or your feast, should you brave that line.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 20, 2005 at 8:42 AM
The New York Post comes through with a story on the Lombardi's centennial, giving a rundown on the place's 100-year (give or take) history. Lombardi's is, as many of our longtime readers know, the first licensed pizzeria in the United States—it got its pizza creds in 1905 when Gennaro Lombardi opened it up the street from its current location. To find out why it moved and read more about the history, click through to the story [A Pizza Party]. I'm out the door for work and don't have time to digest it for you.
What I want you to take from this entry, however, is this: November 10. 5¢ pies. To mimic the cost of a pizza in 1905. Not even Wal-Mart rolls prices back that far.
A Pizza Party, New York Post; photograph by Lockhart Steele
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 15, 2004 at 8:31 PM
The incomparable Lockhart Steele, oh he of Curbed fame, e-mailed Slice this evening with a report that Lombardi's is taking over and expanding into the space that used to house the Nolita Lounge. He was also kind enough to send us a couple photos of the work in progress (above and below), complete with "new banners (sample: ZAGAT SURVEY "BEST PIZZA ON THE PLANET")."
Thanks, Mr. Steele.
Seltzerboy on Lombardi's.
LOMBARDI'S
Location: 32 Spring Street, Manhattan NY 10012
Phone: 212-941-7994
Payment accepted: Cash, checks
Posted by seltzerboy, June 21, 2004 at 6:00 AM
Old Friends, Old Pizza
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.
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LOMBARDI'S
Location: 32 Spring Street, Manhattan NY 10012
Phone: 212-941-7994
Payment accepted: Cash, checks
FURTHER READING
New York Pizza, The Real Thing, Makes A Comeback
Chowhound on Lombardi's: here and here.
What folks on eGullet are saying about Lombardi's.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 28, 2003 at 6:21 PM
Low Culture gets a fake scoop, posting a fake interview with News Corp scion Lachlan Murdoch. In it, Rupert's son and the third-most-powerful macher at the media giant, raves about a powerful pizza-macher:
Lombardi's pizza is great. We were gonna put in a coal-burning pizza oven, but then my wife—that would be supermodel Sarah O'Hare—reminded me of Lombardi's. Saved me $20,000!
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 22, 2003 at 7:14 PM
Lombardi's gets a quick mention in the October 23–30, 2003 issue of Time Out New York. In that magazine's "It Happened Here!" sectionette, cleverly subhedded "The Life of Pie," Katherine Pushkar writes:
For many New Yorkers, "eating in" actually means take-out Chinese or a large pie. Finding the first lo mein merchant is like eating soup with chopsticks, but pinpointing the first pizza purveyor's spot is a cinch. Genarro Lombardi opened his grocery at 53½ Spring Street in 1897, and by 1905 he'd gotten a restaurant license, giving the city and the nation its first pizza parlor. At some point, the original site lost its fraction and became 53 Spring Street. After Lombardi's moved down the street to No. 32, where Genarro's descendants continue to dole out slices of heaven, it ultimately became a bar, Gatsby's, which serves up paradise of a different sort.
Nice rundown on the city's—and the country's—first pizza parlor, but really: "slices of heaven"? The Slice editorial board doesn't think Lombardi's lives up to its hype. And isn't Time Out the same magazine that pronounced Lombardi's overrated earlier this year?
