Slice by Slice: New York Pizza Suprema
GutterGourmet — May 17, 2010
The Bacon Slice at New York Pizza Suprema in Midtown, and a Bacon Slice upskirt.
Any discerning pizza-lover who has missed a train at Penn knows the deal: Rosa’s will do in a pinch. But if you hurry, the place to grab a slice is New York Pizza Suprema, catty–corner on 8th Avenue where it has been since 1964. Suprema is a bastion of goodness in the pizza wasteland that is Midtown. What’s not often noted is that it can be discussed as a destination too. It’s no stretch to mention it in a conversation about members of New York’s pantheon of Metropolitan slicerias. We’re talking Joe’s, and Patsy’s of Harlem. As Suprema’s website says, “This pizzeria was here before Madison Square Garden.” But it had been a while since we’d visited so it was time for a state of the slice.
AlwaysTraveling: New Haven Pie-by-Pie (New Haven, CT)
Arthur Bovino and Maryse Chevrière — November 12, 2009
Top from left: Frank Pepe’s Medium Shrimp Pie with Red Sauce, Large Plain Pie at Sally’s Apizza, and Modern Apizza’s Medium Italian Bomb.
Frank Pepe’s Yonkers location just recently opened so in honor of New Haven-style pizza coming to New York, we’re sharing our recent experience of trying New Haven’s three most well-known pizzerias on one day during a pizza club outing organized by pizza blogger, Jason Feirman of I Dream of Pizza.
Click for Pictures of New Haven Pizza from Frank Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern >>
Pie-by-Pie: Osteria (Philadelphia, PA)
The Gluttoness — October 28, 2009
Chef Marc Vetri, who had been the 2005 recipient of the James Beard Award for ‘Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic’ with his eponymous restaurant Vetri in Philadelphia, followed his success by partnering with Jeff Benjamin and Jeff Michaud to open Osteria (view), which quickly received its own recognition: 2008 nomination for the James Beard Award for ‘Best New Restaurant.’
We sampled the menu’s breadth, from a bountiful Antipasti with beets and Brussels sprouts, to a phenomenal Stewed Rabbit Casalinga with pancetta-speckled polenta. But it was ‘Le Pizze’ that stood out, and not just to me, Alan Richman’s roundup of America’s 25 Best Pizzas for GQ Magazine put Osteria at #22. The variety of pies dictated the following Pie-by-Pie, and forced us to forgo a Margherita for more complex creations. All pizzas were served piping hot with crisp bottoms, charcoaled edges and aptly seasoned crusts that were exceptional whether topped with tomato sauce or octopus.
AlwaysTraveling: Frank Pepe’s “The Spot” Pie-by-Pie (New Haven, CT)
Arthur Bovino — October 02, 2009
One of the fifty-odd trained pizzaiolos, at his craft at Frank Pepe’s “The Spot” in New Haven.
Restaurant: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (site)
Address: 157 Wooster Street, New Haven, CT 06511 (map)
Hours: Pizzeria Napoletana, Mon-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun 12pm-10pm. The Spot, Mon-Tue closed, Wed-Sat 4pm-10pm, Sun 2pm-8pm.
AlwaysHungry Grade: A
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Clam Pizza, Clam Pizza with Bacon, Tomato Pie, Sausage Pie
You’ve heard the clamor: the line, The Guardian’s declaration that it’s the best place in the world to eat pizza, and claims about them having the world’s best clam pie. The following recent five-pizza pie-by-pie meal is to honor the scheduled November 2nd opening in Yonkers (1955 Central Avenue) of New York’s first Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.
Click here for pictures of Frank Pepe's beautiful "apizzas" at The Spot >>
Pie-by-Pie: La Pizza Fresca
The Hungry Goat — August 05, 2009
With the proliferation of Neapolitan-style pizzerias in New York City, the debate over who serves the most authentic, wood-oven baked pizza is as hotly contested as where to get the best slice. With the buzz around heavy-hitting newcomers like Motorino and Kesté swelling, AlwaysHungryNY.com decided to see if an originator of Neapolitan-style pizza in New York City, La Pizza Fresca (restaurant page), still held its own. Renowned for being the first New York City restaurant to become certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana in 1997, the amount of praise that La Pizza Fresca’s pies has garnered is staggering—most recently including mention in New York Magazine’s Top 20 Pies of the Moment. It makes our negative experience there all the more puzzling.
“La Pizza Fresca” (Tomato Sauce, Bufala Mozzarella, Italian Cherry Tomatoes, Black Olives, Parmigiano Reggiano, & Basil, $18)
The restaurant’s namesake pizza was its best. The sweet, fruity San Marzano tomato sauce starred, acting as a foil to the briny, whole black olives. Slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella added a subtle tang. A meager scattering of cherry tomatoes makes you wonder why they bothered with them at all. Of course, the real draw of a Neapolitan style pizza is the thin crust, and La Pizza Fresca’s limp, chewy base was dangerously close to that of Franny’s, a problem with every pie.
Quattro Formaggi (Bufala Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Fontina & Parmigiano Cheeses, $19)
Billed as featuring bold cheese, their flavors were muted and overshadowed by heavily charred bubbles in the crust. The plump pieces of mozzarella which featured so prominently in the signature La Fresca pie, had melted into obscurity.
Pie-by-Pie: Co.
The Gluttoness & The Hungry Goat — March 24, 2009
Obviously followers of the Pizza Bianca at Sullivan Street Bakery, Jim Lahey’s new pizzeria had the AlwaysHungryNY Council of Eaters eager to try our first pie. Due to the consistently long-lines, we waited until Co. opened for lunch in order to avoid the nighttime madness and slip in for a relaxing afternoon of pizza gluttony. With its modern, industrial aesthetic and boisterous crowd of young-and-old alike, the fun soundtrack set the tone as we were sandwiched between two couples (one of whom was incredibly upset over being charged $54 for 3 glasses of Chardonnay) at the long communal table that runs the length of the restaurant. The special of the day was a “Charcuterie Pie” featuring a sauerkraut base, topped with 3 types of sausage, parmesan, béchamel and spicy mustard. It is important to always note the specials, because when they are well-received, like the Stracciatella, they are added to the daily menu in place of an under-performing pie. Now, to the tasting…
1. Margherita, $13.00 (Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella, Basil)
Grade: B
It seemed mandatory to start off with the basic. The crust was airy, charred around the edges and the bottom, and doughy on the inside. The tomato was subtle and sweet. The sparse rounds of cheese were mild, but flavorful. Unfortunately, both combined to create a serious waterlog in the center of the pie. More salt would have brightened the whole experience.
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