Sunday Night

It's so nice when food brings families together. And I always think of Sunday nights as being family night. Whether I came kicking and screaming to the dinner table (because I was about to beat Mega Man 3) or I was cooking for my parents, Sunday dinner was always family time.

I still get that feeling whenever I go out to eat in New York on a Sunday night. It's a little quieter at restaurants because many families are at home. And it seems like wait staff and customers are still relaxed from the weekend and trying to get ready for the long work week ahead. It's a comfortable night to relax and enjoy.

And so it was on a Sunday night that I went to Angelo's. The two-story 57th Street location had a steady business of tourists and local families, but there was still that mellow calmness in the air (a little too mellow with some of the service I received). And since I was alone and it was Sunday night and I was about to have some pizza, I had to call my mom.

Mom was more interested in how I was doing than the ratio of sauce to cheese. But since I'm rating the pizza in New York on this blog and I imagine nobody (except Mom, of course) cares about my razor burn, I'll get to the important stuff.

The crust was really crunchy and maybe even slightly overdone. No slouching, droopy pizza here. It was strong and firm, if a bit dry. The crust was nicely charred and a little too ashy. The sauce was slightly sweet and looked plentiful but somehow it got lost in all the cheese. The sauce basically melted away with each bite like cotton candy. Very thick, tomato-y cotton candy.

There were three full leaves of basil garnished on the entire 12 inches. That means more than half my slices were basil-less. Just make the choice: to basil or not to basil?

The cheese was definitely the focus of the pie here, but there were burnt specks throughout. The traditional cooking time for Neapolitan pizza is two minutes in a wood oven and since coal (which Angelo's uses) is hotter than wood, I think they need to re-examine how long they keep the pies in their oven. There's no excuse for dry overdone pizzas. Definitely not in this city.

The pizza here is average at best. The environment is definitely comfortable and inviting, so even if the food and service are not the best, I can imagine a family coming together and enjoying their Sunday night together. Even if the conversation leans more toward how to clear up a rash and less on how to cook a proper pizza.

Is Angelo's the best pizza in NY? If you like overdone, slightly dry, crunchy pizza this is your place. As for me, it gets a meager 5 out of 10.