Forkin' Pizza

Comfort foods are dishes that bring us back to our childhood and make us feel safe and warm. And usually have at least 500-1000 calories per serving. Macaroni and cheese, meat loaf, and middle school sloppy joes are all examples of comfort food. And just for kicks, let's add pizza to the mix.

And since pizza is not only comforting, but Italian as well, it is fitting that chef Sara Jenkins recently opened up her own pizza restaurant. Jenkins is the mastermind behind Porhcetta, which is a tiny take-out spot in the East Village that specializes in the namesake hearty Italian pork sandwiches. I've had these sandwiches and they are quite an investment (in appetite more than finance) but incredibly complex and delicious. So I had high hopes for her pizza.

At Veloce, a very sleek pizza and wine bar in the East Village, Jenkins has crafted a unique and comforting take on Sicilian square pizza. The big secret here is that she adds a little potato to her dough (don't tell anybody). This fluffs the pizza up while giving it a crispy crunchy texture.

And I think the potato is what contributed to the slices being so incredibly heavy - literally. I almost had to use both hands to lift the first slice. It felt very full and loaded - even though I only ordered the margherita pie and basil can't weigh more than an ounce or two. It was also cut very large (the 12-inch personal pie was cut into four gigantic squares) so it was awkward to pick up.

After struggling a bit, I resigned to using a knife and fork. I've heard tales that certain people use silverware to cut and eat their pizza. But I'm not a baby anymore who has to take small bites at a time (maybe I should try that), so I like to eat my pizza the New York way: pick it up, fold it, and put it in my mouth.

I looked around to make sure nobody was watching and I cut the pizza into pieces. This formal pizza dining was one of many contradictions at Veloce. The atmosphere felt very romantic and classy, but yet there were parts of the bar that could have been mistaken for a sports bar (except the televisions were not showing football but rather classic black and white movies in closed caption). The soundtrack was a very strange mix of Madonna, Led Zeppelin, and the Beastie Boys. And I was using a friggin' fork to eat pizza!!!

The dough of the pizza was incredibly interesting. The corners were crunchy and charred, but the middle got soggy rather quickly. And it felt and tasted like a giant savory pancake with pizza toppings on it. The cheese, tomato sauce, and basil were all rather weak and bland. It's clear more attention was paid to the ingenuity of the crust. Maybe one of the specialized pies (ie, white clam, porchetta sausage, or five onion) could have brought more flavor to the meal.

I also found it telling that the pizza was served with a side of pickled hot peppers. Are all the pies served with this? Or were they offering it only for the margherita since it definitely needed something to spicen it up?

I was quite disappointed because that dough was really interesting and I enjoyed savoring it. But in order for the pizza to truly work, all the elements have to come into play together. And unlike her incredible porchetta sandwich, Jenkins' pizza caused me more stress than comfort.

Is Veloce the best pizza in NY? I bet their Italian meat heavy pies would be delicious - it smelled great in that wine bar. But the margherita pie (which to measure all pizzas by) was bland and flavorless. The interesting potato-filled crust is the only thing that earns this place a 5 out of 10.

Changing of the Pizzaiolo

Unless you inherited one or were grandfathered in, it is illegal to own and use a coal-burning oven. It's bad for the environment and it's competition for the likes of Grimaldi's and Lombardi's. We don't want any black lung or broken knee caps.

You can imagine whenever a coal-burning pizzeria closes, many budding NY pizzaioli are hoping to take over the lease and get their hands on a grandfathered coal oven. Wood ovens are a different story - they're legal and available aplenty - but it is still nice when you can rent a space with oven and all - especially when that oven is the topic of much praise.

That's what happened to Mathieu Palombino when he took over the space of Una Pizza Napoletana in the East Village. The former pizza place was fast becoming the unanimous favorite of pizza lovers throughout the city. I was a little slow with this current pizza journey and therefore missed trying Anthony Mangieri's creations. Word on the street was that he got tired of dealing with the East Village lifestyle and he just got up and moved out west. He's supposed to be opening a pizzeria in San Francisco sometime soon.

So out went Una Pizza Napolitana and in came the latest incarnation of Williamsburg favorite, Motorino. It has not been open at this new location long, but it is already a hit and seems to get more favorable reviews than its big sister.

I went on a weekday lunch when they offer a great lunch special - your choice of a personal pizza and salad or ice cream for 10 bucks. Not too shabby.

We ordered the margherita and the seasonal brussels sprout and speck pizza. The salad was pretty standard with packaged field greens and a vinaigrette.

The pizza smelled great. I took in the fumes of fresh baked bread and cooked ham and green vegetables. The smell was almost too good to eat, but what's smell without a little taste?

My brussels sprout pie was amazing. The sprouts were fresh and distributed well. The speck was salty enough with a meaty, earthy flavor that was balanced with the creamy richness of the fior di latte mozzarella. The textures were also varied and interesting.

The margherita was not as successful. The sauce was sort of wet and uneven, which made the pizza a bit soggy. I understand that Neapolitan pies have a tendency to be soggy in the middle, but it's not my thing. I think it loses some flavor and brightness when that happens. I could tell this tomato sauce was well made and had a nice subtle citrus quality, but I just wish there was more of it for me to taste.

The dough was a stand-out. The cornicione (the end of the crust) was huge with a fluffy, airy quality. The crust also had a very nice char and a woody flavor.

Maybe the magic is in the oven. Palombino did inherit one of the most highly regarded kitchen appliances in the city. But regardless, he bakes a good pie and uses interesting, complimentary ingredients. Now if only those were things you can acquire when signing a lease.

Is Motorino the best pizza in NY? They do some great interesting seasonal concoctions, but their margherita fell a little short for my tastes. I still give them a 7 out of 10 for authenticity, originality, and some good flavors.

Going Posto

There are lots of pizza chains all over the city. You've got Ray's, Two Boots, Famiglia. Then many of the big guys have more than one location (John's, Nick's, Totonno's). I've already talked about the Patsy's and Angelo's empires and Grimaldi's has spread out onto Long Island and New Jersey. And I'm not even mentioning Pizza Hut, Domino's, or Sbarro. I said I wasn't mentioning those so forget I even mentioned those.

The most unlikely pizza chain in New York are the quadruplets Posto, Gruppo, Vezzo, and Spunto. They sound like four Italian dwarves offering up their thin crust pies to their principessa. But in reality, these four places all cater to a neighborhood clientele and, in the last few years, have gained local followings.

The truth is they are practically identical - just check out their websites. The restaurant layouts are slightly different but all have the same font, all give off that relaxed, local vibe, and all end in the letter "o". And their menus are identical.

So do I really have to visit all four? Seriously, I'm a very busy guy. In addition to searching for the best pizza in NY, I do have a day job. I gotta bring home the pepperoni somehow, you know. And if you're going to basically clone your one restaurant three other times, you can't expect to be treated as if you're something other than that. I'll only be visiting one Ray's, one Patsy's, etc. So, sorry, Posto/Gruppo/Vezzo/Spunto, but you only get one chance.

Posto was the most convenient to where I was meeting an old friend. And we made it in time for the lunch special. They offered two slices and a salad for a really great price. But this is all about pizza, so I got the Margherita pie, which was 9 inches and reasonably priced at $10. I'm pleased to say this is the best pizza deal I've encountered so far.

I'm not pleased however to report the results. The pizza looked beautiful and their promise of thin crust was fulfilled. The crust was almost cracker-like, which I really love. The problems started when I picked up a slice. I've never seen anything quite like this but every bit of topping (cheese, tomato, basil, etc.) quickly fell off the crust and onto my plate. This happened with every single slice I attempted to eat. I had to basically re-assemble the pizza myself. I mean, come on, this is a huge no-no in the pizza world. All the ingredients are meant to be eaten together not sloppily placed back on the slice.

I also noticed that more than a few of the fresh tomatoes were anything but and were actually yellow. And believe me, they were not yellow tomatoes by nature. Granted, tomato season is now behind us, but if you can't get fresh good looking tomatoes, then you shouldn't serve them on your pizza. It's that simple.

On the other hand, the cheese was fresh and the sauce was well-seasoned. And the pizza tasted quite good. I'm still thinking about that delicious thin crust. And for the bargain I got at lunch, I really shouldn't complain. But I'm grading the pizza here and Im not going to settle for anything less than the best.

Could it have been an off day? Could Vezzo or Gruppo have a better grasp on fresh ingredients and how to keep those ingredients on the pizza? One of my friends swears by Vezzo so maybe one day I'll get over there too. But the Posto group-o had one chance-o and I'm sad to say, it's a no-no.

Is Posto the best pizza in NY? The thin crust is as delicious as advertised, but the pizza as a whole is sloppy and difficult to eat. The comfortable atmosphere and affordable prices help save the place from total doom and help me rate it 6 out of 10.

Mangia a Luzzo's

When I get pizza, I want it to be made by people who know what they’re doing. I guess that’s obvious, but how many times have you gone into a generic NY pizza joint and the pizza is being cooked by Mexican line cooks or Bengali entrepreneurs? Nothing against those guys, but do you think they’ve really been to Italy (or even Arthur Avenue in the Bronx) to study the art of pizza making? I doubt it.

And pizza is from Naples and in case you haven’t heard, Naples is in Italy. So it’s refreshing and calming when I walk into a pizzeria and the employees sound more like Roberto Benigni than Gael Garcia Bernal. And that’s what happened when I walked into Luzzo’s in the East Village.

I was pleased to see and hear that everybody from the servers to the hostess all spoke Italiano. Between the thick accents and the rustic, old world atmosphere, I had that rare experience where I felt transported to the country of gelato, chianti, and, well, you know, pizza.

So expectations were high to taste authentic and fresh Neapolitan pizza. The menu was a bit more extensive than I had expected. In addition to the large selections of la pizza, there were le insalate, le paste, le panini, and le red wine.

I ordered the Napoletana, which was basically a margherita with the addition of anchovies. The service was a little cold, but attentive. And it really didn’t take too long until my 12 inch arrived. But while I waited, I had plenty to look out with all the interesting Italian memorabilia on the wall.

The pie arrived and it was quite beautiful. The tomato sauce was bright red and almost glowed. The orbs of mozzarella di bufala looked like gorgeous fluffy marshmallows. And the garnish of fresh basil in the middle seemed to put everything in balance. This was the most good-looking of all the pies I’ve tried so far.

But how did it taste? I’m pleased to say that it tasted pretty good. For me, those beautiful cheese bulbs were the highlight. They were so fresh and flavorful. They alone were worth the rather steep price tag of $18 (for a 12-inch pie). I chose anchovies, so I blame nobody myself, but the saltiness from those little fishies was a bit overwhelming.

The sauce was as bright and lively in my mouth as it was on the plate, with a slight sweet tanginess. The crust didn’t have a whole lot of flavor but it was soft and tender and perfectly cooked. As visually pleasing as it was, I wish the basil had been spread out a bit more evenly. But all the ingredients were fresh and delicious. And I was pleased that this was the lightest of all the pizzas I’ve tried thus far.

I was amazed that I couldn’t stop eating it – even with all that anchovy saltiness. But I had to restrain myself (and walk home to burn some calories) since I had sampled another pizza earlier in the day. Good thing for doggie bags or pizza boxes or whatever.

The pizzaioli here is Michele Iuliano who I believe was walking around and re-filling water (is that possible?). He is the only pizzaioli who uses a combo wood-and-coal oven. True Neapolitan pizzas are only cooked in wood oven pizzas, but regardless of what the rules are, Michele makes a really good pizza. And he’s truly Italian. You have to at least give him that!

Is Luzzo’s the best pizza in New York? Well, it’s definitely a well-made light Neapolitan style pizza in a rustic comfortable setting and that’s why it gets an 8 out of 10.

Artery-A-Choke

Sometimes maybe I’m just wrong and the rest of the world is right. For instance, I never liked The Sixth Sense. I just didn’t think it was a good movie and I saw through all its smoke and mirrors. My eclectic tastes and smug opinions have often been controversial among my friends. So this is your warning to not trust anything I write in this blog.

The reason I doubt myself now is because of Artichoke Basille's Pizza. Artichoke, as it is commonly known, has been highly acclaimed in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out, the list goes on. And all the other food blogs are acting as if the Pizza Messiah has just arrived. Also, the presence of an interminable line down 14^th Street proves that the pizza is incredibly popular around the city.

Two cousins from Staten Island opened Artichoke a little over a year ago in a tiny, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it storefront close to Stuyvesant Town. They only sell four pizza options with two beers on tap. There’s no place to sit inside, but if you’re lucky enough to score a seat on the benches outside, you won’t have to stand at the cramped bar area. But let’s be honest, a good slice is eaten on the go anyway.

I had my first (and I thought my last) Artichoke experience a few months ago when I came in to try their namesake slice. It was a pretty large slice for the price and it featured a homemade artichoke dip on a thin crust. It definitely had some flavor, but it reminded me of an artichoke dip you’d get at a T.G.I. Friday’s type restaurant. I finished the slice, but felt like I was about to have a heart attack. It was so greasy and rich that I don’t think I was able to eat for days (or, at least, a few hours). It really turned me off to the possibility of trying Artichoke again.

Well, now that I have officially begun my search for the best pizza, I felt like I should give Artichoke a second chance. And this time I would try their popular Sicilian slice.

I went at an off hour, but was still amazed that there was no line. I had forgotten about the blaring Bon Jovi music. Could they really play Bon Jovi on a loop at all times? I thought Jersey was on the other side of the river.

I realized I was definitely still in New York, when I looked at the prices. My Sicilian slice cost me $3.50 and was smaller than I had remembered. It was cut to order and I was sent on my way with my pizza and my paper plate.

If that plate had not been there to soak up some of the grease, I may not have had an artery left unclogged. The pizza was just as greasy and heavy as I had remembered. In addition to the mozzarella, there was a surprising amount of grated Parmesan (I’m guessing from one of those green Kraft containers) and the soggiest fresh basil I have ever encountered.

This pizza is messy, cheap (not in price) and over the top. The grease is truly overwhelming and the excess of cheese pulls off with each bite leaving very little by the heart stopping finish. The basil is either not terribly fresh or just overcooked. But it too gets lost because it slides right off the pizza as you start in. Everything gets lost in the first few bites that you’re left with nothing except the tomato sauce and a bit of parmesan cheese. And for this I paid $3.50!?!

I did enjoy their crust. It was very crunchy and almost burnt. But it felt as if it had been fried because I could tell that if the cheese and oil didn’t kill me, then the crust would do the trick. The whole experience reminded me of the cheap, probably microwaved pizza I would get at the bowling alley or roller rink when I was a teenager.

I think Artichoke is perfect for an inebriated (you'd have to be drunk to do this to your body) late night snack (they're opened until 3am most nights). I could definitely see how this pizza would do the job of soaking up a night of debauchery. But for a grown-up palate or somebody looking for fresh and authentic pizza pies, I would recommend an alternative. But after all, this is the East Village and dirty and hip are all the rage – which is great for a bar or a club, but not what I’m interested in when it comes to my food. I guess I just don’t get it. I must be wrong.

Is Artichoke Basille's the best pizza in NY? As is evidenced by all the hype, I suppose it depends who you ask. In my humble opinion, the grease and oil are just way too much and the ingredients not fresh enough to balance that out. I give it a 4 out of 10, but again, I very well could be wrong.