Any Way You Slice It

America loves pie. There’s no denying this. Every state’s pie options vary and everyone has their favorite. There are competitions for making it and eating it all around the country. But in a little state I like to call home we love a different kind of pie. A pie that speaks numbers about the state. A pie that causes a stir and gets people all riled up. A pie that’s so commonplace in every family for birthdays and family meals alike. What’s more New York than a pizza pie?

I have to admit when I was a kid I loathed pizza. I refused to eat it. My mom would come to a friends birthday party when all the other kids would be saucy faced and cheesy handed and bring me sushi. I was that guy. And not because of allergies or a bad experience with pizza, but simply because I didn’t like it. Until that one faithful day of my friend’s beauty salon themed birthday party where a tiny and ravenous little me just threw down her barbies, rolled up her sleeves, manned up and took a bite…a  delicious cheesy, and bloody bite….bloody? Did you say bloody? Okay so here’s what went down I bit into that piece of pizza and lost one of my first teeth. Normally that would deter a kid from ever eating something again, right? Wrong. I couldn’t have been more excited. I saw this as a sign. A sign from the pizza higher powers that we were destined to be long time friends. You help me grow up and I’ll be there through thick and thin crust.

And so we were, from then on, best buddies. Regular pie and me  couldn’t be separated, we were likes two peas in a pod…that is, until I met pepperoni. The pepperoni slice was everything the regular slice could offer me but with just a little something more. Pepperoni made me feel things that a regular slice just couldn’t. I had taken a new best friend and my life was changed forever…Sorry, I got side tracked. That was an excerpt from my latest romance mystery novel ” Pepperoni, a cruel mistress”. Anyway back to pizza.

You grow up with your favorite pizza places and slices and certain places for different slices. Over the years I’ve had my favorites; DiFara’s (Midwood, Brooklyn) square and regular, Ben’s (Soho, NYC) regular slice, Papa Leone (Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn) vodka slice, Del Mar (Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn) regular slice, L&B Spumoni Gardens (Gravesend, Brooklyn) square slice and Pasty Grimaldi’s (Dumbo, NY) brick oven and whole pie. These are what I grew up on. I grew to love these places. They were pizza joints that cared about their product, their customers and were always reliable. My have times changed. With the surge of new restaurants and an emphasis on fresh, local and delicious there are so many artisinal pizza options now competing with the classic places. There’s Emily’s, Roberta’s, Lucali, Sottocasa, Wheated, Paulie Gee’s, Motorino, Rubirosa, Toby’s Public House, and many, many more. And these places are great, don’t get me wrong, but when you want a classic New York slice of large triangular oil, cheese and sauce it’s not the same.

And I don’t know if it’s the price points of the city and Brooklyn, the competition, or just an end of an era but a great number of my childhood joints have been slowly losing their love and mojo. Which made me think about pizza in a whole new light. Pizza is such a simple concept but like anything if you don’t put time and effort,respect and good quality ingredients into making it, you don’t have anything. It’s truly an art form..a delicious, delicious art form. What really makes pizza great and not just passable? You need experience and respect for the craft because dealing with dough is certainly a mighty task. You need fresh ingredients used in just the right balance. A good sauce to cheese ratio is necessary. And then the toppings; oil, grated cheese, basil, and so on.

But most importantly, and I have truly thought this one out, is the crust. The whole taste, structure and mouthfeel of the pizza relies on the crust. It is the singular most import piece of the puzzle because without a good foundation you have nothing. At the end of the day you finish your pizza and you’re left with what? The crust (kind of like life right?…ladies?…), so it better be delicious. If the people making your pizza don’t focus on the crust you could have unrisen, hard as a rock and bland one. You could also have pale and floppy crust and let me tell you a bad crust is truly an unpleasant experience. I cannot emphasis enough how important crust is.

I don’t want to go into detail of all my sad and recent experiences with my favorite places and some of them have even fallen out of my good graces but I will discuss DiFara’s. This pizza was the single best pizza in Brooklyn. Dom new what he was doing. Before the price hikes I would go after school and get a few slices before one of my thousand after school activities. There would be times my dad and I would go and order a whole pie and I would finish two slices before we even got home. Then when I met Aaron one of the first things we had in common was our love for this place (HE WASN’T EVEN FROM BROOKLYN!) There were many good memories attached to this place and it’s pizza. The pizza had everything. But just like pepperoni time can be  cruel mistress and the beloved Dom is passing this joint on to family and others and the last time I went the square wasn’t fluffy and doughy, it was dense and hard to chew. The regular slice had a pale undercooked crust and the sauce was different. It hurt my heart to know it may be the end of an era…

But just when one door closes another door opens. Last week on a hunt to find pizza near me I went walking to a new place, Luigi’s (Sunset Park, Brooklyn). It was delicious and it made me hopeful for the classic New York slice. And then again a few days later there was Prince Street Pizza (Soho, NYC) for their square with pepperoni. And again after that (although not typical NYC slice but delicious) Lombardi’s. New York is still rich in tradition and a gold mine for delicious pizza it’s just a matter of seeking out the places that make you really happy.

Even though I have strong opinions about the pizza I love and favor, any way you slice it, it’s usually pretty tasty.

And the award for cutest pizza…….BABY PIZZA ON MOMMY PIZZA, SUH CUTE!!!! -Vinnie’s Pizza  (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

 

THE SUBWAY

No, not the yoga mat chemical bread and sodium infused turkey sandwich chain but rather the B, Q, F, M, and boxes of metal that transports me through the boroughs I love. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love the subway system but let’s have a chat.

The subway station- dirty

The subway platform -really dirty

The inside- B.O, infections, and uric acid…super dirty

The people- (not all) but 98% DIRTY

PEOPLE THIS IS NOT A CLEAN JOY RIDE INTO THE CITY. Alas the subway is necessary and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re from the city you have a love hate relationship with the subway…it could get stopped at any time and you will be nose deep in an old man’s bologna smelling armpits for a few hours or it could be marvelous with some subway art and train performers (my favorite are the hat dancers and mariachi guys) but regardless of the trip it’s always interesting and is bringing you (mostly) conveniently to your destination.

This week I have subway rode more than I have in the past few months and it has been worth every ride because I got Momofuku, fresh made pasta, new shoes, pizza, gelato, french macaron and more!

LET’S TALK NEW YORK CITY FOOD ADVENTURE : WEEK ONE OF BEING HOME FOR GOOD!

First stop Momofuku ssäm bar for some asian inspired burrito. Although I wouldn’t go again I did thoroughly enjoy my meal and would like to try other Momofuku restaurants. Because let’s face it… David Chang is a mastermind. I got an o.g. momofuku ssäm which is pork shoulder, black beans, hoisin, kimchi. So basically everything delicious made into an asian burrito. And broccoli salad  which had smoked bluefish vinaigrette, crispy duck skin. Both were delicious and fresh but nothing that inspiring that I would go back.

Next stop is to Ben’s pizza in Soho for a good old NYC slice of pizza. I got a lasagna slice and on the cheaper side for a meal in the city Ben’s has been a steadily amazing pizza place for as long as I can remember. The slice I got was perfectly greasy with dollops of ricotta and ground beef. YAS. I also stopped at the new Soho Lauderee and got a chocolate coconut macaron and a lemon verbena one. Happy.

 Chelsea Market- home to endless assortment of delicious food and the area surrounding as well. With all the options it is so hard to decide but when you spend the day surrounded by my family (who loves food more than anyone and follows their stomach along with their hearts) you pick something amazing. Our stomach stopped and growled in front of a new pasta restaurant in Chelsea Market called Rana. They make all fresh past and let me say overpriced BUT delicious. I got cappalletti al proscuitto crudo in a butter and sage sauce….DROOOOOL. It was great the pasta was perfectly cooked with meat inside and perfectly seasoned with buttery sage sauce and parmesan sprinkled over it. 

So I’ve talked about some savory let’s talk sweet. Hey sugar, come here often?… Oh not like that…awkward. Anyway want some great gelato? Than you need to park your body in and around L’albero dei gelati (in Dumbo, NYC, and Brooklyn) and get yourself some amazing creamy goodness. Not only do they do basic flavors well but also have savory options which are always good! I got a cone of arugula gelato (YES, Arugula) and it was fresh and tasty alongside Panna con raspberry jam. It was like a fruit salad in dessert form. Heavenly.

And second stop is Francois Payard for chocolate bread and a pistachio and raspberry macaron ice cream sandwich. The city and its never ending list of delectable delights is awe inspiring. 

Well, that’s been a recap of this past week.Time to hop on the Q and head on home… I love being home!

Happy eating everyone.