Day 10, Pizza Month 2010 - Louie and Ernie's (Bronx, NY)

DAY 10: OCTOBER 10th, 2010

LOCATION: Louie and Ernie's (Bronx, NY)

ORDER: 1 slice of tomato, 1.5 slices of sausage

GUEST: Charles Gussow, Robin Rothman

REVIEW:
Love at first sight.
This pizzeria is adorable. Louie and Ernie's architecturally looks like a brick oven. In addition, the staff is friendly, the ambience is endearing, and, most importantly, the pizza is delicious.

We ate on the metal tables on the back patio on a perfect New York City day. The day was made more perfect the moment I first bit into the tomato topped slice. With the weight of the fresh mozzarella and freshly slice tomatoes, I thought for sure the slice would collapse. It did not. Louie and Ernie's signature sturdy crust is built to withstand the heaviest of toppings. Watching as the heavily Bronx-accented teenage pizza chefs precociously prepare pie after pie you'll notice something more than wise-beyond-their-years pizza knowhow; pride. The staff is clearly proud of their product and the Louie and Ernie legacy.
"Our sausage is our most popular," the cashier said. "We get our sausage from S&D down the street."

Sure enough, two blocks down from the pizzeria is S & D Pork Store. The sausage is a must for anyone who loves authentic sausage. I tend to prefer pizza au natural but went ahead and ordered sausage anyhow. Loaded with flavor, the sausage overpowers the other flavors of the tomato sauce, cheese, and the aforementioned stiff crust. It is most definitely good, but so are the overshadowed sauce, cheese, and crust.

My only wish is that Louie and Ernie's were not so far away from midtown. Sure, that may be why the atmosphere is so relaxed, the staff is so warm, and the pizza is so good. But it is also the reason I can't eat there every minute of every day. I strongly recommend you make the trip at least once to this Bronx gem.

VIDEO CLIP:

RATING:
4.40 out of 5

• VALUE:
  4.5/5


• AMBIENCE:
  3/3


• TASTE:
  8/10


• SERVICE:
  
  3/3

18.5/21 = .881 x 5 = 4.40

MISCELLANEOUS:
1. Charles Gussow spent two years in the Peace Corps. That's where he met his wife.
2. Robin Rothman, Charles Gussow and I all took public transportation to get here. To do this, take the 6 train to Buhre Av, then the Bx5 bus down Crosby St. Total time from midtown: 45 min.