Day 7, 2016: Sofia Pizza Shoppe (Sutton Place, NYC)

Exterior

Interior (taking from the exterior)

DAY 7: OCTOBER 7th, 2016

LOCATION: Sofia Pizza Shoppe (989 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10022)

GUEST(S): Mitch Yashiro

ORDER: 1/2 of a slice of grandma, 1/2 of a slice of a Spinach and Artichoke, 1/2 of a slice of Zucchini (seasonal grandma), 1/2 of a slice of Margherita, 1/2 of a slice of Upsidedown

REVIEW: 
A brand new classic. Not surprisingly, Manhattan's newest best pizza has been one of Brooklyn's favorite for over 65 years. Tommy Degrezia, grandson of iconic J&V Pizzeria founder Vinny Degrezia, and his partners created Sofia Pizza Shoppe to save residents of Midtown East a trip to South Brooklyn for an authentic New York street slice. But Sofia's glass counter assortment reveals much more. In addition to the quintessential New York street slice J&V helped popularize, there is a classic twice-baked rich tomato sauce-laden Sicilian grandma style, a mouth-watering replica of an L&B square slice, and several unique inventions by Tommy himself, proving that making great pizza is genetic. You won't go wrong whether you go the traditional or the creative route. I recommend that you go both. My favorites were the Grandma slice and Tommy's Zucchini Pie which uses a grandma base with a blend of four different types of cheese, two homemade tomato sauces, and baked parmesan zucchini. There are few seats available at this stylish street slice outpost, so expect to take your pizza "to go" and to pay with cash for a slice that will cost about the same amount as a subway fare: another throwback to the way pizza used to be done. It won't be long before people not only frequent Sofia Pizza Shoppe, but refuse to go anywhere else.


PHOTOS:

Grandma slice

Seasonal Grandma: Zuchini slice

Slice of cheese

Upside down slice

Spinach and Artichoke slice

Day 7

Upsidedown slice (frontal view)

Upsidedown slice (underside)

MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Mitch Yashiro lives in Chicago and is in town for his bachelor party.  He's getting married.

Tommy and me

2. I had the pleasure of meeting Tommy Degrezia, one of the owners of Sofia Pizza Shoppe.

3. We went to college together and, between the two of us, played every intramural sport they offered at Dartmouth College - including ice hockey and golf.

RATING:

 4.58/5

• VALUE:
   5/5


• AMBIENCE:
   2.5/3


• TASTE:
   9/10


• SERVICE: N/A

16.5/18 = .917 x 5 = 4.58