31 Days of Pizza

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Day 2, 2023: Cuts and Slices (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)

Exterior

DAY 2: OCTOBER 2nd, 2023

LOCATION: Cuts & Slices (93 Howard Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11233)

GUEST(S): Kurt Cruz

ORDER: 1.5 slices of Brown Oxtail Stew

REVIEW:

A good kick in the oxtail. Call it a "game changer" or your "new favorite slice joint," but don't call Bed-Stuy's Cuts and Slices a "typical" Brooklyn pizzeria, Starting with a pizza menu that includes Curry Shrimp, Jerk Chicken, and Sweet Chili Oxtail (to name a few) and ending with the fact they have their own sneaker line, Cuts and Slices is making their own rules as they reinvent the pizza game. Check the hours before you go as they too are not typical. Expect a line as word has spread far and wide since their 2018 opening. The pizza is sold by the slice (exclusively) and the premium ingredients come at premium prices but after tasting it, I think you'll agree that it was worth it. I had the Brown Oxtail Stew slice fresh out of the oven that was delicious at first bite and just kept getting better. I marveled at the sturdiness of the crust and its ability to support the generous portion of slow-roasted savory shreds of oxtail. Had I not arrived just before closing, I would have ordered one of everything. That is what I intend to do when I return to Cuts and Slices.

PHOTOS:

Sign out front

underside

outside after dark

Brown Oxtail Stew slice

Interior

Day 2

VIDEO:

coming soon

MISCELLANEOUS:

Kurt Cruz, Sean Taylor

1. I met Kurt Cruz today. We both share a love for Tex-Mex food and are on the lookout for the best rendition NYC has to offer.

2. Kurt Cruz also met his significant other doing improv.

Kurt checking out the lighting grid at the Magnet

3. Kurt Cruz knows everything about lighting and audio equipment. Not one but four NYC improv area theaters have benefited from his expertise - including the Magnet (where he helped us today)

RATING:

4.44/5

VALUE:
4/5

AMBIENCE:
3/3

TASTE:
9/10

SERVICE: N/A

16/18 = .889 x 5 = 4.44

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Day 1, 2023: Mobile Pie Truck (Westchester, NY)

The portable pizza oven

DAY 1: OCTOBER 1st, 2023

LOCATION: Mobile Pie Truck (153 Main St, Mt Kisco, NY 10549)

GUEST(S): Robin Rothman, Ed Herbstman, Elana Fishbein, Armando Diaz, and about 50 others

ORDER: 2 slices of Margherita (Fresh mozzarella, san marzano, reggiano, olive oil, fresh basil), 1.5 slices of Sausage & Peppers (Fennel sausage, roasted peppers, san marzano, fresh mozzarella, carmelized onion), 1 slice of Bee Sting (pepperoni, Mike's hot honey, chilled stracciatella, san marzano, basil), 1 slice of Seasonal Veggies (Wood-fired veggies, fresh mozzarella, nut-less pesto, reggiano, olive oil, fresh basil)

REVIEW:

Gourmet pizza party on wheels. When residents of upstate New York, Westchester and Connecticut are looking to throw a pizza party to remember, Mobile Pie Truck has you covered. The truck is not only fully stocked with top quality dough, sauce, and toppings. it is also equipped with a wood-fired brick oven and it’s driven by a crew that know how to use it. Choose from a variety of tried and tested signature pies to wow your guests with gourmet Napoletana style pizzas. I was a particular fan of the Roberta‘s inspired “Bee Sting“ that features pepperoni, stracciatella, and just the right amount of Mike’s hot honey. Mobile Pie Truck delivers a memorable pizza event every time.

PHOTOS:

Sausage & Peppers pie

Seasonal Veggies

fast-moving queue

slice of Margherita

underside of Margherita

Bee Sting and part of a Margherita

VIDEO:

MISCELLANEOUS:

Sean, Souz, Ed, Liz, Elana, Robin

1. Ed Herbstman celebrated a milestone birthday surrounded by friends, family, pizza, a piñata and even more friends.

Ed Herbstman and Sean Taylor

2. I have Ed Herbstman to thank for helping to create the Magnet Theater (alongside Armando Diaz) - the theater that I currently own (alongside Armando Diaz) and where I met the woman that would eventually become my wife (Robin Rothman).

3. Elana Fishbein looks for any excuse to "take a hike."

4. I guess lantern flies want to get in on the Pizza Month action because they were out in full force today.

RATING:

5/5

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Pizza Month 2023

Pizza Month 2023

October is National Pizza Month. In order to observe this month "the right way," I intend to eat at least one slice of pizza every day of it. I hope to learn from past experience (Pizza Month '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '19, '20, '21, '22) and make Pizza Month 2023 not just the latest, but the greatest 31 Days of Pizza known to [this] man...

From my home in New York City I am targeting some suburban New York, New Jersey, and New Haven pizza institutions as well as try out some brand spanking new slices! Also, I plan on being in Las Vegas for the final week. Got a place I haven't been? Let me know and then let's go!

My rules are clear, and I am determined to adhere to all three of them. They are…
(1) Eat at least one slice of pizza a day
(2) With at least one other person
(3) At a different pizza place each day

As with past years, I encourage everyone reading this to eat pizza every day of October as well. If you can't stomach 31 days, then settle for 30 (or 29, or 28…) No matter how you plan to observe National Pizza Month 2022, always feel free to follow me in my pursuit of the 31 days on this journal. For a preview of what is to come, you may want to view the archived Pizza Months Past (2002 - 2022) journals as a reference.

Feel free to follow my progress here (also @31daysofpizza on instagram and TikTok)!