LOCATION: Sac's (29th St and Broadway in Astoria, QUEENS) GUEST(S): Catherine Wing, Eden Gauteron, Matt Sears ORDER: One slice of cheese PIZZA REPORT: Feeling Sacs-y? I am. Sac's is the only coal-fired pizza place I am aware of in the borough of Queens. Lucky for me and other Queens County residents, it's perfect! My favorite part of Sac's pizza is the sauce, of which there is plenty. I witnessed as they put a light layer of sauce on a pizza, scattered some fresh mozzarella cheese on, then applied another layer of sauce. Two (2) layers of delicious sauce! I think they add several spices to it in order for it to be so flavorful. My slice of cheese was mouth-wateringly good. The coal-fired crust was just thick enough to provide support for the entire slice and just flexible enough to be folded. As I folded it the sauce pockets and fresh mozzarella united to form one outrageously great-tasting slice of pizza. When in Queens, do what the Queens residents do and go to Sac's. MISC.:
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Monday, October 31, 2005
Day 31, 2005: Sac's (Astoria, Queens)
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Day 30, 2005: Una Pizza Napoletana (E. Village, NYC)
LOCATION: Una Pizza Napoletana (12th St and 1st Ave, NYC) GUEST(S): Garrett Palm, Kitzi Taylor ORDER: seven-eighths of an individual margharita pizza PIZZA REPORT: Splash! Una Pizza Napoletana serves authentic Naples pizza from a wood burning brick oven until "the dough runs out". The dough is the limiting factor and, clearly, the olive oil is not. Each individual pizza is loaded up with all the freshest ingredients then doused with copious amounts of olive oil. The chef himself prides himself on his own special recipe touting the healthy benefits of the oil. I, personally, could have done with less oil. Our pizzas were served uncut, but as soon as I put the knife through the perfectly cooked crust, I realized why. The bread levee had been breached and the olive oil emptied onto my plate. It wasn't long before the whole underside of the pizza was saturated. In order to minimize the onslaught of "the soggies" (thank you, Cap'n Crunch) I began to devour my pizza as quick as possible. It was truly delicious. My favorite part were the ingredients. The fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, superb tomato sauce (albeit light), the unique blend of Italian spices, and even the virgin olive oil nearly made it worth its price tag. By the end, the oil had only rendered one slice of my pie "too soggy to eat". Some patrons really love this style of pizza. Afterall, this is how Una Pizza Napoletana does their pizza. It's unlike any other pizza I have ever had. For that, I admire their creativity and do anticipate going back. MISC.:
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Saturday, October 29, 2005
Day 29, 2005: Totonno's Pizzeria (Kips Bay, NYC)
DAY 29: October 29th LOCATION: Totonno's Pizzeria (2nd Ave and 26th St, NYC) GUEST(S): Kitzi Taylor ORDER: 2 slices cheese, 1.5 slices of pepperoni MISC.:
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Friday, October 28, 2005
Day 28, 2005: Grimaldi's Pizzeria (Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)
DAY 28: October 28th
LOCATION: Grimaldi's Pizzeria (Fulton St under the Brooklyn Bridge, BROOKLYN) GUEST(S): Terry Jinn, Kitzi Taylor, Maddy Mako, Jen MacNeil, Tony Carnevale, Matt Pack, Alix Sternberg ORDER: 3 slices cheese, 1 slice of pepperoni PIZZA REPORT: The best! Nothing beats Grimaldi's pizza. My favorite part of the pizza is the everything. The pizza is made with the freshest and most flavorful ingredients including fresh mozzarella cheese, spice enhanced tomato sauce from Italy, seemingly hand-picked basil leaves and dough born to hold it all together. My slices were coal fired to perfection (yet again) and somehow managed to meet my astronomically high expectations. In my experience, expecting a lot tends to lead to dissappointment. Not so! at Grimaldi's. Go in expecting the greatest tasting pizza you have ever had and I doubt you will leave unsatisfied. Grimaldi's for president! MISC.:
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Thursday, October 27, 2005
Day 27, 2005: Sal and Carmine (UWS, NYC)
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Day 26, 2005: Brick 33 (Chelsea, NYC)
DAY 26: October 26th LOCATION: Brick 33 (23rd St and 8th Ave, NYC) GUEST(S): Pat Baer, Dave Warth ORDER: 1 slice cheese MISC.:
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Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Day 25, 2005: Rocket Joe's (LES, NYC)
DAY 25: October 25th
LOCATION: Rocket Joe's (Delancey St and Essex St, NYC) GUEST(S): Erik Marcisak, Sara Schaefer, Tony Carnevale, Sean Taylor ORDER: 1 slice cheese, 1 slice of sausage MISC.:
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Monday, October 24, 2005
Day 24, 2005: De Marco's (W. Village, NYC)
DAY 24: October 24th LOCATION: De Marco's (Sullivan St and Houston St, NYC) GUEST(S): Dan McInerney ORDER: 1 slice Sicilian, 1 slice cheese PIZZA REPORT: Right on De Marc-o! What a wonderful slice. De Marco's prides themselves on their pizza and with good reason. My favorite part of the pizza is the attention paid to the flavorful sauce. The chef speaks with a thick Italian accent and is very happy to discuss his masterpieces/pizzas even though his broken English somewhat limits the extent of the discussion. I did pick up that he was a professional chef in Italy. He also mentioned he uses two different sauces for the two different styles of pizza. The Sicilian sauce has more basil but he would divulge the specific other spices that go into his sauces (come to think of it, he may have divulged it but I didn't comprehend it). I particularly enjoyed the Neopolitan style slice (triangle). It's a 'not so typical' NY slice. 'NY slice' because you can buy it by the slice in NYC but 'not so typical' because typically you don't have a professional Italian gourmet chef cooking it. MISC.:
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Sunday, October 23, 2005
Day 23, 2005: Li'l Frankie's (E. Village, NYC)
DAY 23: October 23rd LOCATION: Li'l Frankie's (1st Ave and Houston St, NYC) GUEST(S): Nate Shelkey ORDER: 1 individual pizza margharita PIZZA REPORT: Good enough for Sophia Coppola, good enough for me. One time when I went to Li'l Frankie's, Sophia Coppola was there and my pizza was delicious. This time, no Sophia, but yes delicious. My favorite part of a Li'l Frankie's pizza is the wood fired brick oven consistency. It leaves the pie crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I ordered Buffala mozzarella on my margharita instead of the standard mozzarella just because once you've had the cheese made with the milk of a water buffalo, it's hard to go back. The sauce was well distributed and was very well integrated into the water buffalo cheese and basil. Also, the portions were just about perfect. An individual pie is about 16" in diameter and sliced into 6 pieces. It really hits the spot (the "spot" being the empty 8(pi) square inches space in your stomach). MISC.:
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Saturday, October 22, 2005
Day 22, 2005: L&B Spumoni Gardens (Bensonhurst, Brooklyn)
DAY 22: October 22nd LOCATION: L&B's Spumoni Gardens (86th St and Ave U in Bensonhurst, BROOKLYN) GUEST(S): Michelle Dobrawsky, Rachel Caruso ORDER: 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of Sicilian cheese, 1 slice of Sicilian pepperoni PIZZA REPORT: Red alert! Tomato sauce red, that is. At L&B Spumoni Garden, the Sicilian style pizza comes with the sauce on top of the cheese. My favorite part of Spumoni Garden pizza was the blend of the sauce with the other toppings on the Sicilian pies (their signature). The fresh mozzarella, Italian spices and parmesan cheese combined with their home made sauce is truly mouth-watering. The pizzas themselves are cooked very thoroughly. This was evidenced in the charred crust around the edges and very sturdy consistency of the underlying crust throughout. I attempted to eat the crust on the edge of the pie but it was just too hard. When I go back, I'll try again. Since it was on the menu, I also ordered a slice of Neopolitan pizza as well. Although the cheese wasn't fresh mozzarella, the sauce more than made up for it. It was a different kind of sauce than what was on the Sicilian but that just means it was a different kind of delicious. If you do go to the dine-in section, however, I do not recommend ordering the Neopolitan style pizza mainly because they bring it to you 10 minutes before anything else you order on a plate. Also, as the waiter makes his way to your table, the other patrons look at you with a I-can't-believe-you-ordered-THAT scorn. Too bad too...because it's good. MISC.:
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Friday, October 21, 2005
Day 21, 2005: La Pizza Fresca (Flatiron, NYC)
LOCATION: La Pizza Fresca (20th St and Broadway, NYC) GUEST(S): Terry Jinn, Maddy Mako ORDER: half of an individual Salame Piccante pizza, one-fourth of an individual Funghi pizza, one-fourth of an individual slice of "La Pizza Fresca" PIZZA REPORT: Salame La Funghi. We mixed and matched our pizzas to try them all out. All good. My favorite part of La Pizza Fresca's pizza is the ingredients. The sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, toppings, and crust are all extremely high quality. I felt bad not enjoying the high quality olives but I just don't care for olives (this is why the Salame Piccante section had no olives). The mushroom ("funghi") and "La Pizza Fresca" sections of the pizza were a bit soupy. I don't think this was olive related. I say that because I enjoyed the soupiness. I was not expecting it but it tasted good. The experience would be like if you were not aware that Gushers fruit snacks had a liquid center until you bit into it. You're surprised, but pleasantly so. Now imagine being surprised with the delicious combination of cheese, sauce, and olive oil instead of artificially flavored grape. Sounds pretty good, eh? It is. Also, La Pizza Fresca was the first New York Pizzeria to be certified by the Associazione Ver Pizza Napoletana. Of course authentic Neopolitan pizza does have olives. MISC.:
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Thursday, October 20, 2005
Day 20, 2005: Anacona's (Valley Stream, NY)
DAY 20: October 20th LOCATION: Anacona's (Valley Stream, L.I.) eaten at the Magnet Theatre (29th St and 8th Ave, NYC) GUEST(S): Matt Shafeek ORDER: 1 slice of Grandma's PIZZA REPORT: Cold yet cooked and crispy. My favorite part of Anacona's grandma slice was the consistency. It seems that most Sicilian pies are very doughy. The result is a very chewy slice that makes you wonder if it's fully cooked or not. Anacona's was fully cooked and even crunchy. The fresh mozzarella cheese was also cooked thoroughly and really meshed well with the tomato sauce. The size of the slice was gigantic also. Since Matt brought the slice in from Valley Stream, Long Island, the temperature of the slice was not too hot, but every other aspect of it more than made up for it. If you live in or around Valley Stream, get it fresh out of the oven because this is one hot Sicilian grandma you won't want to miss. MISC.:
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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Day 19, 2005: MichaelAngelo's II (Astoria, Queens)
DAY 19: October 19th
LOCATION: MichaelAngelo's II (23rd Ave and 29th St in Astoria, QUEENS) GUEST(S): Andy Butterworth, Linda Fessenden, Matt Koff, Jordan Cooper ORDER: 1 slice of MichaelAngelo's Masterpiece, 2 slices of Sophia Loren PIZZA REPORT: Wanna piece of Sophia Loren? I know my dad does. After eating the pizza at MichaelAngelo's, I am starting to see why. Delicious. The fresh mozzarella cheese is very well distributed and plentiful. In addition, the tomatoes were sliced so microscopically thin that they practically melted in my mouth. I also liked the sauce, basil, and hint of garlic in each bite as well. I really liked my pieces of Sophia Loren. The MichaelAngelo's Masterpiece, on the other hand, was loaded with onions and green vegetables. There was not enough sauce in proportion to the toppings (there may not have been any sauce at all). It tasted ok but I was not too keen on pursuing a second slice. MichaelAngelo's II signature is their thin crust. This was evident on the menu and the neon lights in the storefront. They pride themselves on their thin crust and don't blame them. It was my favorite part of the pizza. The crust was crepe-like (according to Matt and supported by Andy and my recent Google image search). It was amazing that the crust was so thin yet structurally sound enough to support all of the toppings on both MichaelAngelo's Masterpiece and the Sophia Loren. The only drawback is the thinness of the pie means you can pretty much take down a large Sophia Loren all by yourself. MISC.:
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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Day 18, 2005: Naples 45 (Midtown, NYC)
DAY 18: October 18th LOCATION: Naples 45 (45 St and Vanderbilt Ave, NYC) GUEST(S): Jenni Cramer, Ginny Bloom, Colin Gilroy ORDER: 2 slices of Margharita PIZZA REPORT: Naples certified! According to the menu, this pizza is the real deal. The sauce is Neopolitan, the oven is Neopolitan, the cheese is Neopolitan and the ice cream is Gelato. Naples 45; this place is aptly named (the "45" is for 45th St...I think). My favorite part is the sauce that tastes so fresh you swear they pulverized the tomatoes seconds before it's placed on their wood fired crust. Speaking of which, the crust (about 30% of the pie) smells and feels like it came hot out of a bakery oven. Due to the thinness and deliciousness of authentic Naples 45 pizza, remember to order a lot of it. I suggest one large per every two people. Also, it's not cheap but, then again, imports rarely are. MISC.:
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Monday, October 17, 2005
Day 17, 2005: Lazzara's Pizza (Midtown, NYC)
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Day 16, 2005: Papa John's (Astoria, Queens)
DAY 16: October 16th LOCATION: Papa John's (Cresent St and Hoyt Ave in Astoria, QUEENS) GUEST(S): Andy Butterworth ORDER: 6 slices of pepperoni, 1 slice of cheese PIZZA REPORT: Is it possible to sleep in, order two large pizzas in the early afternoon, then eat nothing but pizza the entire day? The answer is "yes". Over the course of 7 hours, I had 7 slices of Papa John's pizza and don't regret a thing. My favorite part of Papa John's pizza is the sauce. Even as the condition of the pizza approached STP (standard temperature and pressure) the sauce retained it's D (deliciousness). I used to work at Papa John's and I have always been a fan of their sauce blend. It's sweeter than the typical pizza sauce. I was also amazed at the consistency of the crust. It was spongy when it was hot and it was spongy 7 hours later. "Spongy" in a good way. Papa John's is a ubiquitous chain so it comes as no surprise that the cheese was rather bland in that 'mass-produced' sort of way. That said, the sauce, crust, and pepperoni more than made up for it. The pizza was also very aesthetically appealing. It really looked like the posters of the pizza in the store. There were no red edges, no center-loading, nor any pinches in the crust. This lends credence to the old Papa John's motto, "the perfect pizza at the Perfect Price." That was the motto when I worked at Papa John's (in Valrico, FL). Of course, they have changed it in the last decade. The current motto is "Better Pizza, Better Price" which still involves the words "pizza" and "price" and I must say that it was better than nothing, which is the only thing else I had to eat today. MISC.:
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Saturday, October 15, 2005
Day 15, 2005: Joe and Pat's (Staten Island, NY)
DAY 15: October 15th
LOCATION: Joe and Pat's Restaurant and Pizzeria (1758 Victory Blvd near Manor Rd, STATEN ISLAND)
GUEST(S): Angela Demanti
ORDER: 3 slices of cheese
PIZZA REPORT: Sauce-y! My favorite part of this pizza was the sauce. Lucky for me (and Angela and everyone else who eats here) the homemade sauce goes all the way out to the edge of the crust. And the crust is delicious as well. Their thin and crispy crust is cooked to perfection in a gas-powered convection oven. The mozzarella cheese is cut into cubes and scattered about the pie producing small exquisitely melted cheese patches. The combination of the homemade sauce, cheese patches, and the thin crust was worth the trip to Staten Island.
MISC.:
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