Thursday, October 31, 2019

Day 30, 2019: New Park Pizza (Howard Beach, Queens)

Exterior

Interior

Kitchen


DAY 30: OCTOBER 30th, 2019

LOCATION: New Park Pizza (156-71 Cross Bay Blvd, Howard Beach, NY 11414)

GUEST(S): Lorina Ladrillono

ORDER: 2 slices of cheese, 1 slice of pepperoni (cooked well done)

REVIEW: 
True New York City pizza. Since 1956, New Park Pizza has been defining New York City pizza. And the definition is delicious! Unlike Sbarro, another family-founded outer borough pizzeria that opened in the same year, New Park Pizza stayed put (and stayed small) earning its reputation one customer at a time. The product hasn’t changed in over 60 years and hopefully never will. I agree with Adam Kuban and recommend you order your slices “well done” to ensure a crisp, perfectly charred outer edge that somehow remains soft and chewy within. Baked in a gas oven, the sturdy crust supports the generously topped large slices. The high quality ingredients may tempt you to order a lot of toppings but that isn’t necessary as the basic component parts of the melted mozzarella cheese, savory tomato sauce and fresh baked crust are all you need to fall in love with New Park Pizza. The only drawback is the distance to midtown. It is so close to JFK airport, maybe we can lobby to make New Park Pizza a stop on the AirTrain. In the meantime, bribe your Uber or Lyft driver to stop there on the way to your flight. If you have time to sit and dine, I recommend the climate controlled back dining area where you can be surrounded by photos of New York City icons while eating at one. New Park Pizza makes a perfect slice and a perfect pie.


PHOTOS:
Large pie with half pepperoni (well done)

slice of pepperoni

underside

slice of cheese

Menu

Day 30


MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Lorina Ladrillono is working on her own legislation!  Coming soon to a city council near you.

pizza pin and pizza flavored chocolate bar

back of gummy emojis including the pizza slice
2. Lorina never lets leave our pizza dates empty handed.  Whether it was a fabric pizza slice in 2014shrinky dinks and Christmas decorations in 2017 or a card in 2018 I tend to be left with souvenirs.  This month, I got a "Pizza Wins" pin, a pizza flavored chocolate bar and a bag of gummy emojis including the pizza slice!

3. The first person to turn me on to New Park Pizza was Erik Marcisak back in Pizza Month 2003.  This place was great then and continues to be great now!


RATING:
 5/5

  • VALUE:
     5/5

  • AMBIENCE:
     3/3

  • TASTE:
     10/10

  • SERVICE: N/A
18/18 = 1.00 x 5 = 5.00

Day 29, 2019: Sbarro PVR (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)

Exterior

Interior

DAY 29: OCTOBER 29th, 2019

LOCATION: Sbarro PVR (Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio KM. 7.5 L-82, Villa Las Flores, 48335 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico)

GUEST(S): Robin Rothman

ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

REVIEW: 
A solid airport slice. With a location before security and another at the gate, Sbarro offers travelers to the Puerto Vallarta airport (PVR) a decent rendition of the New York street slice. Puerto Vallarta's clear water, lush hills, palm trees, warm weather and a population of less than 400,000 makes it a tropical paradise compared to the hustle and bustle of gritty New York City. Perhaps this is why the area appeals to so many New Yorkers. The one drawback of being the antithesis of New York is the lack of access to a New York slice of pizza. Enter Sbarro. Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro opened up shop in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in 1956 and, in the years that followed, the name came to help define the New York street slice style.  The expansion of the franchise played a role in introducing most of the United States to the style in the form of mall food courts.  While the distance from the original Sbarro continues to grow both figuratively and literally, it is still serving as an ambassador of the style across the world. The slices are large and the toppings are plentiful and well-distributed. I like the generous portion of the savory tomato sauce. I recommend getting a slice of cheese and telling them you want extra hot so as to ensure they toss it back in the gas powered oven - like they do in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.  When you are done enjoying some of the best Mexican seafood Puerto Vallarta has to offer, ease the transition back to Estados Unidos by burning your remaining pesos on a slice at Sbarro. 

PHOTOS:
Day 29

Options

Cheese/Queso

slice of Cheese/queso

Underside

MISCELLANEOUS:
Robin Rothman and Sean Taylor
1. Robin Rothman and I returned home from Puerto Vallarta today. I hope to some day go back  That place is paradise.

2. On the flight home, I blogged and watched the sixth game of the Wold Series where Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals pitched into the 9th inning and Anthony Rendon collected 5 RBIs to force a game seven versus Houston.  Our flight left from Houston and, based on the audible moans, there were several disgruntled passengers.

RATING:
 3.47/5

  • VALUE:
     3/5

  • AMBIENCE:
     3/3

  • TASTE:
     6.5/10

  • SERVICE: N/A
12.5/18 = .694 x 5 = 3.47