My search for the best pizza in New York continues….
Not sure why but I expected more from Prova. I really had no good reason to since the new pizza stand is in the bottom of Grand Central Terminal (not always the best place for serious food), comes from Donnatella Arpaia (not my favorite person when it comes to pizza), and featured an array of slices for well above $4.
Yet I still had rather high hopes. Those all came crashing down one after the other once I visited the stand and ordered a slice of pizza.
Even though the pricier mushroom and meat options looked much more appealing, I ordered the traditional margherita in the interest of science. Always got to start with the original.
When it was handed to me, it looked like a thick square Sicilian slice I might have gotten from the roller rink when I was 12 years old. I asked the guy where the basil was (it listed that as an ingredient on the menu) and he said it’s under the cheese.
I went away and tasted the pizza – not only was there no basil, but the processed cheese was greasy and heavy. The bread was a bit crispy, but the rest of the ingredients were just sad.
I brought the slice back and told the guy there was no basil. They made me a new one and it came with a lonely burnt piece of basil on top this time (as the other margherita slices were presented). To be honest, it didn’t add much at all. The pizza was just as sad as before.
The saddest part of the whole thing is that I was in line with plenty of hungry tourists who wanted to finally get their taste of NY pizza. I really hope this is not the only one they taste on their visit to NYC.
Is Prova Pizzabar the best pizza in NY? I can’t say it is and for any tourists reading this, please know that NY pizza is more than this greasy, leaden, overpriced tourist trap. 5 out of 10.
| PROVA PIZZABAR |
| Food Court in Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd Street (between Vanderbilt Avenue and Park Avenue), Midtown East |
| provapizzabar.com |
