Food Adventuring Around NYC
I have recently been referred to as “the pizza guy” among my friends. I have absolutely no idea why. And everybody seems to have a suggestion for what the pizza guy should try next. I love everybody’s enthusiasm. I’ll just feel bad if I go to somebody’s favorite pizza place and then give it a …
In previous posts, I’ve called Ray’s the McDonald’s of NY pizza chains and Patsy’s the Starbucks. And now I come to another visible NY pizza empire and the question arises, what recognizable corporation can I compare Two Boots to? And after much consideration, I guess they’d have to be the Urban Outfitters – they’re hip, …
If there’s a battleground for the pizza wars in New York, it might be on Bleecker Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. In the middle of the street, you can find the old standby John’s of Bleecker, which has been there since 1929. And directly across the street is the new favorite Neapolitan style …
New York is a big city for sure, but not so big that a sense of community is lost. In Brooklyn, there is a huge community of artists and musicians and most of them never leave the borough, unless they have a gig or a David Byrne lecture to attend somewhere. And many of the …
There are so many different possibilities with pizza. You can have thin crust, thick crust, white, deep dish, stuffed, vegetarian, organic, kosher, leftover. The variations are endless. And what’s great (but daunting for me) is that New York seems to offer every single option. One type of pizza that was completely foreign to me was …
There have been a few times in my 8 years in New York when I’ve stayed within the 5 boroughs yet felt like I was in a vacation town somewhere far away. Going out to Coney Island makes me feel as if I should be walking around in my bathing suit and drinking piña coladas …
SADLY, CO. IS NOW CLOSED. About a year ago, the hip new pizza movement in New York City became evident when Jim Lahey opened a spare, homey pizza restaurant in Chelsea with lots of natural lighting. Lahey is first and foremost a baker and has been making delicious pizza-like concoctions at Sullivan Street Bakery for years. …
When you think of pizza, generally the ingredients that come to mind are cheese, tomato, bread, basil, maybe pepperoni or sausage, mushrooms or anchovies, maybe even olives and garlic. Thanks to California Pizza Kitchen, pineapple and BBQ chicken aren’t so far-fetched. But one ingredient that is often involved but not predominant is salt. Well, the …
SADLY, ROSERIO’S AND ROCKET JOE’S EAST ARE BOTH NOW CLOSED. Pizza and beer. Well, probably more accurately, beer and then pizza. There’s nothing better to indulge in after a late night of bar hopping than a greasy slice of NY’s treasured pizza. And I feel like there’s no better neighborhood in Manhattan to experience both …
Even self-proclaimed foodies like myself have been known to make mistakes. They don’t happen often, but most of my mistakes come from ordering food. That’s probably why I’m so neurotic when it comes to choosing an entree. I want to make sure I try the best option on offer. “Live today like it’s your last, …
SADLY, RAY’S PIZZA IS NOW CLOSED. You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension of many pizzerias all claiming to be the original and famous Ray’s. A journey into a wondrous city of entrepreneurs who have no imagination. That’s the red font up ahead and the aroma of cheesy grease – your next stop, the (Pizza) Pie-light …
Unless you inherited one or were grandfathered in, it is illegal to own and use a coal-burning oven. It’s bad for the environment and it’s competition for the likes of Grimaldi’s and Lombardi’s. We don’t want any black lung or broken knee caps. You can imagine whenever a coal-burning pizzeria closes, many budding NY pizzaioli …
According to dictionary.com. “pizza” is defined as: –noun, a flat open-faced baked pie of Italian origin, consisting of a thin layer of bread dough, topped with tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with anchovies, sausage slices, mushrooms, etc. So there we have it folks, an actual definition of one of our favorite foods. Now, I …
Things are constantly changing in this city. It feels like more so than the rest of the world. There’s always a new fashion, a new restaurant, a new Apple Store, a new cockroach tormenting my roomates. The art and science worlds are two that never seem to stop evolving. Technology is constantly surpassing us to …
According to their website, the owners of Serafina were lost at sea and swore if they ever got rescued, they’d open up an Italian restaurant. Can you imagine Tom Hanks in Cast Away telling Wilson the volleyball that all he wants to do if he is rescued is open up a chain of Red Lobsters? …
It’s the dream of every foodie to discover a secret unexploited gem. Something that people will be talking about and will push the business to the next level. Of course, that and to be a contestant on Supermarket Sweep. (Is that show even still on the air?) I want to announce to the world (wide …
“Here try this slice while you’re waiting.” “You only ordered one slice? Have this one too.” “Since you’ve never been here before, I wanted you to try this.” These are not statements you hear at a New York pizzeria. Free pizza? Generous employees? These would make sense if I was in some Italian grandmother’s dining …
No Slices, no slices!!! Every time I had heard about John’s of Bleecker, this is what I was constantly reminded. Okay, fine, the place doesn’t serve slices. Maybe this was a big deal at one point, but nowadays most of the great pizza places have the same mantra. But for some reason, John’s seems to …
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I especially love walking around the city and watching all the freaks come out and flaunt themselves. It’s a campy, spooky surreal evening. I’m not one to dress up though – partly because I’ve been an actor for so long, so I only do it when I get …
I am sad to report, at this time, I can not include Totonno’s in my search for the best pizza in the city. Totonno’s might be the second official pizzeria in NY. Anthony “Totonno” Pero was the first master pizziaolo of Lombardi’s. The original Totonno’s opened on Coney Island in 1924 and shut down in …