Crozet Pizza

Address: 5794 Three Notch'd Road, Downtown Crozet, VA
Purchase: One Medium (14"), 1/2 Cheese, 1/2 Spinach, Tomato, and Cherry Peppers, 1 Pepsi, 1 Bass Ale
Cost: $25.00
Payment: Cash or Check Only
Pizza Rating:


Crozet Pizza has been on our short list of places to review since we started this blog. We finally made the trip over our Christmas visit to Virginia. We were accompanied by Allie's little sister, Isabelle. The secret at Crozet Pizza is to only order the small or the medium pies. They use the same amount of dough for each size pie and if you order the large the crust is much thinner and more likely to be burnt. So we got a medium and chose spinach, tomato, and cherry peppers from their extensive toppings menu (which even includes peanuts!), and kept one half plain. I found the crust to be the best part of the pie; it was thin and crunchy yet still fluffy on the inside. Allie felt that the crust isn't as bubbly as it used to be and therefore not as good. (Another disappointing change is that they will no longer do 1/4 pizza toppings, which was always nice.) I thought that the peppers were too spicy and the crust got soggy rather qucikly. Overall Crozet Pizza scored so highly not due to quality of their pizza but because of the atmosphere and the memories associated with such an historic pizzeria.


Heading off towards Downtown Crozet


THE Crozet Pizza




The Menu Board


T.J.


The Back Room (also the site of Allie's 8th birthday party...)


The Pizza Maker (the next Bob Crum)


Our pizza before it entered the oven... yum!






Crozet Pizza Customers Around the World


Alex and John!


Isabelle serves it up!


Mangiamo!

Time Out for Pizza

Check out Time Out Magazine's all pizza feature this week.

Grimaldi's, DUMBO

Address: 19 Old Fulton Street, Under the Brooklyn Bridge
Purchase: One regular with garlic, One regular with riccotta, and half sausage, One bottle Chianti.
Cost:$75 including tip. One large pizza is $16.
Payment: Cash Only
Pizza Rating:


Finally Grimaldi's! After many recommendations, we made the trip to DUMBO for one of the most famous pies in the city, in honor of AJ's birthday. Lincoln and Andreas joined us, which made standing in line outside in the 40˚ for 45 minutes waiting for a table a little more fun. When we finally got a table, it was perfect. The menu is simple, no crazy preconceived combinations of toppings, you just choose your own. And since they come with a delicious crushed tomato sauce, the most exquisite mozzerella, fresh basil and grated parmesan, it doesn't really need anything. The crust is thin and crispy, without being brittle or charred, probably the result of the super-fast cooking time in the coal burning brick oven. We all agreed to give it five stars—not because it's Plato's ideal pizza, or even the best pizza I ever expect to have in New York, but just because it was really freaking good. Don't pass it up—just remember your hat and gloves!


Yep, that's the line.


We made it to the front!


There they are, making pizzas!


Check out that coal-burning oven.


So hungry.


Don't miss the view of Manhattan right down the hill! Bellissima!

Wedding Pizza at Joe's

wedding pizza
Originally uploaded by jsmooth995.

While AJ procrastinates actually reviewing Joe's (despite eating there four times a week), he did at least stumble across this very appropriate slice-of-the-city shot on flickr.

Pizza can be so romantic!

Fornino, Williamsburg

Address: 187 Bedford Ave. at N 7th, Williamsburg
Purchase: One bottle of wine ($18), One large Al Roker Pizza, One large Spinach Pizza
Cost: About $75 with tip (about $20 for each 8-slice, large, speciality pie)
Pizza Rating:


I realize this is our second (and overdue) non-traditional "Slices of the City" review, but good pizza is good pizza. Last weekend Meredith was in town from Boston, Lincoln came down from the UWS, and we met up with Helen, (who actually lives in Williamsburg) to finally try out Fornino. As expected from its rave reviews from all the reliable sources (Zagat: 22, 14, 18, $21), it was delicious! Truly "artisnal," and unique!

The spinach pie had fresh spinach leaves with white truffle oil (yum!), ricotta, pecorino, and pinenuts. The Al Roker, with roasted peppers, caramalized onions, garlic, rosemary (we held the prosciutto), had a red base and a really good flavor. The pizza on a whole was just like it would have been in Italy, especially the crispy crust. I'll admit, our server often dissappeared for long periods of time--perhaps because we were seated in the back room with the greenhouse (where they grow their own herbs and other ingredients), but that's not going to stop me from craving another Fornino pizza again soon!




The Spinach Pizza


The Al Roker

Papa John's Delivery

Address: Our apartment! (Fresh from 1111 Fulton Street)
Purchase: One large cheese pizza
Cost: $15.99 (with tax, delivery, and $3 tip)
Pizza Rating:


So a Papa John's just opened down street from us, and last night seemed as good as any to try it out (in the name of blogging research, of course). While we do consider ourselves idealist, "keep it local" folks, the convenience of online ordering, 20 minute delivery, and deliciously buttery garlic sauce, we have to indulge in the Papa once in awhile. The two and half stars were pretty much awarded entirely upon those three qualities, (the garlic sauce winning 2 whole pizza-stars (YUM!), and the convenience bringing it up a 1/2). The pizza itself was a little cold, the sauce a little sweet, and the cheese a tad bit chunky (rather then the melted warm gooeyness you get from a truly artisnal slice). I was inclined to bump it up to a 3 after enjoying a hits-the-spot slice this morning from the fridge, but AJ refused to stoop so low.

Arturo's Pizza (UES)

Address: York Avenue at E 85th Street
Purchase: One Plain Slice, One Peppers and Olive Slice, Ice Tea and a Water
Cost: $6.75
Pizza Rating:


Tonight Michelle treated me to pizza and ice cream after a tough afternoon of IKEA assembling. Arturo's was a nearby and well-reviewed place on menupages.com, so we decided to check it out. (I was of course attracted to it for its namesake.) The pizza wasn't too fresh, but then again it was a little late for pizza by the slice. The sauce had a nice flavor and I was pretty happy with the overall taste. Crust was a little flimsy though. I wouldn't mind trying Arturo's again in the future, but on the walk to Baskin Robins I noticed lots of competition.

Pizza Mercato

Address: 11 Waverly Place
Purchase: Two Slices, 12 oz Soda
Cost: $3.50
Pizza Rating:


Pizza Mercato is just as close to Washington Square Park as Ben's and probably even worse. They serve pizza plus other Italian dishes, spaghetti, lasagna, etc. It reminded me very much of a Sbarro's. The only reason I went there is that I had seen an advertisement for their specials. For $3.50 I got two slices and a soda. What a deal. I haven't seen anywhere in Manhattan with such good prices. But even if they started giving away the slices I don't think I would go back. The crust was thin and tasted like drywall and the sauce was sweet and from a can. The only reason they get such a high rating is due to the extremely cheap combination specials they offer.

Ben's Pizzeria

Address: 123 West 3rd Street
Purchase: Two Plain
Cost: $4
Pizza Rating:


Ben's is probably the closest pizzeria to Washington Square Park. This is the only reason that I would go back. Convenience, not quality, is Ben's only selling point. The slices are super greasy, chewy, and irregularly sized. The worst part is that half the times I've been there they either don't heat up the slices or only put them in the oven for about 30 seconds. Maybe the slices would be decent if they heated them up all the way, but I don't think that I'll be back to find out.

Don Filippo Pizza, Upper East Side

Address: Lexington Avenue at 78th Street
Purchase: One plain
Cost: $2.20 (I still don't get why some places don't include tax.)
Pizza Rating:


The closest *quality* slice to my school (that I've found so far, that is). A self-proclaimed "trattoria," this hole-in-the-wall pizza place offers a wide range of other Italian specialities, and even table service, although you wouldn't know it from the line of business men pushing and shoving to get a slice to go during the lunch rush. The place is a little dirty, and you can get a little clostrophobic while ordering, but it's pretty good for being right off Museum Mile, and there's almost always a place to sit once you get past the counter. The cheese slice is tasty, although the crust is a little thin and floppy. Definitely the place to go if you are starving after a visit to the Met. Anything closer to 5th Ave is a rip-off.

Famous Ray's of Greenwich Village

Address: 465 6th Ave (Corner of 11th St)
Purchase: Two plain, One Water
Cost: $5.60
Payment: Cash Only
Pizza Rating:


A friend of ours, Christi, told us that this was THE original Famous Ray's Pizza. The other original Famous Ray's Pizzas (NOT affiliated) have a lot to live up to, because the pizza here is quality. They were efficient, serving us plain slices straight out of the oven with no reheating wait. There was lots of cheese (maybe too much?) and the crust was tasty and bready, (a little thick?)--both of which made folding this slice in half to eat in the true New Yorker style a little difficult. All in all, the pizza here was tasty and fresh, and it's a convenient walk west of NYU on busy Greenwich 6th Avenue. At $2.25 a slice,* however, we really want it to wow us.




Mmm, cheesy!

* 3/8/08 UPDATE: Slices at Ray's are now an utterly out of control $2.75!

Driggs Pizza

Address: 558 Driggs Street at N 7th Street, Williamsburg
Purchase: One Plain Slice, One Grandma Slice, One Grandpa Slice, One Iced Tea, One Cream Soda
Cost: $9.75
Payment: Cash, Visa/MC ($10 minimum)
Pizza Rating:


Originally recommended to us by the girl at Built by Wendy, this was actually our third trip to Driggs, and certainly won't be our last. Driggs is an all around great shop, with good atmosphere, service, and most importantly, pizza. We tried three different slices on our visit. The plain slice was excellent. The cheese was fresh and gooey. There was minimal sauce but it was very tasty. In addition to a great plain slice, Driggs offers some delicious specialty slices. Instead of the usual dried out ricotta and ziti slice Driggs has the Grandma and Grandpa slices. Both are Sicilian style square slices with a medium thick crust. The Grandpa has a base of red sauce and cheese topped with fresh, extra garlicky, bruschetta. The Grandma is topped with a mixture of pesto, fresh mozzarella, and finely diced tomatoes. Both of these specialty slices were very good and much better than what you normally find for the price. Combined with the great plain slice and the cozy dining area, this is an overall excellent pizzeria.

New Roma Pizza, Lower East Side

Address: Essex Street at Delancey (LES)
Purchase: Three Plain Slices, Two Waters
Cost: $8.00
Payment: Cash only
Pizza Rating:


What attracted us to this particular place was, first, hunger, then, the humongous pizza slice towering over its bright red store front at corner of Delancey and Essex. While the customer service was quite friendly, the plain slices we had didn't make this any place to write home about. The crust was not a good texture, the sauce did not taste homemade, and the cheese was a little chewy and had that cheap reheated quality that becomes the deciding factor between a bad and a good slice. However, conveniently located at the Delancey Street Station on the F, J, M, and Z, New Roma served its purpose.


Photograph courtesy Lincoln Michel.