Co., Chelsea

Address: 230 Ninth Avenue at 24th Street
Purchase: Six 10" pizzas, a growler of beer, and two $7 bottles of sparkling water.
Cost: Pizzas range from $13 (Margherita) to $20 (Nightly specials), Growlers of draft beers $25
Pizza Rating:


AJ and I were in the city for a quick trip before Thanksgiving and finally decided on the relatively-new Co. in Chelsea for our pizza night out. Runners up were Kesté in the West Village, and Saraghina in Bed-Stuy, both of which we plan to visit in upcoming trips.

Co. is very trendy, despite it's generic exterior on 9th Avenue, so even though it was 7:00 on a Tuesday, we had to wait about 30-45 minutes. We were seated around the end of a long communal table, which was a tight fit, but I think we were all comfortable.

There were so many appetizing choices on the menu, plus three specials, so it took a while for everyone to settle on one. The waitress "encouraged sharing" as pizzas "may come out at different times." They were, in fact, delivered individually, but it wasn't too long wait for anyone. AJ and I shared a Margherita, which was as good as any I've ever had, with a light fresh sauce and deliciously fresh buffalo mozzarella. We also tried one of the specials of the night: the "Chanty Pie," with chanterelle mushrooms, leeks, and cubes of roasted turnips. It had three cheeses, and no red sauce. Absolutely scrumptious, although the turnips were a bit out of place.

Other hits at the table were the Brussels Sprouts pie, with shaved brussels sprouts and lardons, and the "Popeye," which had a very generous pile of spinach, and another combination of cheeses, pecorino, buffalo mozzarella, and gruyere. Both were without red sauce (as owner Jim Lahey explained to New York Magazine: "Tomatoes aren't even indigenous to Italy, so where do we get off saying it has to be tomatoes on top of the bread?").

My favorite part about the pizza at Co., however, was the crust. It was chewy and had a great flavor. Not too thin or crispy, but almost like Naan (it was also about the size of normal Naan, which is to say, rather small for a pizza.) I'm looking forward to trying a hand at the no-knead dough at home, with the recipe Lahey shared with NY Magazine.

The beer selection was good, and rather than pitchers, they offer $25 growlers served in their own Co. branded growlers, which match the Co. branded bottles of $7 sparkling water, of which Grier was so generous as to order two, despite the waiter's offer of "tap." A mistake he probably won't make again, but we all enjoyed the indulgence.

The Chanty Pie

A bit of the Margherita.

With Erin, Grier, Jake, and Lincoln.

Walking the Highline before dinner.

Birthday Dinner at Lucali

We celebrated my birthday last night with another visit to Lucali in Carroll Gardens, this time with Erin and Grier. It was just as delicious as I remembered, and this time we also tried the calzone, which was a real treat. The small is $10, and we split it as an appetizer. The same pizza toppings are offered as calzone stuffings, so we had basil and garlic, which went very well with the ricotta and mozzarella, and was absolutely delicious with their tangy tomato sauce, (when the waitress finally remembered to bring it over). We had called ahead to get on the wait list, so our time outside in the cold was tolerable, and although we waited a while for the first pizza, we ordered a second one when we were half way done, and it came quickly. Yum!


Erin and Grier make their first Slices of the City appearance. Finally!






Special topping of the night: Porcini mushrooms


Back at home for AJ's homemade red velvet cake and birthday candles!

Una Pizza Napoletana, East Village

Address: 349 E. 12th Street between 1st and 2nd avenues
Purchase: 1 Margherita, 1 Filetti, 1 aranciata, 1 Moretti
Cost: $65 including tip (each 12" pizza $21)
Payment: Cash only
Pizza Rating:

UPDATE

The folks at Una Pizza Napoletana are very serious about pizza. There is even a lengthy brochure for guests to take on their way out explaining the value of true Neapolitan ingredients and techniques. The menu consists of four, $21, twelve-inch, personal pizzas. The Marinara, Margherita, Bianca, and Filetti. No substitutions, no condiments (don't ask for red pepper flakes). Each is made with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella (imported from Napoli weekly), extra-virgin Souther Italian olive oil, fresh basil, and Sicilian sea salt. The dough is naturally leavened, and the pizza is baked in a wood-fired brick oven. "Nothing more pure or honestly wholesome can be bought at any price," the menu boasts (albeit somewhat defensively).

We had the Margherita and the Filetti. They were both absolutely delicious. The crust was fantastic—chewy, bubbly, fresh, and salty. We both preferred the Filetti, which has no sauce, but instead sliced cherry tomatoes, and fresh garlic (in addition to the bufala mozzarella, olive oil, basil, and sea salt that are on each of the four pizzas). It was honestly a mouth-watering combination of warm and complex flavors. Despite all the literature, and while we do recognize that the highest-quality ingredients are expensive, these "vera pizze napoletane" are a little rich for our blood. The bare-boned atmosphere and clothless marble tables didn't quite prepare me for what was probably the most expensive pizza bill of Slices of the City history. But that pizza tasted really freakin good. I'm pretty sure every pizza-lover should splurge for it at least once.

Overall, Una Pizza Napoletana serves pies of a quality with which I am fairly certain no other NYC pizzeria (and probably few in Italy) can compete. As owner Anthony Mangieri closes his brochure, "Taste may be an opinion, but quality is a fact."


The Husband


The Margherita


The Filetti


The Pizzaiolo

Mezzogiorno, SoHo

Address: 195 Spring Street and Sullivan
Purchase: Many personal pizzas
Cost: $14 - $16 per pizza
Pizza Rating:


Bachelorette Party meets gourmet pizza! Spring Street's Mezzogiorno made for a very special pizza party on Saturday night with nine of my closest girlfriends (seven of whom came to the city from out of town just for my party!). Our table for ten was all ready for us when we arrived at 8:30 and promptly filled the front window with our homemade sequined tees. Despite our appearance, including my sparkly pink lei, we received excellent and proper service. After a few delicious appetizers, our pizzas came quickly, and disappeared almost as fast.

We ordered several variations and all were delicious. The pesto and pine-nuts Pizza Selvatica was especially a hit. Chris had a very delicious salad, the Costa Smeralda, with avocado, shrimp and crab. Marisa's and my Margherita pizzas were unfortunately lacking the basil that was listed on the menu, but perhaps that was due to the season. Tina and Launa's Bianca al prosciutto crudo looked pretty tasty, topped with fontina cheese, fresh tomato, arugula and prosciutto crudo (at left). The crust was not quite as bubbly as I like, but still thin, crispy and flavorful. Paired with the house spicy olive oil, it really hit the spot.

While the pizza alone probably only deserved a 4, our excellent window table, attentive service, and, of course, my gorgeous company made the night one of the best in Slices of the City history.

Tina and Launa sample the Selvatica pizzas before tasting their own, the Bianca al prosciutto crudo.

Soraya and Jessica and their pesto pizzas.


The Pizza Margherita

Four more: Joanna's Prosciutto Cotto, Marjorie's Selvatica, Meredith's Funghi, and Marisa's Margherita.


Meredith and Marisa, my bridesmaid and maid of honor, and hostesses extraordinaire.


All the girls before we left for the restaurant.

Lucali, Carroll Gardens

Address: 575 Henry Street, at 1st Place
Purchase: 1 pizza with basil
Price: $19
Payment: Cash Only
Pizza Rating:

UPDATE

When our waitress placed our fresh Lucali's pizza right under our noses, I was sure even before my first bite that it was going to get the five pizzas rating. I was still pretty convinced after I'd finished my first slice. But, unlike Grimaldi's, where the five pizza rating went without saying, AJ and I had to talk Lucali's out. Before we could really settle on that exclusive honor of Slices of the City perfection, we decided that we would try the espresso at the end, as a little tie breaker between Lucali's and some of our very favorites, like Driggs or Sam's. So, when the espresso machine wasn't even working... we had to settle with four and a half. (Which is pretty darn good pizza!)



Let me tell you, Lucali's was one of the freshest-tasting pies I've ever had. The crust was soft, but thin, the sauce was salty and tangy, with a hint of roasted garlic, and the buffalo mozzarella—topped with Grana Padano and basil after it came out of the oven—was heavenly.

The dining area is pleasant and homey, and the kitchen (if you can call an oven and two pizza makers at a table a "kitchen") is open and candle-lit, just like all the tables. Their simple menu adds to the charm. Two choices: pizza (one size only), or calzone. They offer a few toppings (pepperoni, sausage, peppers, garlic, basil, etc.), but all pizzas are $19, tax included. And, it's BYOB, with a $4 wine fee.

Many thanks to Marc for the stellar recommendation. Only when I was double checking the address online did I realize that Lucali, which just opened last fall, had already won 2007 Best Neighborhood Pizzeria in New York Magazine. I guess we're a little out of the loop... unlike the line of people waiting outside when we got there. One last tip—call ahead.


For pizzaiolo Mark Iacono's story about opening this neighborhood gem, you can check out the Times' review.




Hours of Operation: "6pm til we run out"


After dinner we walked down Carroll Street and over the BQE to Red Hook for a few drinks at the best little bar in Brooklyn.

Sam's Restaurant

Address: 238 Court Street at Baltic, Cobble Hill
Purchase: One large regular, plus drinks, antipasti plate, and dessert
Price: The meal was on Charlie (Thanks, Chas!)
Payment: Cash only
Pizza Rating:


This old-school Italian restaurant and pizzeria had a lot of things going for it when we went with my godfather Chas and his niece Cyndy last month.* First of all, great atmosphere--charming decor, my favorite pizzeria-checkered table cloths, etc. Second of all, a ten-year-old was having a surprise party in the back room, which added a lot to the place's friendly mood. And third, the pizza was delicious! Fresh, hot, flavorful, thin but not too thin crust... Sam's is great. It's been on our list for a while, so I'm glad Cyndy, (who lives in Prospect Heights--and knows what's up with Brooklyn pizza!) recomended it for Charlie's visit from Cary, NC. It ended up being one of my very favorite pizzas yet. Plus the homemade Italian cheesecake was a tasty bonus. I can't wait to go back.


The pizza looked so good we forgot to get a picture before we started chowing down.




Chas and Cyndy


I'll take it!


I got this storefront photo off flickr. Don't know much about the steaks and chops... maybe it's best stick to the pizza. However, Sam's has been on Court Street since the 1930s, so they've probably got it all down.

*Thanks to Chas for the great pictures... better late than never!

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.