NYPD "Pie-racy"

It's always exciting when pizza is the cover story of a daily paper. It's even more exciting when the headlines are full of "cheesy" puns. Apparently this Florida franchise is not the only case of NYPD "pie-racy." This flickr post conveniently links to all the details.

Mario's Pizzeria, Clinton Hill

Address: 141 Greene Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Purchase: Two plain slices
Cost: $3.50
Pizza Rating:

I really wanted to give Mario's a higher rating than 2.5--they were friendly, the slices were cheap, and there was a window for ordering outside so I didn't have to pick up Bruno and carry him while I was inside. However, my two slices were totally blah. They were both sort of soggy and not very flavorful. Mario's is not a high volume pizza place, the two slices that I got for dinner looked like they had been sitting there since lunch time. I don't think I would every go back to Mario's for slices but I would certainly order a whole pie from them. Their pizza would be quite good if ordered fresh.

Bar Toto, Park Slope

Address: 411 11th Street (at 6th Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn
Purchase: 4 individual pizzas, and one terrible bowl of Butternut Squash soup, plus drinks
Cost: $9 to $12 a pizza
Payment: Cards accepted.
Pizza Rating:


Rating Bar Toto was tough because our visit there was so nice--good company, good conversation, great atmosphere, convenient location. Problem was, the pizza was... not so good. Despite the fun time, the definitive "no" to our standard "would-we-go-back?" screening left Bar Toto with a three-pizza rating. The Kentucky Derby brought us to Park Slope on Saturday to Carolyn's (a KY native) and Schot's apartment for Mint Juleps with their friend Jennah. After plenty of bourbon and chips and dip, we were ready for some real food, in walking distance. Bar Toto had great ambiance, and friendly service. However, the Quattro Formaggi pies that AJ and I both ordered (in spite of the menu only listing three cheeses, as Schot was so observant as to notice) started off with a warm and intriguing bacon-like flavor, but faded into a sharp burnt-cheese taste. Jennah pretty much nailed it when she described the crust, which was quite certainly of the "school cafeteria" variety.


Carolyn enjoys her first bite.


The "Quattro" Formaggi


Jennah's addition of ricotta to the traditional Margherita was a good call.


I actually like Carolyn's pizza the best--its caramelized onions and olives combination gave it a delicious sweet and salty mix.


All that crust left on AJ's plate? Not a good sign.

Bravo Pizza

Address: 146 5th Avenue at 19th Street
Purchase: 3 plain slices, 2 bottles of water
Cost: $2.25 a slice (Water $1.80!)
Pizza Rating:


Slices of the City may have been on a rather long stretch of delicious speciality pizzas, but we are still on our mission for that perfect plain slice you can grab in whatever neighborhood you find yourself. So, last weekend, when we were pressed for time on the way to the New York Boston Terrier Meetup—this month at Madison Square Park—we stopped for a slice at the first place we saw on 5th avenue. Probably won't stop there again. For me, it was an altogether Sbarros-esque experience. Greasy, and overheated. Apparently, however, they have several other locations around the city, so maybe a trip to another Bravo would raise its score.


Bravo Pizza (one of six locations.)


Bruno scopes out his new friends at the New York Boston Terrier April Meetup.

Amorina, Prospect Heights

Address: 624 Vanderbilt Avenue at Prospect Place
Purchase: 1 Norma Pizza, 1 Fava Bean and Artichoke Pizza, 1 Glass of Wine, 1 Brooklyn Pennant Ale
Price: $50 (including tip); Individual pizzas are $9 to $14.
Pizza Rating:


We actually found out aboout adorable little Amorina when it was featured in tables for two in the New Yorker a few weeks ago, and realized that not only did it sound delicious, but it was pretty nearby us, down on Vanderbilt Avenue. We walked there last night for dinner and really enjoyed it. The seating area is fairly small, (it was full the whole time we were there, but there never seemed to be a wait) and the kitchen was even smaller. Despite the take out service and deliveries, the pizzas are gourmet and individual-sized, with lots of traditional Italian ingredients, and more. AJ had the pizza special, with ricotta salata, artichoke hearts and fava beans, and it was absolutely delicious. I had the Norma, with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, ricotta salata, basil and fresh mint. The crust was a little doughy, but all in all I was very happy. Plus, the flowered wall paper and old Italian coke and gelati signs were quite charming.








The Norma, with eggplant, tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, ricotta salata, fresh basil and mint.


The pizza special of the day with ricotta salata, artichoke hearts, and fresh fava beans.

The City So Nice She Named it Sheisse

While our sporadic (at best) updates make me feel a little guilty for this awesome shoutout on my favorite NYC blog, I was still quite excited that Miss Heather, pizza lover or not, noticed that I had added her to our highly-selective blogroll. When I recently discovered newyorkshitty (through our neighborhood's blog when Clinton Hill's shit was featured) I spent about three hours straight reading old posts and laughing through tears while I read them out loud to AJ. I personally suggest checking out her McGolrick Park escapade and the tale of the beer fairy for a good laugh.

In pizza-related news, I got a sweet gummi-pizza in an Easter package from Mom!

Yes! Another trip to Sam's

When Jessica came to visit from Boston last weekend, we couldn't resist going back to Sam's. Delicious once again. Plus, it satisfied AJ's craving for their cheesecake... for a little while!


Jessica enjoys a first bite.


Awesome sign I didn't get a shot of the first time. Despite the black tape, I don't that smoking is allowed either.

Mellow Mushroom, Charlottesville

Address: 1321 West Main Street, on the Corner
Purchase: 14" pesto swirl & tomato pizza, pitcher of Rogue Dead Guy Ale, (and a half avocado sub!)
Price: $35 including tip
Payment: Cards accepted
Pizza Rating:


Mellow Mushroom has always been a favorite of ours, despite the cheesy psychedelic theme, and sometimes annoying underage-UVa student clientele. It's a southern-based, college-town, franchise with a tie-dyed mushroom as a mascot... you can pass your own judgements. But the draft beer list is always great (seriously, the best in Cville), and the pizza has a really delicious wheat crust (perfect for dipping in honey), lots of parmesan cheese, and a very addictive pesto swirl topping. The pesto-swirl gives the pizza a lot more oil, but it's worth it. They also happen to have my very favorite sandwich, the avocado sub, which I couldn't resist ordering a half of, despite our blog-review mission. Yum!








We're in town over NYU's spring break, so Margaret graciously puppy-sat Bruno at her lawn room while AJ and I ate.

New York's $1000 Pizza

This is a slice of city I don't think we'll be trying. With six types of caviar, shaved fresh lobster, and creme fraiche, New York Magazine reports that it tastes a lot like a bagel with lox and cream cheese. Hmm. Find it at Nino's Bellissima Pizza on Second Avenue and 47th Street. If you haven't already seen the video on every news channel, you can watch it here. Nino must have an awesome publicist.

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!