NYC Pizza Survey

[docsconz]

Nice pics and descriptions. I wish I coulda been there!

[spaghetttti]

Nice pics and descriptions. I wish I coulda been there!

←

Me, too! Do y'all plan to eat pizza and conduct surveys in November?

Edited October 18, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[slkinsey]

Just one thing, though, Sam: I'm not sure what YOU mean by "oven spring" but in baking circles, that's the rise of the dough when it initially meets the heat of the oven, iirc.  Your photo is of something else --plyabilty?

←

Exactly. I'll expand on it when I put in the narrative, but what that picture shows is that there isn't much oven spring to speak of. When you look at the side of a spice of pizza, especially looking at the cornicione, you can see what kind of oven spring they're getting. Somewhere upthread there's a picture of a Grimaldi's slice with amazing oven spring. (BTW, there is a clickable index of Surveyed pizzerie on the first post of the thread.)

[phaelon56]

Do y'all plan to eat pizza and conduct surveys in November?

←

Does that mean uou'll be in NYC and we'd have the pleasure of your company? I'd have to make another long schlep to NY for that!

And a long schlep it was. I installed an espresso machien in "gorges" Ithaca and headed down to NYC. WEre it not for a series of misadventures in finding the place (don't ask) and horrendous traffic in Manhattan. I might have made it there when the food was really up and hot.

As it were, I did have a half slice of the calamari (okay but on the bland side) and a full slice of the red pepper pie (despite havign sat on the tray for awhile it was outstanding).

It was great to meet some new folks and reconnect with some I'd met on a previous trip. The gelato was definitely a highlight. Who'd a thunk that Gorgonzola or olive oil gelato could be so sensuous, so appealing.... so right?

[Suzanne F]

You mean that was YOU coming in as I was going out? Damn! Sorry we were ships that passed in the, um, late afternoon.

[docsconz]

It seems as if everyone thought the calamari pizza too bland. Did anyone add salt to it? Was that an option? If so, did it make a difference?

[alacarte]

Guys, my apologies for being a no-show. I had an earlier commitment in midtown and realized too late that I wouldn't be able to make it downtown in time...and didn't have Sam's phone # with me. Sorry -- but it looks like everyone had a good time and some great pizza! I'll be reading all the responses.

[bpearis]

While you all were at Arturo's, I went with a friend to Una Pizza Napoletana (click here for the post).

Edited October 18, 2004 by slkinsey (log)

[phaelon56]

You mean that was YOU coming in as I was going out?  Damn!  Sorry we were ships that passed in the, um, late afternoon.

←

If you mean the dude in black with the red and gray goatee... yes that was me. Maybe next time.

[slkinsey]

My pictures are now updated with narrative upthread.

[bergerka]

That was FUN, y'all! Even if ASU did get totally humiliated by USC (oh well, at least the Jets won ).

My fave pizzas, in order:

1. Red pepper

2. Sausage

3. Clam

4. Pepperoni

5. Plain

I refrained from the calamari pizza, as it just didn't seem appealing to me.

Sometime I want to go back with brave souls and spend the $15 extra to get the lobster pizza. C'mon, it sounds great!

In general, I thought this was one of the best places we've been. As others have mentioned, the crust, although a little thicker than places like Patsy's, was crispy, pretty flavorful and nicely charred. I would've preferred a little more salt, or spice, or something in the sauce - I thought it was a tad sweet and bland - but that was only really obvious in the plain pie. Once we added toppings, their saltiness made up for it.

And the waitstaff ROCKED.

Would definitely visit again, ideally very soon.

K

[spaghetttti]

That was FUN, y'all! 

←

Oh my, you look gorgeous in that group picture!!!

[slkinsey]

While you all were at Arturo's, I went with a friend to Una Pizza Napoletana (click here for the post).

←

Sounds awesome. We'll have to check it out once the opening hype dies down a little.

[JennyUptown]

Oh my, you look gorgeous in that group picture!!!

←

Hotties all around. The photos of the food are also excellent. I passed Arturo's 1,000,000 times while living on Cornelia, but never made it in which sounds like a missed opp now.

I wish I could have joined you, but I stayed put in DC.

[SarahD]

I don't have much to add to the excellent posts above. I thought the first plain pie had an excellent cracker-like crisp to it's crust though it was a tad bland. The clam pie was a total surprise and completely blows away that fiasco of a clam pie at Lombardi's. My favorite by far was the sausage. It wasn't too greasy and the sausage was nicely seasoned with fennel and something else that I couldn't quite identify.

The shadow survey of gelato at conducted at Otto was outstanding and worthy of many many more samplings.

[Rachel Perlow]

It seems as if everyone thought the calamari pizza too bland. Did anyone add salt to it? Was that an option? If so, did it make a difference?

←

It was bland, yes, but the calamari was cooked just right so it has a lot of potential. It should be worth noting that the standard pizza toppings of red pepper flakes, oregano, granulated garlic, and grated cheese are available on every table, in addition to salt & pepper. I added a little of each (not the s&p) and it vastly improved the slice -- I guess I would have liked mozzarella on it, I want cheese on my pizza.

To me the only pizza that didn't need any of those toppings was the sausage. The seasonings in the sausage itself flavored the pie so well that it leads me to believe it was put on the pizza raw, so the flavored fat could ooze everywhere.

The clam pie was pretty much tied for first for me, although a shake of red pepper flakes was helpful, and I wouldn't have minded some tomato sauce.

[Pan]

I emulated Rachel by putting some powdered garlic on the calamari pizza and found it helped a lot.

[Jen Keenan]

What a fabulous time! I don't know how you all can rank things – what was better? The pizza? The gelato? Meeting eGulleteers? How can I possibly say?

I did really like the texture of the pepperoni, which is my favorite topping of all time. However, with spiced meat being one of my top five favorite foods, I have to admit it wasn't spicy enough for me. I may be a weirdo, but I really liked that the crust had some body to it as well as having a crispy bottom. But I don't know from oven spring, so I guess I'll just have to keep showing up until I find it

Sam, everyone's mention of the blandness of the calamari pizza reminded me your original idea was to get calamari and capers – what made you change your mind?

And don't forget to let us know if you ever really want to figure out the Patsy's distance / suckiness factor. That would be a fun day indeed. (Especially if we make sure we're near Otto at the end!)

[Suzanne F]

That's right! Sam, you shouldn't have cut the capers. I'll be that would have been perfect. Oh well, next time.

[MobyP]

It was lovely meeting you all. I'm only sorry I didn't get to share the final pie, not meet Owen.

Much thanks to Sam for arranging. SuzanneF - not to worry. The next time an eGulleter tells me to wear my pants on my head, I'll understand it's a euphemism.

[bergerka]

SuzanneF - not to worry. The next time an eGulleter tells me to wear my pants on my head, I'll understand it's a euphemism.

←

Wait...it is? Oh...crap...that explains the looks I got at Henry's last night...

K

[Pan]

Which place is next? It's never too early to start planning, is it?

I vote for Franny's, but there are various other coal oven places right here in the East Village.

[JAZ]

If I hadn't been to Patsy's earlier in the week, I'd have said that Arturo's is the best restaurant pizza I've ever eaten. San Francisco's pizza is so abyssmal in comparison -- they just can't do crust here.

I thought the red pepper was the best, closely followed by the clam. The sausage was good, but I've actually had much better sausage here. (Maybe because the crust at SF pizza places sucks so bad, they make up for it with really good sausage.)

It was great meeting everyone, and the gelato at Otto was divine. I probably won't make any of the future survey outings, but if this one is any indication of the general quality, I'd definitely recommend joining in to anyone who's considering the next one.

[tupac17616]

Which place is next? It's never too early to start planning, is it?

I vote for Franny's

←

Me too

[slkinsey]

We can definitely consider Franny's, but there are a few things prospective participants need to consider:

1. The pizzeria is very small, and has only small tables. They normally do not accommodate large groups, and so we'd have to make special arrangements -- which will increase the lead time.

2. Franny's is substantially more expensive than the other pizzerie we have visited thus far. An appetizer, individual pizza and a pint of beer will run around 38 bucks with the tip. Now, that's okay with me considering the quality of what you get... but it's something people should understand. If you're on a tight budget, Franny's may not be for you.