Entries tagged with 'East Harlem'
Posted by DJ Bubbles, March 18, 2008 at 12:30 PM
The sixth slice is as good as the first. Yes, I just said 'sixth.'
I would like to piggyback off of the Real Slim Shady's recent comments on America's Favorite Pizza Weblog and take it one step further with respect to his top two NYC pizzerias. I recently visited both Di Fara and Patsy's within 24 hours of each other, and my memories of both are still fresh in my mind.
When Patsy's of East Harlem is "on," as AK likes to say, they are not only number one in New York, there is some serious distance between them and Di Fara, and I'll tell you why: balance. I may sound like a broken record to some of you, but let's lay it down, and if the comments pour in disagreeing with me, then so be it.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 18, 2008 at 8:15 AM
Reaching into the Slice mailbag ...
Thanks to you and others at Slice for updates on the world's greatest food—pizza Napoletana Margherita. As a frequent visitor to New York City, I have come to love this simple, delicious combination of crust, sauce, cheese and a little basil and olive oil.
I have visited almost all of the noteworthy pizzerias in the five boroughs (see my top five listed below) and am puzzled by the lack of recognition for the original Patsy's on First Avenue between 118th and 119th in East Harlem. I have never been disappointed in a Patsy's pizza, as the coal oven produces the best smoky, crispy, chewy crust and a great balance between flavorful sauce, creamy fresh mozz, and basil on top.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 27, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Hope you're thoroughly glutted on leftover turkey sandwiches at the moment.
Quick question, I was thinking of finally hitting Patsy's this weekend and was wondering if it's worth the trip to the original up in Harlem? I thought all the Patsy's were owned by the same people but I noticed the original isn't listed on their website. So really who else can I turn to with such a pizza conundrum?
—Bret S.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, October 28, 2007 at 10:00 PM
After starting a six-pizzeria pizza crawl at Franny's, travelers board the" Pizza Express."
This afternoon I had the pleasure of riding aboard what I'll call the Scott Wiener Pizza Express.
Scott Wiener is a true pizza lover, one who keeps a pizza journal that's legendary among those who know him, and his love and enthusiasm for the pie is truly infectious. So much so that a little more than 20 people showed up for a tour that would take us from Prospect Heights to deep Brooklyn, up to East Harlem, and back again to Brooklyn (see map, after the jump).
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 9, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Reader comment and response is still pouring in thanks to yesterday's New York Times story. So many great comments and recommendations. And questions. Reaching into the proverbial mailbag, we have ...
Dear Slice,
Do you know of any good late night or 24 hour pizza places in NYC?
—Bilal
Dear Bilal,
Slice is a homebody, more prone to lying prone on the couch at night, remote in hand, watching Battlestar Galactica. But our favorite late-night (if not 24-hour) place is Vinny Vincenz. Great squares here. Sunday through Thursday till 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday till 4:30 a.m.
Late enough for you?
And, as always, readers, if you know of any good 24-hour or late-night pizzerias, chime in with your comments!
Hasta la pizza,
Adam
VINNY VINCENZ
Address: 231 First Ave., New York NY 10003 [East Village, b/n 13th/14th sts.; map]
Getting There: L train to First Ave. Vincenz is practically on the corner
Phone: 212-674-0707
URL: vinnyvincenz.com
Posted by DJ Bubbles, October 19, 2006 at 10:05 AM
An interesting item hit the Slice inbox yesterday.
OK guys, put this in your pie and smoke it!
A couple of caveats: The list isn't quite as definitive as it claims to be, as it is missing any critical analysis of Staten Island, Queens, and Bronx joints. When you guys post this on the site (front page, please), perhaps you may want to refer to it as "The Definitive Manhattan and Brooklyn Top 10 List." We've all been to these places enough times to know what's going on and who's coming with their A game and who isn't.
Seltzerboy, as a fellow SU alum, I tried to get in touch with you when I first moved to New York, and I also furnished you with a copy of the Syracuse Pizza Manifesto, another masterwork I coauthored. But to no avail, I never really heard back from you other than a weak Orangeman shout out. We'll take you choads in a pie-off any day of the week! Now, without further ado....
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Posted by Adam Kuban, October 4, 2006 at 9:56 AM
Jeff Varasano (left), the man who gained quick internet fame when he announced his successful reverse-engineering of Patsy's Pizza (the East Harlem location, naturally), was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday.
Jeff Varasano on the CBC [.wmv]
Freestyle: October 3, 2006 [cbc.ca]
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 17, 2006 at 11:51 PM
I don't even know what to say about this recipe. Just reading through it makes my head spin. Software engineer Jeff Varasano (above) has been trying for six years to craft a pizza along the lines of Patsy's in East Harlem. As of August 22, he claims to have done so:
This pizza is modeled after Patsy's on 117th street in NYC. I have been working on this for SIX years, but FINALLY I can report that I have achieved my goal. Many people have tried my pie and swear it is not only the best pizza they've ever had, but a clone of the original Patsy's recipe. This pie is incredibly light and perfectly charred. It took just 2 minutes and 10 seconds to bake at 825F....
Reproducing this was no easy feat. It's been a bit of an obsession. I've had a lot of failed experiments. It's only now, in the past 6 months that I can honestly say that the recipe is fully accurate and reproducible. The final breakthrough came in Jan 2005 when I finally got a handle on the proper mixing equipment and procedure. But do not think that following this will be easy. It's not. It will still take practice. A few others have confirmed that by following these steps they too have come to near perfection. This may be the most detailed, accurate and complete recipe on the net for making a true Pizza Napoletana.
To get your oven to 825°, you'll need to do a little hacking. On his own oven, Mr. Varasano cut off the lock that engages during the self-clean cycle so he can still open the door when the unit heats to superhigh temps.
Patsy's Pizza Recipe [think2020.com/jv/recipe.htm; via Perlow]
UPDATE: Full recipe now here [think2020.com/jv/pizza.htm]
UPDATE 2: Mr. Varasano's server has stumbled under the load of Boing Boing and Fark readers. Slice is now mirroring his page: http://sliceny.com/jvpizza.php
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 8, 2006 at 3:18 PM
Just saw Boing Boing mention Turn Here, a video site that features fun footage of places (hopefully) near you. And you and you and you and you. We did a search for pizza and found a couple neat shorts starring competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti. In Part 1, Mr. Conti visits Koronet Pizza in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood and Pizza Gruppo in the borough's East Village. Both choices make sense, given his eating feats. Koronet's slices are known for their HUGEness (as big as your head) and Gruppo is so thin that you could eat tons of it before feeling all that full
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 31, 2006 at 2:18 PM
In yesterday's New York Times F.Y.I. column, the question was raised: Where was the first Ray's Pizza, and what's the story behind it?
A. Why don’t you ask something simple, like what happened to Judge Crater? Some New York culinary questions (just who invented the black-and-white cookie is another) are destined to remain shrouded in mystery. The evolution of Ray’s Pizza resists an easy explanation....
The Ray’s question is also bristling with lawyers. Rosolino Mangano, of Famous Original Ray’s Pizza on Columbus Avenue near 83rd Street, went to court in the early 1990’s, registered that name and branched out with many identically named Ray’s, run mostly by relatives, with others under license. Then there was Ralph Cuomo, who in 1959 opened a Ray’s Pizza at 27 Prince Street and then another one on First Avenue and 59th Street; the second location ended up in Mr. Mangano’ s hands. Other would-be Rays said they had a right to their versions. Some joined forces; some sued. You get the idea.
Slice suspected as much, from the research we've done on the topic, that's why you've never seen an in-depth investigative piece on the place on this website. I mean, if the might and muscle of the Gray Lady couldn't uncover the truth, we're afraid the Ray's question will forever remain a greasy mystery.
FURTHER READING
From A Full Belly, March 18, 2004:
Food Wars claims that there are at least 3,000 pizzerias in New York, and at least 30 of them use some form of “Ray’s” in their name including but not limited to Ray’s, Ray’s Pizza, Famous Original Ray’s Pizza, Ray’s Famous Original Pizza, World Famous Ray’s Pizza, Not Ray’s Pizza, and RayBari Pizza. A quick poll of Citysearch finds 2788 results on “pizza” and 45 results on “Ray’s pizza”. The thing is, there is no Ray.
Using his mom’s pizza recipt, Ralph Cuomo opened Ray’s in 1959 in Little Italy, which quickly became known as the place to buy the slice (and later, the place to buy a slice AND some heroin, but curiously enough Food Wars fails to mention this bit of trivia). In the early 60’s, Cuomo opened a second Ray’s (54th and 7th Ave), which was eventually bought by Rosolino Mangano. Mangano changed the name to Famous Original Ray’s, even though it wasn’t the original. Mangano now goes by the name “Ray” even though legal name is still Rosolino, and has opened Famous Original’s all over New York City. Mangano also claims that he is the “Ray” that has made the name "Ray’s" famous.
In 1981, Mangano sold a store to someone else, who continued using the name “Ray’s” and soon more “Ray’s” pizzeria variations began popping up. Ralph Cuomo then attempted to trademark the name "Ray’s." The three "Ray’s" pizza players eventually incorporated together, trademarked the name Ray’s, and then went after everyone else using the name.
But wait, there’s more! Joe Bari bought a “Ray’s Restaurant” in 1973 and turned it into a pizzeria and added his own name, Ray Bari Pizza. Bari believes he, not Mangano of Famous Original Ray’s, made the name famous by using cab drivers to spread to word about the pizzeria. Joe Bari refused to change the name, and was sued by the corporate Ray’s, and eventually changed his restaurant name to RayBari Pizza.
And there you have a small slice of the contentious history behind New York pizza.
You Can Call Them Ray [New York Times]
New York Pizza, Part 1 [A Full Belly]
Posted by Ed Levine, February 16, 2006 at 8:43 AM
Here's the American Pizzeria Timeline, which includes only two non–Pizza Belt entries, Tommaso's and Uno's:
1905: Lombardi's, on Spring Street in New York City, is granted the nation's first license to sell pizza.
1910: Joe's Tomato Pies opens in the Trenton, New Jersey, Chambersburg neighborhood.
1912: Papa's Tomato Pies in Trenton opened by Papa, who learned his trade at Joe's.
1924: Anthony (Totonno) Pero leaves Lombardi's and opens Totonno's in Coney Island, New York.
1925: Frank Pepe opens on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, December 9, 2005 at 12:49 PM
From the New York Post's Page Six "Sightings" item today: "... Martha Stewart drawing applause as she entered Luzzo's on First Avenue for a three-hour feast of pasta and Neapolitan pizza ... "
FURTHER READING
New Coal-Oven Place in the City!
Luzzo's in the New York Post
Jeffrey Steingarten on Coal-Oven PIzza
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 15, 2004 at 2:41 PM
How Old Are You Now: Slice celebrated its one-year anniversary on Wednesday evening at Patsy's in East Harlem. Patsy's is one of our favorite pizzerias and is notable for being one of the few coal-fired-oven shops that sells pizza by the slice—for a buck fifty, no less (top right).
PATSY'S
Location: 2287 First Ave. (b/n 117th/118th)
Getting There: 6 train to 116th; walk east to First; turn right; walk 1.5 blocks up
Payment: Cash only
The Skinny: One of our favorite pizzerias, but has suffered from inconsistent pie quality of late. Stick to the plain pies, either regular or fresh mozzarella, and try going with a number of people—multiple pies guarantee that you'll get at least one or two superb pizzas.
I hate the sight of a baby in a restaurant. Those fat little saps can't appreciate the food. They crap themselves. And, worse, they're prone to noisy outbursts. But when the baby in question is Slice and it's celebrating its first birthday, things are different. And so on Wednesday night I found myself at Patsy's in East Harlem, with a handful of Slice readers, as we marked this site's first anniversary with a very special Pizza Club.
With its coal-fired oven; tasty pies; legendary provenance; and large, downbeat dining room, Patsy's was the natural choice for the occasion.
In his book American Pie, Peter Reinhart describes two kinds of perfect pizzas: the contextually perfect pizza and the technically perfect pizza. The contextually perfect pie, he says, might not be perfect in execution, but for some reason it's the perfect pizza at that time. Maybe, as a cash-strapped graduate student, it was the place you began your first date with the woman who, a couple years later, would become your wife. Sure they used canned mushrooms and their crust was a little too thick, but you can't order a pie there without thinking of how nervous you were meeting her there before heading off to see Titanic. Or maybe it's the only place you can afford to take your kids when you have 'em for the weekend 'cause your lying cheat of a husband left you for that tramp, gained custody, and then took half your goddamn money, but gee how those kids love that pizza and damn how they look at you when you indulge them in the doughy goodness that their Atkins-following dirtbag of a father denies them. That is contextually perfect pie. Technically perfect pie is like the pizzas that a coworker and I had last night at Una Pizza Napoletana.
The first time I had Patsy's, it embodied both kinds of perfection. From the red patinated neon sign in the window to the empty, dimly lit dining room with its Frank Sinatra portrait on the wall and its black-and-white penny-round tile floor—this was a classic Italian eatery (even though it was by then owned by Albanians). Heck, I half expected to find a gun taped behind the toilet tank. And the pizza itself, my word. Thin, light, crisp charred crust. Perfect balance of cheese and sauce. Excellent toppings. You get the picture. It has been a favorite of mine since.
Joining me on this auspicious evening were seven guests. Slice's metro editor, Seltzerboy, had tickets to the Yankees game and sadly could not join us. As for our roving reporter E-Rock, I sent that sumbitch to Chicago as punishment for having missed too many pizza clubs in the past. (He will, of course, provide a full report of his deep-dish detention session.) Among the illustrious guests were veteran pizza clubbers Tien, Janelle and Joe S. Rounding out the party were first-timers "JXM" (a good friend I was happy to see there), Youngna, Danny G., and Jen from Gothamist.*
What can I say about Patsy's that I haven't already said? Once all the guests that seemed likely to come had arrived, we ordered four pies: a plain with regular mozzarella, a plain with fresh mozzarella, a sausage-and-onion pie, and a mushroom pie. First out was the sausage and onion (above right). Normally my favorite combo for a pie, the meat and vegetable proved to be tasty but sog inducing. This was universally the least favorite pie at the table.
Next out were the plain pies—both the regular- and fresh-mozzarella varieties. These were well received, with a couple Patsy's first-timers commenting that they represented the best pizza they had ever had. Unfortunately, I had had better from Patsy's. While not as soggy as the plain regular-mozz pie I had on Tuesday night (I was doing pre-club recon work), it wasn't up to the level of quality of which I knew Patsy's was capable. The mushroom pie, which followed quickly on the heels of the two plains, also was not well received (though it did prove more popular than the sausage pie). Mushrooms, with the large volume of water they release while cooking, are notorious crust soakers.
By 9 o'clock, we were down to a single slice of regular plain and one of mushroom, thanks largely to Tien trying to determine how few bites it would take for him to eat a slice (right).
That's when Danny G., who we had written off as a no-show, walked in. He made quick work of the two remaining slices and we ordered another plain regular-mozzarella pie. Out in no time at all (it only takes about four minutes for a pie to cook in the coal oven at Patsy's), this pie put all the others to shame. It was the perfect pie, technically, and even Patsy's first-timers could tell that it was markedly better than the rest.
Contextually, I'd say Patsy's is still tops. Our waiters, Joey and Victor were, in that New York sort of way, hard-edged yet friendly. They were fast, attentive, and willing to answer many of the questions that this inquisitive crowd had, so we were especially sorry to have almost stiffed them on the tip. (With the excitement involved in raffling off a copy of American Pie, which went to Joe S., this reporter forgot about leaving the gratuity on the table.) Technically, however, the last few times I've been to Patsy's, there has been a disturbing consistency of inconsistency. Time was you could count on a superb pie. Now, it seems, there's a great-pie–merely-OK-pie ratio of 1:2 or, at worst, 1:3.
Given its place in our cheese-clogged hearts, we hope that this is just a phase for Patsy's, and we're going to hold off downgrading it from Eight-Slice status (eight of eight is our highest rating). But be warned when you visit Patsy's: You might want to go with a large group so you're sure to get at least one or two transcendent pies.
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All images by Tien Mao, except top right and bottom right, which are by Joe Schumacher. (Out of spite, E-Rock took the Slice digicam to the Windy City.)
* It was fitting that Ms. Chung was in attendance because when I started Slice, Gothamist was one of the blogs I looked to as an example of what to do and how to present information. Friendly in tone, enthusiastic, and decidedly not cooler-than-you, Gothamist's support in terms of mentioning Slice now and again and then linking to us has been invaluable. Plus, I sorta "borrowed" their templates (their design is aces) and Jake was nice enough to let me keep using them when he found out.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 30, 2004 at 2:45 PM
A PATSY'S BIRTHDAY
There's been some talk about the East Harlem Patsy's lately in the Simply the Best section over to the right. Some people (me) have raved about it, while others (Greg, C. Mike) have reported that it has gone downhill. Looking to kill two birds on Sunday, Patsy's became both the subject of a (quick) Slice review and the site of my thirtieth birthday dinner.
We don't know if it had something to do with the fact that the venerable institution is looking for a "pizzaman" (hello, EEOC!), but the first two pies to arrive at table were cause for concern among the assembled members of the Slice staff.
The plain pie (above right, foreground), which we ordered with regular mozzarella (some people believe the fresh mozzarella sogs down the light superthin crust), was only a few notches above what you'd get at a regular slice joint. Seltzerboy, E-Rock, and I exchanged worried looks as we got halfway through underdone, barely charred slices laden with too much sauce and too much cheese. The mushroom pie (above right, background) was saved only by the presence of the incredibly fresh high-quality fungi topping it.
After going through just two pies among five people (the crust is so thin that it's hard to fill up quickly), we were still hungry but waited for a sixth companion to show up before ordering more. The second round of pies consisted of a fresh-mozzarella-and-basil pizza and one with regular mozz topped with peppers and onions (sorry about the onions, LW!).
Oddly enough, something happened between the first round and the second round, with José (who was working the oven that night) making the save. The fresh mozz pie had a perfectly crisp yet airy and flexible crust—and just the right amount of telltale charring—with none of the sogginess that often comes about from the fresh cheese's moisture. Now, this was the stuff that makes Patsy's such a transcendent pizza experience. And pepper-and-onion pie was none too bad, either.
We can't explain what would make for the difference, though we have a theory. At the beginning of the evening (6:30 p.m. or so), there was only one other table of diners. But as we ate our first two pizzas, the place started to hop. By the time we ordered our second two pies, most of the other tables had been served. We think that the oven might have been allowed to cool down during the day but was then fired up during the dinner rush. Who can say?
Because Patsy's has long been one of our favorites and has rarely let us down, we'd like to think the first two pies were a fluke and that the best thing to do is order around 7:30 or 8 p.m. But maybe there's some truth to the rumors going around. What can anyone else tell us about Patsy's?
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 5, 2004 at 3:57 PM
We're clocking in a little late with this one, but the holidays, man, the holidays.
The Village Voice's Annual Manual is out and food critic Robert Sietsma writes about 25 Places Where Two Can Eat for $25. Among this listings is a smattering of pizza joints. The usual suspects take a bow:
This list of inexpensive and excellent eats would be incomplete without including one of the city's venerable pizza parlors, which collectively count as one of our greatest culinary treasures. Besides his own restaurant on Spring Street, founded in 1905, Lombardi's immediate dynasty includes Totonno in Coney Island, John's on Bleecker Street, and Patsy's in East Harlem. Nephew and Patsy's veteran Patsy Grimaldi started his own parlor only a decade ago in Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn, and it rapidly rose to be one of New York's best pizza joints. The toppings are perhaps a bit more lush, the crust a little more thick and flavorful than the austere Lombardi's style, but that's just fine with the patrons who throng Grimaldi's (19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn, 718-858-4300) every weekend and evening. Go at weekday lunch if you want to relax.
The same article also makes mention of Joe's of Avenue U in Gravesend, Brooklyn, which is one of the few places I've found in the city that makes panelle specials, chick-pea fritters served on a warm sesame roll (usually with ricotta). It's not exactly pizza, but it's not to be missed!
Joe's of Avenue U
Address: 287 Avenue U, Brooklyn (F Train)
Phone: 718-449-9285
