Entries tagged with 'LES'
Posted by Adam Kuban, May 21, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Two pizza-related things of note on Eater as of late.
1.) Today, we find out that Wylie Dufresne's WD-50 serves "pizza pebbles." Some back story, if you're unfamiliar: Dufresne is one of them molecular gastronomist types, which means he does crazy stuff with food—like making pizza pebbles. As described by Adam Roberts, they are "... made by mixing variously powdered pizza components—tomato powder, parmesan powder—with a garlic-infused oil. The resulting pebbles are presented with dried slivers of shitake on a pepperoni emulsion." Roberts has a photo of the things, but the photo ain't so pretty.
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Posted by DJ Bubbles, January 3, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Isabella's Oven, 365 Grand Street, New York NY 10002 (near Essex Street; map); 212-529-5206
It's been a while since the Bubbster has had much to say about anything on this fair weblog. I've been astray for some time now, but I've found my way home. Although, I must say, it doesn't feel much like home in recent weeks. Isabella's Oven causing such an uproar on the site because of a recent dip in quality certainly isn't music to my ears. And who wants to respond to comments in CAPS from Jeff B when he suggests that Two Boots is on point. Isabella's on its worst day would take Two Boots to special ed. That's almost as bad as Prairie condemning Pizza 33 without trying it but instead passing judgment based on a picture of its Margherita on Flickr. Say what you will about 33, but just say it after you've tried it!
The last time I was at Isabella's, Luigi was there, too. I had brought a friend to share in the magic, and Luigi didn't disappoint—he never did. It pains me to think that the joint is now among the chain Patsy's of this city. Isabella's was much more than that. I feel like I'm writing an obituary right now, but let's not get carried away—Isabella's management may take notice and set things straight.
Alright, enough of the hijinx. Sliceheads, just because I've been incommunicado of late does not mean I haven't been pounding the pavement (and the Zantac, for that matter) making sure that I'm staying on top of all things NY-PIE!
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 30, 2007 at 5:00 PM
Memo to Jeff B.: DUDE. Chill the frak out. We get the point. You think Isabella's Oven sucks. Did we need the drive-by on every post about the place?
That said, you bring up a good point. Here's the deal ...
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Posted by Adam Kuban, November 19, 2007 at 6:30 PM
From left: A Di Fara half-plain, half-artichoke pie; pizza-makers at Franny's; an Isabella's Oven Margherita D.O.C.; Una Pizza Napoletana's marinara pie.
Last year around this time Slice/Serious Eats contributed to Pim Techamuanvivit's Menu for Hope charity raffle. Our giveaway was a guided pizza tour for four. Well, the winners—Anthony Kinik and Michelle Marek of Montreal food blog An Endless Banquet—finally made us make good on our prize. (It took them almost a year because they live in Montreal and I secretly think they were waiting for the loonie to beat the dollar before making a trip to the U.S.)
Anyway, after much back-and-forth emailing, we settled on a proposed route: Di Fara, Franny's, Adrienne's Pizzabar, Isabella's Oven, Una Pizza Napoletana, Joe's Pizza, Bleecker Street Pizza.
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Posted by DJ Bubbles, August 14, 2007 at 11:30 AM
Ladies and gents, the always opinionated DJ Bubbles has checked in once again. Because I never know when he's going to strike, I'd been unofficially calling his stunning dispatches "drive-bys." Now I'm formalizing it. Here's the DJ Bubbles Drive-By on Isabella's Oven. It's a must-read, so do click through the jump. —Adam
Words by DJ Bubbles | It has been said before that having a great meal can be a transcendent experience. When someone has poured all his soul, energy, and being into something so divine, you can taste it in every bite. It isn't something that happens all that often in these times, but when it does, you don't soon forget it. To say that I had one of these experiences this Saturday may be true—I'm still not sure. How is that possible, you ask? That's a good question, and all I know is it happened on my second trip to Isabella's Oven after a very mediocre first visit. The difference in pie quality was immediately apparent after I had my first slice of an individual Margherita while sitting on Isabella's outdoor patio. However, the questions regarding this newbie's consistency linger, and I have to ask myself—was this past Saturday the beginning of a beautiful friendship or a flash in the pan, mere pizza fool's gold?
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 18, 2007 at 9:45 AM
photographs courtesy Isabella's Oven
I had a truly great pizza in a new pizza place on Saturday, and though I'm not going to tell you that I have seen pizza's future and its name is Isabella's Oven, the way Jon Landau did a zillion years ago when he saw Springsteen live and declared that he had seen rock and roll's future, I will say I had a pie that would easily make a New York City top ten list and maybe a national one as well.
Now in New York, when you declare a pizza place that's not on anybody's radar to be Pizza Hall of Fame-worthy, there can be hell to pay. But I'm willing to stand the heat of the wood-burning oven.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, July 9, 2007 at 10:10 PM
A round-up in New York magazine lists. Stop me if think that you've heard this one before:
Solo Pizza
Address: 27 Avenue B, New York NY 10009 (East Village, near 3rd Street)
Phone: 212-420-7656
Chickie Pig’s
Address: 121 Ludlow Street, New York NY 10002 (LES, near Rivington)
Phone: 212-254-9972
URL: chickiepigs.com
With a name like Chickie Pig's, this place better be damn good.
Mosco Pizza
Address: 105 1/2 Mosco Street, New York NY 10013
Phone: 212-227-9150
Not for Tourists notes: "Good pizza in New York is pretty run-of-the-mill. You can get it anywhere. Anywhere, that is, except Chinatown. I’m not talking about the new Chinatown (i.e. Little Italy). I’m talking about East Broadway and Doyers Street, where pizza is anathema. Thankfully, Mosco Pizza opened up on (you got it) Mosco Street, much to the satisfaction of Asian-cuisine-weary NFT office workers. The pies are good, and they sell slices for two bucks each."
Oven
Address: 60C Henry Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (Brooklyn Heights, b/n Orange and Cranberry streets)
Phone: 718-468-6836
La Nonna Pizzeria Trattoria Paninoteca
Address: 237 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (Williamsburg, near North 4th Street)
Phone: 718-302-5353
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 25, 2007 at 1:16 PM
My Serious Eats colleague Lia just sent this via cellphone picture-messaging.
Russo's, new pizzeria on Ave B between 3rd and 4th, opening in two weeks-ish. Nice huge interior, brick oven. There's another place opening between 2nd and 3rd called Solo Pizza, regular oven.
Thanks, Lia! If you have a tip you want to send Slice, email me at adam@sliceny.com.
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 2, 2007 at 2:21 PM
Friend of Slice Lia just sent me the photo above. Says the tipster: "What a dumbass name. Their pizza better be damn good!"
My thoughts exactly.
CHICKIE PIG'S BRICK OVEN PIZZERIA & RESTAURANT
Address: On Ludlow Street, between Rivington and Delancey, Lower East Side.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 15, 2007 at 4:39 PM
The previous post reminds me that I was negligent in blogging this item about Cronkite and Fornino owner Michael Ayoub from the March 3 issue of the Brooklyn Paper:
Sitting at a table in his award-winning Williamsburg restaurant, Fornino, Ayoub was rightfully proud to be discussing his growing pizza empire. To call Fornino, or its newborn Manhattan sibling Cronkite, a “pizzeria” is a mighty understatement. What he offers—gourmet pies with homegrown and high-end ingredients, including homemade mozzarella and three types of specialty flour—is about as far from a plain old slice as you can get.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 15, 2007 at 3:16 PM
Restaurant-gossip site Eater, puts Cronkite Pizzeria and Wine Bar on its "Deathwatch" list.
Deathwatch: Cronkite [Eater]
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 25, 2007 at 12:09 PM
Robert Sietsema of the Village Voice hits Cronkite, the new pizzeria from Fornino owner Michael Ayoub. Sietsema notes the fact that the crowd is sparse despite the phenomenal pies:
There's nothing wrong with the pizzas, though, which come in two sizes: a 10-inch individual pie, and a 16-inch regular pie that easily feeds two. Made in a gas-fired brick oven, the crust is similar to what one finds in Central Italy: thinner than the standard American pie, with crunchy areas competing with squishier ones. Our favorite that first evening was Tartufo, the most expensive pie on the menu ($36/$51). The pizza melts three cheeses—fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and fontina—as a creamy platform for a blizzard of shaved black truffles, which look like wood ash on white snow. Very Japanese, visually speaking. The pungent odor assails the nostrils, and the truffles leave a miraculous aftertaste that persists for hours. Do I love this pizza? You bet! It would be worth it to go hungry for the day to split this gem with a friend. There is a problem devouring it first thing in the meal: Nothing else on the menu can top it.
If you don't want to get that spendy, he says, six other pizzas he and his tasting party tried were "spectacular," with the exception of the one topped with pesto, which, he says, is "like a toxic chemical spill on your pie."
That's Dough Way It Is [Village Voice]
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 21, 2006 at 1:06 PM
New place coming to Manhattan's Lower East Side. Pizzeria di Santo. Gothamist sez:
Eschewing the $3-4.50 slices at Pala (we love the pumpkin and pancetta slice regardless of the cost) and the over-priced, fancified pies littered around the area in favor of basic round (red and white) and square slices, they hope to bring quality product based Grandma’s recipes to late night eaters.
PIZZERIA DI SANTO
Address: 171 Ludlow Street, Manhattan 10002 [map]
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 Adam Kuban, October 27, 2006 at 3:46 PM
Michael Ayoub (left), the pizzaiolo behind Williamsburg's Fornino, will be opening a Manhattan location on November 6.
To be called Cronkite Pizzeria & Wine Bar, it will be located at 133 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side [map].
"The neon sign is on its way as we speak," Mr. Ayoub said by phone from the new pizzeria.
Unlike Fornino, which uses a custom-built gas-assisted wood oven, Cronkite's pizza cooker will be a custom-made gas-fired brick-lined oven from Marsal & Sons. "I wanted to do a wood oven here, but the DEP didn't want to hear any of it," Mr. Ayoub said. "I can get the temperature with gas—700 degrees on the deck—and I'll still use DOC tomatoes, make my own mozzarella, use all the same artisanal ingredients as Fornino. The difference is going to be negligible."
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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 Adam Kuban, April 1, 2006 at 8:24 PM
Ed Levine visits recently opened Pàla on the Lower East Side and pans it:
[The owner] told me that he uses a brick-lined electric oven that can get up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, a combination of Italian fresh mozzarella and a good local cow's milk mozzarella purveyor, DiPalo Dairy, high-quality LaValle (sp?) canned tomatoes, and twelve kinds of flour in his dough, including King Arthur and Giusti, a California-based organic flour purveyor. So why was his pizza so bland and flat-tasting? Well, first and foremost because it lacked salt. And beyond that, it was missing the most important ingredients of all, heart, soul and love.
PÀLA
Location: 198 Allen Street (b/n Stanton and Houston)
Phone: 212-614-7252
Pizza Needs Heart and Soul [Ed Levine Eats]
