Coffee Shop vs. Shake Shack: Lunch Outside the Box

Even though it’s freezing outside (at least it was when I wrote this post), I want to honor two of my favorite lunchspots with an entry on how great they are year-round. Today, a virtual journey to Madison Square Park and Union Square via some fantastic sandwiches.

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Say what you want about hamburgers and fries and who’s got the best of the best, but in my opinion there is nothing better than a big fat Shack burger and Concrete from Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. On a busy Summer day the line at the shack can wrap around the edge of the park, so be sure to check ahead on their webcam: http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/

Recently Shake Shack has opened locations at the new Mets Stadium, Citi Field, and on the Upper West Side, but the original still reigns supreme. The park is packed with metal tables and chairs, and there’s a new set of benches in the street where Broadway runs into Madison and 23rd St. for you to perch on if it’s crowded. Work up your appetite, because you can’t miss a bite at Shake Shack: ice cream, burger and fries are all equal parts to a whole amazing meal. The fries aren’t your regular McFries: they’re squiggly and perfectly salted. The burger isn’t a boring one: it’s smothered in sauces and toppings and at $4.75 pretty affordable.

My opinion: grab a friend for a leisurely park lunch when it starts getting nice out and get your Shake Shack on. Until then, see you at the Uptown indoor location, which is just as yummy for the Winter.

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park
Or
366 Columbus Ave. (at 77th)
$

richNY
Union Square is such a popular meeting spot for lunch, conveniently home to a whole mess of subway lines and equally parts East and West sides. The problem is that around the square, most of the real estate belongs to big retail or supermarkets. While sometimes grabbing a bite in the Whole Foods cafeteria might suffice, other times you really need a sit-down meal, and Coffee Shop on the Northwest corner of the Square is your best bet.

Inside, it looks innocently enough like a casual diner with a well-stocked bar, but don’t be fooled by the vinyl seats and metal stools. When it’s nice out, Coffee Shop becomes sort of a see-and-be-seen-scene, with tables lining the sidewalk that are hard to snag at lunchtime. The kicker is the waitstaff – it’s a well-known fact that Coffee Shop is staffed entirely by models, actors and actresses, guaranteeing you something great to look at even if you don’t secure a seat on the sidewalk. But forget about the servers: the food, with its Brazilian inspired menu, is good enough to stand on its own. My favorite item on the menu used to be the tuna melt, served on a croissant with amazing herbed skinny French fries, but recently it’s disappeared from the menu. Not to worry, as the rest of the fare is equally satisfying, like the big smoked turkey on croissant sandwich, or for brunch, their spin on eggs benedict.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a good sandwich at a hot and convenient spot, Coffee Shop is always great.

Coffee Shop
Union Square West
$$$

Clinton St. Baking Co. vs. Sugar Sweet Sunshine: An Acceptable Sweet Treat

I fully admit to not having a sweet tooth: when it comes down to it, if I have to choose, I’ll always order another appetizer instead of dessert. That being said, sometimes you just need some sugar to get you through the day. richNY/poorNY exposes two such sweet spots downtown to quench your desires.

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I’d been hearing about the Clinton St. Baking Company for what seemed like forever before my college roommate dragged me there for a pie-and-cake date a few years ago. Since then, it’s become a favorite spot for something decadent every once in a while. Clearly, from its name, Clinton features an amazing variety of baked goods: huge thick slices of the best homemade blueberry and apple pie you could every wish for, which will set you back $7 for a slice that you’ll have to split.

But here’s the thing: the brunch at Clinton is absolutely amazing. I met a friend there recently for ‘lunch,’ which we decided was an appropriate meal at 2:30pm, in order to avoid the actual brunch crowd. I ordered the buttermilk biscuit egg sandwich, complete with delicious hash browns and homemade tomato jam. My brilliant friend got the homemade blueberry pancakes, which I have to admit, were out of this world. They come in a thick stack and are accompanied by a maple syrup sugar glaze that will make you swoon, I promise.

Save Clinton for a special occasion brunch or a splurge-worthy dessert fieldtrip, but either way, it’s worth the journey.

Clinton Street Baking Company
4 Clinton St.
$$$

poorNY
Recently a friend dragged me into Sugar Sweet Sunshine, an inconspicuous coffeeshop on Rivington St. that didn’t look like anything special. Well. I was wrong. Sugar Sweet is the best deal in town! For a dollar, delicious hot coffee, and for a dollar FIFTY, a cupcake so moist, magical and delicious it rivals the best of the best like Magnolia, (which I personally don’t care for all that much) or Crumbs. I think a dollar fifty is how much a cupcake should actually cost. And they’re amazing; definitely go for the pumpkin spice with cream cheese icing, or one of the TWO varieties of red velvet to brighten up your day or sweeten up an evening stroll. Warning: around 3:30 on weekdays Sugar Sweet gets swamped by local highschoolers, so if you’re trying to read something serious there, beware.

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington St.
$

Noodle Bar vs. Moustache Pitza: Perfect Pickings

I’ve recently been separated from my city and its culinary delights by a sidetrack to graduate school out in St. Louis, which can explain my long absence from eating and judging. However, Winter Break has just passed, and with it, a new slew of food and restaurants to check out and report back on, because believe it or not, I’m still bargain hunting and splurging at the same rate I was in college.

Being home for only a month meant lots of catching up with lots of different friends in different places, and I found that the best way to do this was to grab meals that consisted of lots of little things we could split, share, pick at and gnaw on as we caught up. This week’s richNY/poorNY features two downtown casual joints where small plates are fun to share.

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Dilemma: it’s early evening, maybe a little too early to get a drink and a little too late to get a coffee but you need somewhere to whet your whistle and catch up with a friend, so what do you grab? Delicious tea and some Asian cuisine at Noodle Bar, with convenient locations in the West Village and on the Lower East Side. I met up with two friends at the LES Noodle Bar where we split a few pots of tea; one black with vanilla and another jasmine with hints of orange. At $4.50 a pot, it was the perfect pick-me-up and excuse to hang out inside on a chilly day.

Noodle Bar isn’t named for their tea, of course; they have yummy food, too. I ordered the kimchee pancakes, which, at a mere $5, were deliciously hot from the fryer and just spicy enough. The thick pancakes came with a sweet hoison and chive sauce, perfect for sharing around the table. My friend S ordered fried dumplings, another delicious staple, and courageous N went for a noodle dish: Mee Sian wok noodles with chicken. Delicious, cheap, easy.

Noodle Bar

172 Orchard Street

or

26 Carmine Street

$

richNY

It’s just as easy to have a catching-up meal with friends and spend a few more dollars for a little more food. Let’s say you’re looking for a slightly trendier location or perhaps a little more exotic cuisine: well then there’s Moustache Pitza, a delicious Middle Eastern joint also with a few locations, one in the West Village and another on the Lower East Side, and an additional one in East Harlem. I met up with a few friends at the West Village location, which is a little off the beaten track but all the nicer for it. The baskets of fresh puffy pita are to die for, but watch out: they charge for them, which was somewhat unexpected, although not a huge financial hit. The three of us split a hummus and a babaganough, both delicious, and then we ordered a chicken kebab plate, a garden salad smothered in feta with grilled chicken, and a tasty chicken pitza with lemon marinated chicken with garlic, red bell pepper, scallion and parsley. Yum. Top it all off with some hot mint tea and you’ve got a reunion of friends with scrumptious accoutrement.

Moustache’s ambiance is super cozy, too, but be warned: the service can be slow, so this isn’t a meal to rush through. Order wisely and definitely share.

Moustache Pitza

90 Bedford St.,

265 East 10th St.,

or

1621 Lexington Ave

$$$

Falai vs. Frankie’s 17: Italian Date Night on Clinton Street

Generally, first dates are awkward. There’s no getting around that. There is, however, the potential for making them even worse with a poor choice in restaurant – lame menus, bad service, a weird ambiance – nobody needs that added pressure. I’m partial to Italian food for dates because a.) it’s always amazing, b.) you can generally find something on a menu that anyone will enjoy, as opposed to sushi or something, and c.) you can get quality food for your dollar. Okay, okay, I lived in Italy, I’m obsessed with Italian food, so sue me. Here, two suggestions for date night, be it the first or the fiftieth, on the ever trendier LES (that’s lower east side, do I really have to explain?).

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Iacopo Falai’s hidden gem of a restaurant, Falai, lies innocently enough on Clinton street, just off of Rivington, but if you’re looking for it at night, the bright white interior, almost sterile in its modernity yet immediately inviting, shines out at you across the street. Falai, a Florentine chef, not only has the main restaurant, but a Caffe offshoot for pastries and lighter fare. The menu is infused with earthy Tuscan ingredients and every dish is calculated to perfection, with perfect bites elegantly constructed in some cases and in others left for you to DIY.

I went for a light dinner with a friend and was surprised to be seated in the garden, a quaint spit of land behind the restaurant decorated with two huge white umbrellas and a scattered handful of candles. Romance. Two of the five tables sat Italian patrons – always a good sign – who were arguing about soccer teams by the time I finally rolled myself out the door. I have to say, I’m not usually a dessert person, I’d rather have an extra appetizer instead of lots of sweets, but I was converted. See below for sugary details. My date and I split a pasta and an entrée to start; I wisely chose the Stracci di Pasta, a gorgeously arranged handmade pasta plate with brightly colored pastas folded over and stuffed with fresh asparagus, pioppini mushrooms, gooey asiago cheese and dressed to perfection in a ‘summer truffle fondue.’ Heaven. My date went carnivore and chose the Anatra, or duck, a perfectly cooked breast sliced neatly which came with its elements gorgeously strewn across a big square plate: salsify purée, purple potato chips, kumquats, and a star anise infused sauce. Both plates, although very different in taste and arrangement, were incredibly colorful – wish I’d gotten a sneak picture. I think I have to start taking real pictures though, these mobile snapshots are just not doing the food justice. Oh, and in case you’re wondering: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsify

For wine, a glass each of a Chianti Colli Fiorentini, from, where else, Florence, to bring back waves of nostalgia, and a Nero di Troia, for a fruitier note to compliment all the sauces.

Falai is no ordinary Italian joint. Iacopo goes above and beyond to bring the gourmet point home with intermittent beautifully served amuse-bouche. The first was a caviar and yogurt combination atop some incredible olive oil, which was dressed at the table with a cucumber emulsion. Light and airy, it was incredible. But what I was impressed by were the two – yes, two – predesserts, which we anticipated with the reception of THREE spoons. I knew we were in for it then. The first was a delicious pineapple, yogurt and olive oil mouthful, and the second, a really bizarre sorbet of parsley. Hm. Definitely palate cleansing though. Which was necessary before The Best Dessert I’ve Had in A Restaurant Possibly Ever.

Seriously. I know I ate dinner once at a dessert bar, but I’m NOT big on dessert. Maybe it’s because I’m too impatient and spontaneous to be a baker, and I love cooking so much? I like sweet things just not so much of them. Which is why I hardly ever order dessert to split, let alone my own, and a different one for whoever I’m with, and two predesserts. For my compatriot, a ‘classico,’ five tiny profiteroles oozing chocolate marsala sauce and perfectly puffy on an elegant dish; yummy, I suppose, but didn’t light a match in comparison to my ‘non-classico.’ Straight from the Falai menu:

RASPBERRY SOUFFLE, black truffle gelato, torrone crème brûlée (10 min. wait).

Let’s discuss. A 10 minute wait is always a good thing. There is time and effort going into this dessert, folks. Second, if you don’t know by now, ‘truffle’ is one of those evil words that, should the circumstance arise that it is listed on a menu, some force overtakes me and I must order that item. It’s a favorite. But I was curious about the heroic truffle flavor mixing with the sickly sweetness of raspberry, and, um, by the way, how the heck was this all going to go in a soufflé?!

(bad shot, I know, sorry.)

It was Magic. The waiter brought it out to me, perfectly puffed in its ramekin, and nonchalantly told me the truffle gelato was already inside. “Ohh, yes, of course,” I nodded knowledgably. He then proceeded to pour the raspberry sauce DIRECTLY onto the soufflé, making it POUF even more. The first bite was intense. The hot fluffy crème oozed into the cold and richly flavored gelato, and the raspberry was just the right amount of tart to set the whole thing off. Textures, temperatures, flavors: this is the dessert for me, I tell you. Oh, there was a slushy wine amuse on the side, just to make sure you were paying attention to flavor, temperature, and texture. That was ok, a little sour for me. But really, that soufflé… The moral of the story is, take your date to Falai for a luxuriously intimate meal. Entrees, about $29, pastas, around $19, desserts $10, wines by the glass about $13. You get the idea.


Falai
68 Clinton Street
$$$

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Okay, you’re on Clinton, you have a date, maybe it’s dinner with a friend and you really need a good catch up, maybe it’s your Special Friend, whatever. Frankie’s Spuntino (17 Manhattan). For those not in the know, a spuntino is like a little snack, which says something to the nature of Frankie’s. For one, it’s a lot more charming and a lot less DÉCOR than Falai. Maybe a little less well-lit, which you might be going for. The plus for Frankie’s is that they recently purchased the space next door, so while the main side has the little bar and cute rickety tables, the next-door is a little more intimate, quieter, and can seat private parties.

I don’t like ordering food. If I had my way, the chef would just send something out everywhere I went and I’d try new and exciting things and not stress when the menu came. Seriously, it’s a difficult decision, especially in light of the date theme we’ve got going on in this post. What if you order something the other person thinks is stupid? Is allergic to? Is too expensive? Is disgusting? Do you share? With Italian antipasto, you cannot go wrong. Frankie’s plate, a $15 assortment of yummy cheeses, meats, and veggies, is an incredible icebreaker. You can nibble and ponder while you chitchat and continue to scope out the rest of the menu. Frankies, famed for its sandwiches, which nobody wants for dinner, is perfect for this. And a good glass of wine (which they have a great list of not-over-the-top-$$$-bottles) with some cheese and meat is just unbeatable.

After my dinner date and I had successfully put a dent in the bottle we ordered (albeit a much nicer one than I would have ordered on a budget) we finally decided on food. I don’t order my own food, it just isn’t enough options for me, so we split two pastas and a salad, a perfect amount of food. The salad was watercress with white peaches and gorgonzola, $11, which we thought would balance out the two heavier pastas, which were a homemade gnocchi with ricotta and marinara, $14 (who can resist the words homemade and gnocchi, together? That’s true love) and an incredible sweet potato and sage ravioli with crisp fresh slices of parmesan on top, $13. That one in particular brought me right back to memories of slow cooking sage butter in my tiny Italian apartment to pour over fresh tortelloni di zucca (pumpkin) in my apartment. Sometimes showcasing simple, fresh ingredients with light sauces is the absolute best way to do things, and in the cases of all three of these dishes, the absolute right decision. In a way, the complete opposite of the taste experience at Falai. And while both are incredible, obviously, at the end of the day I’d prefer the wine and sage butter, hold the dessert.

We got a ton of food, by the way, don’t feel you need to order this much if you pop in to Frankie’s for a wonderful dinner. Thumbs way, way up for taste and casually intimate ambiance.


Frankie’s Spuntino
(17 Manhattan)
17 Clinton Street
$

Hampton Chutney vs. Bar Almond: NYC food takes a holiday

Horror of horrors: You’re visiting friends or summering in the Hamptons, you’re craving something delicious and unique, and all you can find are overpriced seasonal restaurants crammed full with summering patrons and, let’s face it, not the best food. A problem so great it’s been known to drive many a visitor back to the city in search of a good restaurant, or even make people cook at home. Terrifying.

Fortunately, there are several restaurants that have both NYC and Hamptons locations, so hungry beach-ers, breathe a sigh of relief. This week richNY/poorNY moves out of its comfort zone of boroughs and out to the East End in search of tasty summer meals.

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When it’s warm out, the sun is shining, and you’re wandering around SoHo or Amagansett shopping and loitering, nothing is better than a big fat dosa from the Hampton Chutney Company. Imagine, a huge yummy fried pancake – well, a sourdough crepe, really – stuffed with savory veggies and cheese (and sometimes meat) served up with a side of their famous chutney, in a range of flavors.

This week I stopped by the Amagansett location (perfectly picturesque, with a handful of outdoor picnic tables to get messy at) with a friend, coming straight from the beach. We split a number 7, which is to say, we each got nice and full off of only half of a dosa crammed full of sweet grilled corn, roasted peppers, roasted red onions, arugula, jack cheese, and a chunky helping of avocado. We smartly chose the mango chutney, a deliciously sweet blend of hunks of mango flecked with lots of spices for a nice round finish – their advice is to pair the mango with seafood and fish or lamb and pork. I might throw a hunk of it on a brie wedge and put it all in the oven for a little bit before serving with crusty bread, myself.


My partner in crime opted for a half lemonade / half orange ginger iced tea ($3.50), but don’t worry, they have plenty of mango and strawberry lassi drinks too. With the dosa coming in at $11.95 and us going out with nice full tummies, Hampton Chutney is the best place to whet your appetite for a quick lunch either in the city or out at the beach.

Hampton Chutney Co.
68 Prince St. / Amagansett Square, Main St.
(Also now uptown, at 464 Amsterdam between 82nd and 83rd)
$

richNY
I’d been dying to try Bar Almond in Gramercy since I heard a rave review, but the stars weren’t aligning. Instead, to spare myself the heartache of waiting indefinitely, I opted for the east-end version, which was actually the original, in Bridgehampton. You can’t spend time on Long Island without craving really good seafood, and that’s what we were after – my dining buddy was hankering for lobster, of all things, and would settle for no less. When we popped into Almond, the hostess told us that the nightly special was a whole broiled lobster, but that they’d run out! (In the city, Wednesdays are shrimp scampi.) We were saddened, of course, but the rest of the yummy choices forced us to stick it out anyway.

For starters, the ambiance at Almond is great. French bistro lighting with a big bar mirror and tons of little booths; naturally when we walked in there was a woman attacking an entire roasted artichoke at the bar with three dipping sauces, it just looked amazing.

The menus differ slightly between the city and Bridgehampton, but the vibe is the same. I started with a delicious glass of Pinot Noir and settled in with the menu. At first, we wanted so many different things we decided to order a whole bunch and share it all – steaming garlic mussels, a side of fries to dunk in the broth, an arugula, beet and Roquefort cheese salad, grilled asparagus with truffle oil and pancetta – but then a soft-shelled crab po’ boy sandwich caught my eye, and I was hooked. What to do, one dish or many? Finally, as we decided to split all the appetizers, the waitress comes by with a big smile to announce that the lobster has come back!

This changes everything.

My date is flushed with excitement as she orders the lobster, already envisioning the fries she’s requested in place of fingerling potatoes. This clears the way for me to order the mysterious crab with its spicy roulade, which I do with relish (pun not intended), although it’s getting difficult to stop staring at the steak frites to my left, mussels behind us, and the soup of the day, a vividly green cream of avocado and cucumber with basil oil drizzled on top, to my right.

When the dishes come, we’ve made the right choice: my date’s succulent, whole broiled lobster is basking in its buerre blanc sauce with roasted asparagus making a gorgeous green contrast to the bright red shell, wereas my po’ boy plate is loaded up with a side salad, fries, and the delicious roulade. The entire crab atop its fluffy bun is calling to be smothered in the tangy sauce and provided onions and tomato slices, and it’s the best crab sandwich I’ve ever had. Needless to say, we wreak havoc on our plates and manage to roll back to the car after turning down the delicious sounding desserts. Although the lobster special came in at $30, my po’ boy was a richNY steal at $16, and the wine was $9/g. A well-deserved treat for two tired beach bums. Watch out Almond NYC, I’ll be paying you a visit soon: there were too many things I just didn’t get to try.

Bar Almond
12 E 22nd Street / 1970 Montauk Highway
$$$

ChikaLicious vs. Baked by Melissa: Death by Dessert

I finally accomplished something I’ve wanted to do forEVER: Dessert for dinner. This week’s richNY/poorNY is a fantastic comparison of sweet treats on opposite sides of the eating experience spectrum.

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I’d been wanting to try chic East Village dessert bar ChikaLicious ever since I walked past it one night and noticed the line of people out the door on the street, waiting for tables! Any place that only has seating for 16 and won’t take reservations seems like it would be worth investigating, so I scoped out the menu. ChikaLicious features a three-course prix fix menu (with wine pairing option), bringing the art of flavor and delicate taste front and center. ChikaLicious was also the first true dessert bar I’d ever seen: a restaurant that focuses on experience and unique flavor combinations, like many of the richny entries of late, but with a spotlight solely on desserts.

Another amazing thing about ChikaLicious, aside from the intimate and modern space (almost all the seats are at the bar, so you can watch chef Chika and others prepare your amazing treats right in front of you – a real plus) is that the menu changes almost daily, so that dishes can show off seasonal ingredients. Two of their “entrees” however remain all the time, the Chocolate Tart, which we indulged in, and the Cheesecake, which is served untraditionally in more of a pudding-like form on a bed of ice – because who really likes cheesecake crust all that much anyway?

We started off with a small and smooth amuse-bouche with a duo of jasmine tea-infused sorbet and a whipped custard, light and flavorful, but very refined. The sommelier helped us choose a wine pairing that would complement both dishes, a light bubbly red Brachetto d’Acqui Banfi 2007 that was sweet but not TOO sweet.

I opted for the Brioche Cake, soaked in rum and lined with cream, paired with a grapefruit sorbet that tasted like a fresh grapefruit. The cake was served in a dainty tea mug next to the sorbet, and was light yet absolutely flavorful; the sorbet capped the dish, sweet and tangy with a gorgeous pink color.


We also sampled the tried-and-true Warm Chocolate Tart, which oozed molten chocolate so rich it was like a melted chocolate bar, with a yummy crust. It came served with a black peppercorn ice cream that at first was a little weird to taste, but when married with the chocolate made a lot more sense to my senses. A red wine sauce poured in an artful arc completed the pretty plate.

Last but not least, a trio of petit fours:


Chocolate pudding tear drops, coconut flake-covered homemmade marshmallow cubes, and pecan shortbread cookies; each just enough to tickle your tongue with the bite of flavor, but each more delicious than the last. The best part about ChikaLicious was the experience itself: it was so nice to sit comfortably and eat luxurious ingredients painstakingly prepared in front of us, and we were never rushed, even when the line started piling up outside. For $12 a person, it’s pricy for dessert, but completely worth the experience.

ChikaLicious also fits into the strain of restaurants in New York that really care about ingredients and flavors, as well as presentation, over amount: quality over quantity. While the dishes were small portions, they were artfully created, and to be fair, not intended to make one feel full. My rating: go for the experience of truly loving your dessert (if you have the time to wait) or, if you’re like me, have dessert for dinner, and dinner for dessert.


ChikaLicious
203 East 10th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
$$$

poorNY
If you’re like me, you crave a tiny bite of something sweet every once in a while – not a whole dessert or milkshake or ice cream, but just a smidge of sweet every so often, especially after a good meal or as a snack. Baked by Melissa offers exactly that: smaller-than bite sized delicious stuffed miniature cupcakes! What an ingenious idea.


Baked by Melissa is a fledgling company that’s managed to find a sweet street spot: right on Spring Street off of Broadway in trendy shopping haven SoHo. That means it’s the idea place to nab a delicious treat while you’re exhausting your wallet south of Houston Street. The shop, which is hard to miss, offers seven different flavors (and occasionally special ones for holidays) of teeny-tiny cupcakes at a budget price. For just $3, you can sample three of the different cupcakes: I chose Cookie Dough, S’Mores, and of course, Red Velvet. The cupcakes, which are roughly the size of a silver dollar, pack a major sweet punch, but avoid the major cupcake flaw of being too sweet. The consistency was wonderfully moist and smooth, too, which surprised me, as it can't be easy to perfectly bake such tiny treats.

Part of the great appeal of Melissa’s might be the presentation: not only are the tiny cupcakes perfectly shaped and iced, they’re topped with a tiny bit of whatever they are stuffed with and served in custom tiny-cupcake boxes! The show may, however, disguise the fact that a dollar is still a little much for such a tiny amount of food….but for such a perfectly crafted bite (or two, if you’re careful) of sweetness, it’s definitely worth it. Who can eat a whole Magnolia’s or Crumbs' anyway?


The verdict: if you’re wandering SoHo with a tiny sweet tooth or looking to order something fun for a party, Baked by Melissa is the cupcake nouveau for you.


Baked by Melissa
529 Broadway
Pick-up Window on Spring between Mercer and Broadway
$

Joe’s Pizza vs. Una Pizza Napoletana :: NY vs. Italy :: The Great Pizza Debate

Am I even allowed to do a richNY/poorNY comparison on Pizza in Manhattan? Even though there have been more reviews of pizza in New York than I can count, I’m going to go ahead and offer my opinion on two great pizzerias in the city. For this special entry, I had to call in backup: The Purveyor of Pizza himself, my friend A (who really is a pizza expert.)

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If you have never gotten Joe’s Pizza over on the West Side downtown, you are missing out. Easily accessible and wallet-friendly, Joe’s is some of the best pizza I have ever had. The ambiance is very casual, just a pizza counter and a few tables if you can snag a seat, but don’t go for the customer service (if Joe lets you use the bathroom, you know you’re lucky). Joe’s slices are hefty wedges of delicious crispy crust of a medium thickness slathered in delicious sauce and cheese. Disclaimer: if you’re a toppings-kind of person, be forewarned that Joe’s toppings are not all that grand, as they’re generally afterthoughts. The kicker is the sauce, which A tells me is so good because it’s so simple: you can really taste the fresh tomatoes.

The ambiance and the no-nonsense approach to punching out pizzas indicate why Joe’s is so good. The pizza is almost always fresh and hot right out of the oven, unlike other pizzerias that might toss in a slice to reheat it. “Joe’s has kind of perfected the slice,” says A. “You can tell by the ambiance that the focus is just on getting a fresh slice out of the oven, which you almost always get.” Joe’s is the model of true, delicious New York Pizza, and at $2.50 for a nice-sized slice, it makes the perfect lunch on the go or after-drinking snack.


Joe’s Pizza
7 Carmine Street (at 6th Avenue)
$

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Both my friend A and I are lucky enough to have lived in Italy, and equally lucky to have both tried true Napolean pizza in Napoli. There, the pizza is messier than we’re used to: olive oil dripping off of thick, doughy chunks that you either have to rip or cut apart – Italians eat personal pies, no such thing as slices.

That experience can be replicated in Manhattan, with a little bit of an investment. This week’s richNY is probably the most expensive pizza I’ve ever eaten, but it’s worth it, since it sent me right back to Italy. Una Pizza Napoletana is a snug little restaurant that you have to walk by slowly to catch. They don’t take reservations, they’re only open Thursday through Sunday, and it’s a tiny place with only a handful of tables, but it’s got a great vibe. I came across Una Pizza when looking for a place to grab a bite with A, and when we noticed two things – there were no prices on the menu, and their hours were from “5 pm ‘til we run out of fresh dough,” we were intrigued.

To be fair, their pizza is expensive. I was shocked when we discovered that our personal pizzas were $21 each! Luckily, it was worth it. I ordered the Marinara, delicious thick crust smothered in olive oil and sea salt, fresh garlic, basil, and fresh sliced tomatoes. A ordered the Margherita, which is the Marinara but with buffalo mozzarella. To die for. The pizzas, which had a smoky flavor from the brick oven, were super fresh and surprisingly filling, not to mention nostalgic.

Una Pizza Napoletana brings pizza back to its roots by elevating it to the level of an entrée you would order in any other restaurant. The care that they put into their pizzas there – and the fact that that’s all you can order! – really shows their dedication to deliciousness. You might wonder if the nose-up attitude is deserved (no prices on a menu is always snobby) but if you’re in search of an authentic Italian pizza and you have a few dollars to spare, this place is perfect. This place is not for those in a rush: don’t forget about Slow Food, the Italian movement started by Carlo Petrini that focuses on enjoying your food while you eat it. It’s a great venue for a leisurely date with a bottle of wine.

The good news is, you don’t have to choose between the two pizza joints because they’re such different experiences. According to A, “When you pit New York versus Naples, I think the contest ends in a draw.”


Una Pizza Napoletana
349 East 12th Street (Between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
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