Where to eat pizza outdoors in NYC

I usually hate when publications peg their content to things that happen every year at a given time (Memorial Day grilling articles are the worst), but I was thinking about a couple recent trips to L&B Spumoni Gardens and what a magical place it is at dusk on a not-too-hot summer night. So, voilà, SUMMER JAMS, PIZZA EDITION!

Joe Junior makes a fantastic cheeseburger

It’s always good to have an inside scoop on the things that matter, like burgers. Take Joe Junior. The first and only time I’d had it before today, I thought it was overhyped. But I recently learned you have to ask for it cooked with salt and WITHOUT THE PLANCHA. (It doesn’t hurt to order it medium-rare, either.)

At NY Pizza Suprema, I finally find a ricotta slice I love

The area around MSG and Penn Station is pretty miserable, with a few exceptions. The most obvious one is the James A. Farley Post Office Building, the Beaux-Arts behemoth on Eighth Ave. between 31st & 33rd streets. If you’re a New Yorker who’s become jaded to the amazing architecture that surrounds us, go have a … Read more

Sacco, a tale in 3 photos

Sacco makes a classic, thinner-than-most NY-style slice. It’s a great option in Hell’s Kitchen.

Corner Slice: fantastic grandma pizza

Corner Slice is making a grandma-style pizza using Central Milling flour (a Utah-based artisanal mill whose flours are considered among the best by many bakers and pizza-makers). They do long fermentations at about 80% hydration, parbaking the crusts to yield a crunchy-chewy texture. The crust flavor is excellent, and the crispness is on point. I love the bubbly crust.

Rizzo’s: Fine pizza in Astoria and on the LES

Rizzo’s Fine Pizza serves what it calls a “thin-crust Sicilian.” Sometimes it seems closer to a grandma-style pizza, but I’m not going to quibble. Bottom line is it’s a unique and delicious slice.

Weekly Pizza Lunch: Adrienne’s Pizza Bar

Adrienne’s Pizza Bar — or is it Pizzabar? I don’t know. Regardless, it’s making one of the best grandma/nonna pizzas in NYC today. Of course at Adrienne’s, they call it the “old fashioned.” Whatever. All you need to call it is DELICIOUS. I don’t get to Adrienne’s often enough, because it’s a bit much to … Read more