Pizza Top 10

I LOVE pizza! Though I have not been everywhere, and I really need to get to New Haven, Connecticut, amongst other places; I have been to Chicago, and I did a studied, pizza-centric tour of Italy in 1999 (I found much to like, but none quite make this list). I should also mention that I always get plain cheese pizza with red sauce, especially the first time I try a pizzeria. If the pizza is good, I do like to go back and try the pepperoni as well. Keeping it simple, I believe, is the way to go – too many toppings masks the core flavors of the crust, sauce, and cheese. Anyhow, here’s my Top Ten, so far:

10. Me-n-Ed’s, Lemoore, CA. This place reminds me of going to Shakey’s as a kid, but with the pizza quality cranked way up. Crispy Cornmeal-y crust meets a supremely yummy, winey sauce – my eyes grow and my mouth is so happy.

9. Pagliacci, Seattle, WA. I’ve been eating this pizza for over 20 years. I’ve eaten more of this stuff than any other pizza, and it still delights me. I had one last night that was just deliciously satisfying. I order The Original (=cheese 'za) all the time and the nice crust, perfectly spiced sauce, and great whole milk mozzarella delight me every time. This place is also a prime example of my “keep it simple” credo – heavily topped Pags pies, even the fancy seasonal ones, taste much less special to me.

8. Apizza Scholls, Portland, OR. Get here early because this incredible pizza is super-loved by Portland. Brick oven fantasticness is served picnic-table style with grand flavors and lovely black char marks.

7. Flying Squirrel Pizza Company, Seattle, WA. The crust is perfect – crispy right to the middle, but chewy at the edge (under the little crunchy burn marks). The sauce is really nice too (though a bit more might be all right). And the cheese is so good. And they have $1.50 cans of Olympia beer. I love this place.

6. Ken’s Artisan Pizza, Portland, OR. Whoa. This place is amazing. Such a gourmet crust topped with such lovingly spiced sauce and tasty cheese – every bite is divine. Monday-night-only at the bakery in NW is what I know and love, though the newer every-night-of-the-week pizzeria in SE is reportedly nearly-as-good.

5. Pizza Gruppo, Avenue B, East Village, NYC. A tiny little place with just perfect pizza. Thin crust, just-right crisp, delightful medium-zing sauce, and great cheese keep the cult following coming back over and over again.

4. DiFara, Midwood, Brooklyn, NYC. Watching the legend that is Dom DeMarco (now in his 70s) remove the hot pies from the oven, top them with freshly-grated parmigiano-reggiano, snipped basil leaves, and extra-virgin olive oil is pure joy. Then you get to eat this magic pie. Mr. DeMarco puts his pizza love into every single slice that this place serves. Warning, DiFara is a zoo. It is always packed, and the service borders on nonexistent. Expect to spend at least a half hour to get a slice. It is very very worth it.

3. Patsy’s, 2nd Ave, Upper East Side, NYC. Yeah, I know, Patsy’s up in East Harlem is supposedly the "original Patsy's," and Patsy Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn is supposedly the "best Patsy's," and I’ve tried them both, but this is my favorite Patsy’s. I had a Perfect Pie here in 2001, and I can never forget that: amazing crust (so crunchy-but-chewy), winey sauce, perfect cheese, and best-in-my-life pepperoni (on half of it). Simply superb.

2. Totonno’s, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC. This place is a classic – just super yumful brick oven pizza with bright, lovingly spiced sauce and delicious crust. You must go to the Coney Island one, though. Uh-oh. The first time I went here I had a micro meltdown. After several days of tromping around NYC in the summer heat in August ‘02, my crew and I made it out to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone roller coaster and eat the famous Totonno’s pizza. I ordered a cheese pie and went for rest in the one available booth when I heard rumblings about getting a pepperoni upgrade for free because of some kitchen error, and once my tired brain clicked that my start-with-cheese plan might get fouled-up, I jumped to my feet and yelled “No Pepperoni!!” while waving my arms in the air frantically. I think I frightened the whole room full of New Yorkers including the big guy making the pizzas.

1. John’s, 44th & 8th, Midtown, NYC. I agree with Letterman. It’s a popular choice, and I can’t deny John's this victory. John’s in the Theater District has it all. Though the original Greenwich Village location is cramped and can produce chokingly dry crusts and bland sauce, this newer John's is coal brick oven ‘za sent straight from Heaven to one of the most amazing eating spaces on Earth. The brick ovens in the corners of this beautiful glass-ceiling-cathedral-turned-dining-room produce the most phenomenal crusts anywhere; and the sauce is just so right, and the cheese is perfection. Every time I eat here, my first bite is “Whoa!”, and I love the expressions on my friends’ faces when I take them here and they taste this other-worldly ‘za for the first time. Visiting here is one of my favorite things.