A New York Taste of Mind

When I moved from LA to NYC in the Winter of 2006, there were a gajillion and one reasons to be so excited – a corner office (cube) on the 25th floor overlooking Madison Avenue, an adorable apartment with exposed brick and French doors in what I was told was one of the best neighborhoods in all of Manhattan (Nolita for those who are familiar), SNOW, the ten pounds I would lose ‘commuting’ to work on foot, which would eventually be counteracted by what I looked forward to The. Most. Of. All. TheFood!
Oh the food I would eat! And every single restaurant delivers (where I’m from the only thing you can have delivered to your front door was pizza)! Upon arrival, I devoured Time Out New York’s restaurant section and began chipping away at mastering what remains my most beloved hobby – eating the ‘big apple’. Literally.

Volumes and volumes of articles, books and blogs have been devoted to NYC food culture so I won’t bore you with my enlightened perspective (yet), instead I strive to be a resource for all of my O2O peeps who live around NYC or plan to visit and want to avoid the tourist traps and expensive tabs. This is my first Favorites List, and what better subject to kick-off with? Pizza!

Please keep in mind when considering recommendations – I tend to prefer thin crust pizza because I like my crust crispy, not soggy with oil from the mounds of mozzarella and toppings that sit atop and I tend to veer from meat-heavy pies. Without further ado, and in no particular order (okay, alphabetical):

Co. (pronounced Company)
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Favorite Pie: Popeye, Flambe and you can’t go wrong with whatever special they are
offering
Things to know: Dough is made by NYC-foodie favorite Sullivan St. Bakery, communal
style seating, walk-ins only

Keste Pizza & Vino
Neighborhood: West Village
Favorite Pie: Funghi, Regina Margherita, Quattro Formaggi
Things to know: There is always a wait at night, this is a neopolitan style pizzeria and
the co-owner is the US President of Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (translation: he
knows his pizza)

L’asso
Neighborhood: Nolita
Favorite Pie: Margherita DOC and San Daniele
Things to know: Open until 3am thurs-sa, $2.50 pizza by the slice all day

Spunto Thin Crust
Neighborhood: West Village
Favorite Pie: Shroomtown (it has white truffle oil!), El Greco
Things to know: Homemade bread pudding is a nice encore!

image courtesy of L’asso