See Pizza, Eat Pizza

According to Urban Spoon, New York City has more than 2,000 pizzerias - besting second place Chicago by 1,300 locations. When it comes to overall pizzeria quality, I’m afraid the gap is much, much larger.

The first 26.8 years of my life were spent living in Chicago. For a embarrassingly large percentage of that time, I swore up and down that Chicago pizza was tops. I made fun of New York’s “floppy” slice style and the cheesy mess that often accompanied it.

When I started dating Kristy, that all changed. In a pretty short time frame, I managed to scarf some pies from some of NYC’s more venerable institutions: Lombardi’s, Joe & Pat’s, Joe’s on Carmine, Di Marco, and Grimaldi’s (in Hoboken). It became clear that the pizza I had known as “New York” style my whole life was really just some confused Chicago-area individual’s idea of New York style. The pizza I was eating in New York were more flavorful than any pizza I had ever experienced. The crust was tender and chewy and crunchy all at the same time and cheese was being used in proportion to the rest of the ingredients (take note, Giordano’s)!

Dom DiMarco,
NYC Pizza Mayor

Last July, I packed my stuff into a truck and headed east. Since then, my relationship with pizza has truly blossomed (to say nothing of my relationship with Kristy). I love heading into the city to try a new pizzeria. I love reading the storied history of pizza in the village. I love that when someone asks me where they should grab a pie, I can give them 15 different answers without hesitation.

I know that I’m just scratching the tip of the iceberg out here. I have yet to try Patsy’s in East Harlem or Totonno’s on Coney Island. I haven’t eaten at the Grimaldi’s under the Brooklyn Bridge. There are at least 60 Rays in the city and I’ve only eaten at a handful. Heck, I haven’t even had pizza in 2 of the 5 boroughs (that’d be the Bronx and Queens for those scoring at home).

Buckle up New York, it’s going to be a delicious ride.

Welcome, grab a slice.

Americans eat a lot of pizza. One statistic from the National Association of Pizza Operators shows that Americans eat approximately 100 ACRES of pizza each day (that’s 350 slices per second). Unfortunately, nearly half of all pizza sold in the United States is sold by the big four (hereafter referred to on this web site as the “Quartet of Crap” or QOC): Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, and Little Caesar’s.

There’s better stuff out there, America. Pass on the Papa John’s and try that Mom & Pop shop down the block. They’ll appreciate your business and reward you with something that’ll probably blow Papa John’s out of the water.

“See Pizza, Eat Pizza” is a quest to find the best in pizza. Which pizzeria makes the best sicilian slice? Who’s pepperonis would I want on my last pizza ever? What kind of oven churns out the best pies? Where do the best tomatoes grow?

In short, I love pizza. I hope this site helps you find some love for pizza, too.