Can any spot lay claim to the best slice on the UWS? Are any really worth going back to? Only one way to find out….

1st Stop: Caesar’s Palace Pizza – Regular slice $2.50

Big standard slices, not quite Koronet size, but bigger than every other UWS slice. Pretty much the only place that makes the $2.50 price tag worthwhile. They stay open until around 12AM weekends, the latest of all the slice joints in this story. For straight value alone, this is the best slice of the bunch. Here’s the essentials.

• Crust – Chewy and crunchy when there’s not too much of a rush in the restaurant, it’s only downfall is that 9 out of 10 times it will collapse at the end crust due to the weight of the big slice, so be prepared for that.
• Cheese & Sauce – a slightly skewed ratio in favor of the sauce, particularly at the end of the slice. It pools up a bit when the slice is fresh so watch out for splashage.

Grade: B

Stop #2: New Pizza Town – Regular Slice $2.50

One of two Pizza Towns in the city (the other, Pizza Town II is on 30th & 7th Ave), this spot is small and no frills. It produces every kind of slice you could want, including a quality Grandma slice. Everything else, however, is fairly standard and good only when fresh.

• Crust – Bland and dry. It has good foldability but isn’t particularly tasty.
• Cheese & Sauce - This place is least susceptible to poor quality pizza during busy hours. Points for that. Balanced ratio between cheese and sauce though sauce is nothing special. Generic and thin, not overpowering. Solid amount of cheese but not to the point where you’ll be chewing for a while.

Grade: B-

Stop #3: Bella Roma – Fresh Mozz & Vodka Sauce Pan Slice $3.75

Now I know breaking away from the regular slice really isn’t fair, but I love pan pie and it’s such a rarity in this city, how could I not take the plunge and drop an exorbitant $3.75 on one slice. Was it worth the price? Not really. It was tasty but nothing transcendent. They also had a buffalo chicken pan pie that looked weak but I was watching a serious Meat Lover’s pan pie being made with bacon, pepperoni, and sausage that looked pretty quality.

• Crust – Airy and light, nice taste from the pan. Unfortunately it was pretty gummy underneath the cheese, especially towards the back of the slice. It’s nothing to run for but definitely worth a try if you’re looking to shake it up ($14.95 for a 16 inch pan pie)
• Cheese & Sauce - For a vodka sauce slice, I could use some more vodka sauce. There were too many dry spots. And when I did find a pool of sauce, it was standard, tasty but fairly bland. Not a very flavorful slice, could probably benefit from some parmesan cheese either in the sauce or on top of the slice. Ratio is skewed towards fresh mozz and this is disappointing given the gummy crust beneath.

Grade: B-

Stop #4: Francesco – Regular Slice $2.50

This spot has a lot of promise, a large, varied slice offering and a central location. Unfortunately, the plain slice, the barometer for everything they create is pretty weak overall. Very generic. As welcoming as the pizzaiola statue out front is, pass on this place and try Rigoletto or Traviata, both within a few blocks of Francseco.

• Crust – This was the strongest point of the slice. It was a little undercooked during the lunchtime rush but the end crust was light, crispy, and airy, pretty much all you can ask for. It has a slightly sweet flavor.
• Cheese & Sauce – Ratio skewed in favor of the cheese but this is a good thing considering this was the worst sauce of the bunch. It was as generic as they come, and as weird as this sounds, it almost tasted fishy. I know, strange. I don’t know how to explain it but I would steer clear of this slice.

Grade: D

Read on to see how Rigoletto stood up to NYC Food Guy’s Pizza Test…

NYC Food Guy’s three requirements for a good slice of pizza…

1) Light, airy crust strong enough to support the weight of a slice, chewy enough to be eaten alone

2) Tasty sauce which isn’t too sweet, salty, or thin and doesn’t pool when you fold a slice

3) Good Cheese to Sauce Ratio. I like a balanced slice. If I didn’t I’d eat a white slice or a marinara.

How Rigoletto fared…

1) The crust was light, airy, sturdy, and slightly chewy. The flavor is nothing special, it reminded me of an ordinary Italian bread. Grade: B+

2) The sauce was a little sweeter than I like but it had some substance and it held the cheese to the slice without squirting off the edges. Grade: C

3) The sauce to cheese ratio was pretty much perfect. The slice folded well and I wasn’t squeezing out extra sauce when I got past the slice’s halfway point. Grade: A

So there you have it, the crust and the sauce to cheese ratio carry Rigoletto’s plain slice. As I stated earlier, it’s by no means the best slice on the UWS but definitely a worthy option compared to places like T&R, City Pie, and Freddie and Peppers (all reviewed here).

One other interesting option at Rigoletto is something I had only enjoyed at Traviata pizza (reviewed here), garlic and pepper-based sauces to put on the pizza.

Rigoletto offers a mild:

A medium:

And a spicy:

My only excuse for not trying all of these enticing sauces is that it was semi-late and I didn’t want to be tasting them for the rest of the night. Regardless, the delicious garlic sauce at Traviata Pizza most closely resembled the mild sauce at Rigoletto, so there’s a good starting point.

Continue the rest of my New York Pizza Tour here.

Rigoletto Pizza – Cash Only

Look at that slice ($3) it’s as big as the tray.

Here’s the inside info on Koronet:

> The pizza tastes like your bona fide post-bar slice. Unimpressive sauce, cheese, and dough. But, post-bar, with the addition of some spices, it would get the job done. If you’ve had 99 cent Fresh Pizza over on 41st St. & 9th Ave, it tastes slightly better than that. Also, if you’ve ever hung out on Adams Morgan in Washington, D.C., this is exactly like the big slices there.

> It’s open until 2 am every night.

> It’s worth going to just to see the size of a pie of humongous slices.

> Check out pictures which better illustrate the scale of each slice here.

Koronet Pizza

2848 Broadway
New York, NY 10025-7816
Phone: (212) 222-1566

1 slice ($2.25)

You have to respect an unassuming slice joint that wows you in a way you never expected. Traviata did that with the Garlic Sauce. It sits next to the spices in a deli-mustard container without a top. The sauce itself is consists of sliced garlic cloves, red pepper, parsley, oregano, oil, and vinegar. It tastes like the spices on a really good garlic knot.

My advice for using the Garlic Sauce is to scoop some up against the side of the container (you can get it when you order delivery, just ask for a side of garlic sauce) and let most of the oil and vinegar fall off the spoon. Spread the remaining concoction over your slice and dig in. The effect is similar to of folding your slice and rubbing it around on a plate that had a salad on it but now only has dressing left over. When spread on a slice, it makes your pizza slightly tangy and adds some heat, I say use it sparingly and spread evenly because the flavor is strong and can definitely hurt your causes of getting a kiss at the end of the night.

The Garlic Sauce turns a decent slice into a solid slice.

The slice: Crispy but not brittle and the cheese was tasty. The sauce was thin and ordinary, but melded well with the cheese.

The Review: 2.5 out of 5 on the NYC Eat’s Slice Scale

La Traviata
101 W 68th St (B/t Columbus & Broadway)

Phone: 212-721-1101

****1st stop: T & R Pizza****
411 Amsterdam Ave (Btwn 79th & 80th St)
Phone: 212-787-4093

1 slice ($2.25), 2 mini pepperoni rolls ($0.25 each)

The Review: Generic but good taste, good crust (light and crispy), not enough sauce on slice. The little sauce there was tasted salty but was decent. The slice was a lot better after I added some red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic.

Pepperoni Rolls: Great in concept. Small, with a tiny bit of cheese and 1 slice of ‘roni inside. Would have been better if I had some sauce to dip them in. Nice little snack though.

The Verdict: A good post-bar slice if you’ve had a few at one of the many Amsterdam Ave. watering holes. 1.5 out of 5 on NYC Food Guy’s Slice Scale.

Worth another try? Maybe for the sicilian slice. It looked good. Though no pic, the cheese and sauce were spread over the slice nicely.

****2nd Stop: Freddie & Pepper’s ****
303 Amsterdam Ave (Btwn 74th & 75th St)

Phone: 212-799-2378

1 regular slice ($2.25)

The Review: Greasy. Looks good, but picked it up and grease took over, made it all flimsy and it collapsed, lost the entire front half of cheese onto the table. Sauce is generic and didn’t really compelement the soupy cheese well. Crust was chewy inside, crispy outside, but pretty flavorles. Added spices and it was still pretty weak. Combo bite of crust and pizza still nothing special.

The Verdict: Not good but could be better if you asked for less oil and well done on the pie. Also a good post-bar slice. 1.5 out of 5 on the NYC Food Guy’s Slice Scale.

Worth another try? 2 reasons: 1) they have an old school fruit punch/grape juice fountain. 2) The Buffalo Slice. Looked pretty damn good. Check it out:

****3rd Stop: City Pie****

166 W 72nd St (Btwn Columbus & Amsterdam Ave)
Phone: 212-580-6969

1 regular slice ($2.00)

The Review: Undercooked. Potetinally good due to thin quality. But no crispy-ness killed it. Fold was good, chewy with no snap or collapse like Freddie and Pepper’s. Bland – no real flavor. Sauce was bitter, not good. Cheese not very gooey or chewey, just blah. Crust was thin and a bit sweet but mainly you taste the pizza oven. Combo bite was nothing special. Spices didn’t help.

The Verdict : Not good. 1 out of 5 on the NYC Food Guy’s Slice Scale.

Worth another try? Maybe, there was a fresh pie of half mushroom and tomato that looked pretty good, but after trying the regular slice I was down on City Pie.