Pizza and a Burger near MSG: New York Pizza Suprema & Stout’s Bacon Cheeseburger
March 25, 2008
NYC Food Guy loves pizza and burgers so Saturday afternoon I figured why not have both. I grabbed two Sicilian slices at New York Pizza Suprema, where they take pizza seriously enough to prepare 3 different sauces for various pies, and a bacon cheeseburger at Stout NYC, which was voted 2007’s 10th best burger in NYC by Citysearch.
Can you guess which place NYC Food Guy will not be returning to? Read on to find out if you’re right…
New York Pizza Suprema wowed me. The Sicilian slices were spot on.
The Upside Down Slice ($2.25) was excellent…
- The sauce was sweet but the sharpness of the grated parm really balanced the flavor.
- The crust was light and crisp without being doughy, perfect for a Sicilian slice.
- Perfect amount of cheese to provide great textural buffer between sauce and crust.
The regular Sicilian ($2.25) also excelled…
- Cheese to sauce ratio was perfect.
- Balanced flavor for sauce, not too tomatoey, not too acidic.
- Same crust as Upside Down Slice, tasty and delicious.
- Very re-heatable, a big plus. Most Sicilian slices that need to be re-heated look like they’ve been on the counter for weeks, these didn’t.
NY Pizza Suprema had around 15 different pies at the counter when I arrived. They all looked pretty delicious. The Regular and Margarita stood out however, as did the Suprema Special (sausage, pepperoni, onion, peppers, mushrooms). New York Pizza Suprema is open 7 days a week but only until 9pm.
If you chose Stout NYC as the place I will not be returning to, then you are correct.
I don’t know how this place eeked into Citysearch’s 2007 Top 10 burgers, it was really weak. Where’s the love for Brooklyn Diner, Houston’s or even Blue Smoke?
The burger ($8.95 plain, $1.50 for bacon, $1.00 for cheese) was pre-formed, griddle cooked, unspiced, overcooked, and overpriced. It was like a bad diner burger.
The lettuce, tomato, and onion was all wilted, not that I eat veggies with my burger anyway, but still, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have.
The only redeeming factors were…
- The Stout Sauce (Russian Dressing)
- The Fries, skin on crispy and potatoey, but not worth going back for on their own
- The grilled brioche bun, but only because it was grilled, the brioche itself, while airy and light, was the most generic I’d ever encountered.
- Stout NYC is actually a great Midtown spot for watching sports, particulary Soccer, Rugby, and all the other sports Americans don’t respect enough. They have 6 huge TVs over the bar, private pool tables for rent, dart boards downstairs, and private dining rooms all in a cavernous space. I don’t recommend going for the burger but it’s a worthy spot before or after an event at the Garden or while waiting for a train in Penn Station. They’ve got at least 50 beers on tap and probably another 50 in bottles. Pass on the burger and drink up.
New York Pizza Suprema
413 8th Avenue at 31st Street New York, NY 10001 (212) 594-8939 Hours: 10AM – 9PM 7 Days a week Free DeliveryStout NYC
133 West 33rd street b/t 6th & 7th Ave New York, NY 10001 (212) 629-6191
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March 25th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I loves a good Sicilian and thusly shall be trying it! But wtf is an Upside Down slice? There’s cheese under that sauce?
March 25th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Oh man, that sucks the burger was weak. It looks totally well-done from the picture. Some places just do not know how to do it right… Did you see that video of Josh Ozersky that was on AHT?
March 26th, 2008 at 1:15 am
BETAZEN-
Yea there’s cheese under the sauce, sorry for not specifying. If you’ve ever heard of LB Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn, their sicilian slice is the same and it’s even better. Definitely worth the trip.
Danny-
Dude I did see the Josh Ozersky video… Almost went to Veselka right after. I don’t know if I agree with his hamburger tenets. I need some spices on my patty, I like a hand formed patty that’s medium thickness. I like the fire and bacon, that looks good, but no ketchup? C’mon.
What’d you think?
For those who didn’t see Mr. Cutlets bestowing his burger ideals, here’s the link. In case you’re wondering Josh Ozersky is one of the main writers and creators of NY Mag’s Grub Street.
The Burger at Stout wasn’t even close to medium like I ordered. Disappointing. Any good burgers for you lately? I guess I have to try Veselka’s now. I’ve been meaning to for years, kind of sad I haven’t considering it is 24 hours.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
nyc foodguy, you claim you like “medium thickness”….i beg to differ.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Lies-
I’m talking burgers, I have a feeling your mind is elsewhere.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
meat is meat..
March 27th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Yea I think the whole no mustard and no ketchup thing was a little much. Granted, a good juicy burger does not need much of either but still… can’t hurt, right?
Have not had a good burger in a while, but maybe I will have to get a move on and try some more now the spring is around the corner.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Danny-
Any new burgers places on the list?
I still want to try a bunch of spots
Stand
Schnack in Brooklyn
67 Burger in Brooklyn
Dumont Burger in Brooklyn
Old Town Bar
Primehouse
Veselka
Keen’s Steakhouse
Blue 9 Burger (I need to give it another try)
Burger Joint in Gramercy (no relation to Parker Meridien)
Union Square Cafe
Back Forty
18 Avenue B (Zaitzeff 2)
Westville (portugese muffin)
Alexandra (west village)
Ruby’s (NoLita)
I could definitely think of a lot more spots. You have any to add?
April 4th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Ah, I’ve been to Stout before, once last year. While the turkey burger was not particularly memorable, the sweet potato fries were where it was at! If you ever go there again, just get a basket, and skip the burgers.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
TresJolie9-
Sounds good. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I’ll give LB Spumoni props, but I have to say that NY Pizza Suprema’s upside down is over the top! Go and see for yourself, the slice speaks for itself. LB has got some serious competition for the best grandma slice award! That said, Suprema’s regular slice and fresh mozz. with basil are phenomenal!!!!! I’ll take the liberty and say probably the best pizza in midtown, if not even all of NYC.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Pizza, Pizza!,
First off thanks for stopping by and spreading some pizza knowledge. I have to agree with you that NY Pizza Suprema’s upside down slice is EXCELLENT. I don’t remember my one time at LB well enough to say for sure which is better. That being said, I don’t think these are actually grandma slices, I think they’re just upside down slices, like you said.
Also, the Suprema regular slice I had was very ordinary. The sauce was overly sweet and the crust was nothing special. I’m down with Suprema, don’t get me wrong, but I’m sticking with the Sicilian (which is also excellent) and the Upside Down.
So what else is on your top pizza in NYC list?
June 10th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Molly’s and Finnegan’s Wake have great burgers with very relaxed atmosphere. Keen’s is amazing but you have to be ready to do the banker steakhouse vibe.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Lauren
Thanks for the heads up. I’ve heard great things about Keen’s really need to get over there one of these days. You talking about Molly’s on the UES?
September 18th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Just don’t ask to ever use the bathroom. My friend asked while I was still finishing my food, and the manager started screaming profanities at us, tell us to get the f*** out and never come back. I didn’t leave until I finished my slice and water though, b/c the food was still good even with him yelling at us through the remainder of the meal. Was pretty surreal.
September 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Carter,
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure to ask nicely if I do have to go.
Where else do you like to eat pizza in NYC?
December 8th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Well, this is now the 2nd Food Guy recommendation I have taken (along with the Tim Tams), and I must say, Food Guy continues to impress!! I’ve seen a lot of hype on various message boards across this site comparing Pizza Suprema vs. L&B’s Spumoni Gardens, and although I grew up with L&B’s sicilian slices (I’m still a loyal fan of them), I swore it was the best pizza place. Now, having tried Pizza Suprema’s upside-down slice, the sauce was different (slightly sweet) but still amazing. I would have to say that they are both at equal ranking in my book, but I just happen to live much closer to Suprema, and they’ll deliver to my place, so I guess they just won over a new customer.
If you go there, you’ll even see that they post ALL kinds of positive internet reviews on the walls and tables. Let’s see if we can get Food Guy’s reviews there too. Who’s with me?
January 16th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Suprema is a lot like L&G in Brooklyn, when I was in NY, my favorite slice from Suprema was their plain, the main reason was the sauce, it reminded me of a pizza joint that my dad took me as a kid that had this perfect tasting sauce, a bit sweet and bit savory. I went there this past December and noticed that the sauce tasted different, it was a huge dissapointment.
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:38 pm
thanks you,verry much…vietnam mes
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:40 pm
The lettuce, tomato, and onion was all wilted, not that I eat veggies with my burger anyway, but still, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have.
September 27th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
looks pretty good