An Ode To Pizza (part deux)

New York is known for a lot of things but, in my opinion, it's most famously know for its pizza. Probably because pizza is the most delicious food in the world, but that's just my opinion. Pizza is a food that brings people together. Everyone has memories of Friday night pizza dinners, and everyone has that ONE place that they think is the best pizza in the world. All in all, pizza is a magical food. 

This weekend my friend was visiting from home and I decided to treat her and take her on a tour of New York. But this wasn't any old history lesson of the city, it was a pizza tour of the city. Needless to say it was right up our alley.  

Scott's Pizza Tour is the best and most comprehensive pizza tour the city has to offer. If you are in New York for a day YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS TOUR!! I'll elaborate more on why this tour is so amazing later. 

Scott was our amazing tour guide whose whole life revolves around pizza. He spoke with such enthusiasm about all the places we would go and all the history we would learn, you couldn't help but get excited yourself. Learning about the history behind pizza in New York is what makes Scott's tour so amazing and different. 

The tour started outside of a bar in Soho called Gatsby's which was home to the country's first pizzeria Lombardi's. The original Lombardi's is no longer there but relocated down the block. Lombardi's is the "trunk" of the New York Family Pizza Tree and has inspired every subsequent pizzeria in New York. 

Home of the original Lombardi's 

We got to Lombardi's a couple minutes before it opened and Scott ushered us in through a side door to avoid the line that was forming out front. Obviously Scott knows everyone in the pizza game so we got the special treatment.

When we got inside we were able to take a tour of the kitchen and see the century year old coal burning brick oven that Lombardi's cooks all their precious pies in. With his infrared thermometer, Scott said the oven was a blistering 938 fahrenheit. 

Quick history lesson

Mr. Lombardi himself (right)

The place where all the magic happens (the oven)

The pies came out minutes later (they only took 2:30 minutes to cook!!) and were placed gracefully on our table. The crust was perfectly puffed and browned, and the cheese was nice and bubbly. My first slice was a beauty. Perfect crust, a bright fire-engine red sauce with disks of fresh mozzarella melted on top. This pizza was a work of art. The crust was thin but strong enough to support the sauce and cheese. It was chewy and crispy at the same time if that's even possible. The sauce was so simple (Lombardi's only uses tomatoes and salt) that you cold taste the sweetness of the tomatoes. The cheese was stringy and so fresh it made the pizza that much better. I thoroughly enjoyed this slice. 

LOOK AT THAT BEAUTY

Cheesy goodness

Post pizza happiness

As we finished up and ventured off to our next stop, we got to talking with Scott and were discussing varieties of pizza. My friend told Scott that one of her favorite pizzas is "upside-down pizza" where the cheese is directly on the bread and the sauce is layered on top. Scott gave us a suggestion of a pizza place around the corner that we should run to quickly and grab a "Soho Square" before our next stop. Being pizza enthusiasts we jumped at the chance to test an extra slice.

We ran ahead and grabbed a slice from Prince Street Pizza. It was Sicilian style on a light as air focaccia bread, layered with stringy delicious cheese, and a seasoned sauce that was a 180 from Lombardi's but equally as delicious. Even though this slice was completely different than our first, it was insanely scrumptious. 

NOM

Upside down goodness

Once we finished we ran back to meet up with the group to head to our next stop. The tour made a quick trip to a restaurant supply store which makes almost all the pizza ovens in New York. It was interesting to see the mechanics behind what goes into the oven that makes all these delicious pizzas. 

Our next stop was to the pizzeria Pizza Box in Greenwich Village. This was the epitome of classic New York style pizza. It was deliciously greasy and had a crispy crust that was perfectly blistered on the bottom. This pizza was what everyone thinks of when they think of New York pizza. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was the quintessential slice. 

Hand those slices over

Classic New York Pizza

Pizza dough demonstration

Stretching the dough...gently

Look at that skill

Obviously can't waist any cheese

The last and final stop on the tour was John's Pizzeria on Bleecker street. I have to say this was my favorite stop on the tour. John's Pizzeria is an offshoot of the original Lombardi's pizza family tree. This pizza had a thin and crispy crust that was cooked perfectly in the coal burning brick oven. What made John's pizza so good was that it was an upside down style pizza. The cheese was a stringy mozzarella and the sauce was simple but had a sweet flavor making it utterly delicious. I could have eaten an entire pie from John's but I had to contain myself. 

Giving us a history lesson before our slice

The grease says it all....YUM

When the tour ended we said our goodbyes to Scott and gave him a list of pizza places to try when he visits Philadelphia. Surprisingly he hadn't been to any, so my friend and I felt like pizza Casanovas. Scott was hands down the best tour guide I've ever had on any tour. His excitement was contagious and he has such an extensive knowledge about everything pizza it is amazing. I would take his tour again in a minute if i could. I mean you can never have too much pizza in your life. Until next time! xxx

Our favorite pizza tour guide ever!