Introducing a new series: Pizza Fridays

About a year ago Gus and I started a little tradition called "Pizza Fridays." The concept is simple, if not self-explanatory: Basically, every Friday night we set out to try a different pizza in NYC.  We keep track of where we went, what slices we sampled, the overall experience, and a mental rating scale of our favorites, which we continually need to reevaluate after each new visit.

A few forces prompted this. First and foremost, Gus is a pizza fanatic (and I a zealous convert).  Secondly, New York Magazine had excellent pizza coverage in their 2009 Cheap Eats issue, which served as inspiration and a fantastic guide.  But perhaps the strongest factor was our first visit to one pizza place in particular that made us realize that pizza in New York City could literally rival what you would find in Italy.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I initially set out to do a basic "best of" list on my blog to recount our experiences, but I've now realized that a simplistic 1-10 rating scale wouldn't really be the most suitable format. For more than anything, our quest has taught me that, despite its few ingredients, pizza is actually quite multifaceted; and one must take into consideration other factors - the environment and energy of the establishment, and one's own tastes and preferences - to properly evaluate the overall experience. 

Instead I will devote an individual post to each pizza place we try, describing the ingredients and tastes to the best of my ability, and making comparisons where appropriate.  Because in addition to having an excuse to record our tradition, I'd like this to serve as a way for others to find their favorite NYC pizza.

Please stay tuned for the first post. And in the meantime, some items that might be of interest:

The NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene lists 1,186 restaurants that contain the word "pizza" in their name. MenuPages lists 385 restaurants - 165 of which are in Brooklyn.

Slice, an affiliate of Serious Eats, is comprehensive pizza blog that offers "pizza maps," recipes, and reviews of notable pizzerias in NYC and all over the country.

New York Magazine's pizza coverage includes, among others:

• An entertaining timeline covering 104 years of pizza in NYC 
• A great slideshow on the evolution of New York pizza styles, 1905 to 2009
• A taxonomy of pizza ovens  
• The 100-Pizza-Eaters Poll on NYC's best slice (though I like it more for the literal pie chart than the results, which actually include Pizza Hut and Little Caesars)

* “Angelo’s. I like my crust crispy.” “Joe and Pat’s on Staten Island. I’ve been going there since I was little.” “Papa John’s. It’s inexpensive!” “Liberty Pizza.” “Nick’s. The crust-cheese-sauce ratio is ideal.” “Two Boots.” “Little Caesars.” “Pizza Hut.” “Little Italy Pizza—43rd and Madison.” “Fornino in Brooklyn.” “Rosa’s.” “John’s in Astoria.”