The One About Pizza and NYC
- Aubrey Johnson
- Feb 10
- 17 min read
In a divided country, nothing unites people as much as food, especially food that did not originate in America. But the beautifully ironic thing is that most Americans didn’t originate here either. Some “unAmerican” classics include tacos, hot dogs, and—my favorite—pizza. While I already shared one pizza post about its country of origin and my time there, I have more pizza stories to tell and recipes to share. And there’s no such thing as too much pizza.
Thankfully, none of my pizza memories include a giant mouse in my childhood. (I have gone to Chuck E. Cheese before, but the pizza was not memorable.) The same is true of the times I went to Incredible Pizza and HeyDay, similar restaurants in Oklahoma with arcade games and attractions. The pizza was fine, but the hope of winning a prize from a game or beating youth group kids at laser tag was the greater draw. Another local chain that would make an Italian cringe is Cicis Pizza. Again, the pizza was fine; it’s a cheap meal for a family or college students on a budget. I ate there a few times after long study sessions with students in my Mammalogy class. There’s nothing like grease and carbs to help Latin genus species names stick until the exam! One more local-to-me chain that’s a few steps above in ranking is Hideaway Pizza. I love their chewy crust and both traditional and unusual flavor combinations. My family has gone there since I was a teenager, and I chose it as the restaurant for my 16th birthday before going to play laser tag with friends.
Sadly, they took shrimp off their topping list for a build-your-own pizza. Pineapple and shrimp was my go-to for a while. I know it breaks so many rules, but don’t knock it ‘till you try it! Once I moved away from Oklahoma, Hideaway was always my restaurant of choice when I was back visiting friends over Christmas break. Hideaway Pizza and Braum’s ice cream were my two most-missed Oklahoma chain favorites.
Those of you who have no idea what those chain restaurants are and are skeptical of my pizza knowledge, never fear - I branched out! Before moving to Oklahoma where my family learned about the local Mazzio’s Pizza chain and the rest of the country’s love of Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa Murphy’s, and Little Caesars, we got take-out from Round Table Pizza in California. When I lived in South Carolina, I tried Mellow Mushroom, a chain sit-down restaurant local to the south that’s a higher caliber than a pizza that can be delivered to your door. I have been to Chicago and tried deep-dish pizza, but thin and hand-tossed is more my style. In Colorado, the best pizza I had was at Moonlight Pizza in Salida. What made the pizza taste even better was the fact that three Horn Creek staff and I ate there my first summer after hiking Mt. Elbert, the highest 14er in Colorado at 14,439 feet. (I made it to the second false peak, and for not having been hiking in the state long, and trying to keep up with three more seasoned hikers, that was enough of an accomplishment for me.) Montana also deserves an honorable mention. Gil’s Goods in Livingston also produces delicious wood-fired pizzas. I think I’ve tried them all, but my favorite would have to be the clam pizza that the new owners discontinued. :( Apart from the rare gems in the middle of the country in small mountain towns, the best pizza in the U.S. would have to be in the northeast, hands down, no contest. But the best of the northeast? There’s some debate.
Worth mentioning before the northeast’s pizza main attractions is Scranton, PA. Since my dad and I were driving through around lunchtime on our way to Hamden, my new home outside New Haven, I did some Googling on my new phone. (I left my old phone on top of my car and drove away, probably leaving it on the side of the road, in Indiana.)
We stopped for lunch at Alfredo's Pizza Cafe, which is way better than Pizza by Alfredo (duh, Michael). Pizza by Alfredo doesn’t actually exist. I did get a slice from Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe to eat in the car while we kept driving. I’m sure it was delicious, Oscar says it is after all, but I don’t actually remember. As a fan of The Office, it was fun just to stop for the novelty.
That night after getting to the house I’d be sharing with my new roommate, my dad took us all out to eat at one of New Haven’s finest, and most Instagram-able pizza joints. We waited outside in line for at least an hour before we got to sit down inside and wait more. The world-famous Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana was worth it, though! (At least it was before I went to Naples and had the real thing.) New Englanders love their pizza; people will fight and argue about the best. It was a can’t-miss experience to eat in the original Pepe’s on Wooster Street. Frank Pepe was a native of Naples, Italy, and after I visited Italy and had the real thing, I found the only difference between Frank Pepe’s pizza and pizza in Italy was the setting. In terms of water and ambient yeast, sometimes that’s everything. (Well, Italian streets and New Haven streets - both full of passionate and loud Italians - are not quite the same!) We had the famous clam pizza, which was delicious! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture, and I only ate there one time. I’m sure everything on their menu is fantastic, and if you ever make it to the northeast, there are 15 locations from which to choose (not counting two in Florida, and ironically enough, neither are in Naples).
New Haven is a city that loves its pizza, specifically Neapolitan, coal-fired, thin-crust, brick-oven pizzas. Ask anyone who has spent any significant amount of time there, and they’ll tell you one of three pizza places as their favorite. There’s the above-mentioned Pepe’s.
Then there are two others - Modern and Sally’s. Being that I was on an AmeriCorps service member budget, I didn’t eat out a lot. As such, I never made it to Sally’s. If I go back, I’ll have to make a point to try it. I did make it to Modern Apizza one Sunday after church in April with my Sunday school class. There were a few pizzas ordered at the table, so I may have tried more than one. The one I had to try was their Clam Casino. It was hard for me to pick a favorite since I didn’t try Pepe’s clam pizza right before Modern’s, and I was going by a distant memory. I do have a picture of Modern’s clam pizza to jog my memory, though. While both crusts were “thin,” the edge of Modern’s pizza was thicker and chewier, and there were more toppings loaded on the Clam Casino than Pepe’s White Clam with pecorino romano cheese, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. Modern does have a traditional white clam, but the Clam Casino added bacon and red peppers. Deliziosa!
The second northeast pizza must-try is New York style in the one and only - New York City. Pizza wasn’t my only draw to the city, but it was on a long list of NYC “Must-do and See.” Fall of 2018, my roommate, who had been to the city plenty of times before, helped make my dream a reality. In October we took a day trip from Connecticut after I planned as much as possible, including cheap theater tickets discounted for those under 35. Since we would only be there one day, my roommate helped keep my expectations realistic for what was possible in a short amount of time. Because we were going to see a show, museums would have to be saved for another trip, but I planned to check off as many “as-seen-on-TV” (or in the movies) sights and New York must-eats as possible. The day was as full as it could be without exhausting ourselves.
After a two-hour train ride, we arrived at Grand Central Station and took the subway to Central Park. I knew the subway network was extensive, but seeing it in person, especially busy stations like Grand Central with multiple platforms was awesome! Thankfully, I had no negative subway experiences—no crime sightings or rats, but neither did I see any Improv Everywhere “No Pants Subway Rides” or famous musicians busking with Jimmy Fallon. Maybe next time. We walked only a little bit of the park. It's an extensive 840 acres.
We had a timeline, so we couldn’t just wander, but I did have a few sights I wanted to see. We walked past the Loeb Boathouse, as seen in 27 Dresses, and Conservatory Water, the pond with miniature sailboats shown in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and 13 Going on 30. The goal was to see the Alice in Wonderland statue. Dash & Lily had not made it “tv-famous” yet, but I’m a fan of the Disney movie and dressed up as Alice one year for Halloween. I was not a fan of people climbing on the statue. Kids… The last sight we walked by before exiting the park was the Central Park Zoo. We could see the seals as we walked by, but the zoo was not free like some movies portrayed it, and we didn’t have time anyway.
Our next stop was one of the many bagel shops in the city. After a walk from the park, we passed the Plaza Hotel, then joined the line at the famed “Ess-a-Bagel.” It’s #1 on “The 19 Best Bagels In NYC, Ranked,” and it was also my roommate’s suggested place to stop. The original location has featured hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, fresh-baked bagels since 1976. We waited about 40 minutes to get inside, then it was another 25-30 minutes wait inside to order our bagels to-go. Their menu has everything one could want - 14 flavors of bagels, 28 cream cheeses and spreads, lots of sandwiches (and burgers) for breakfast and lunch, pastries, and an extensive drink menu. They cater to locals and tourists alike, but be prepared to wait and know what you want when you reach the counter. They want to get you in and out. All of their colorful cream cheese flavors reminded me of gelato!
Our sandwiches were eaten while walking to our next stop - Lincoln Center, so I went with a turkey club since it was less messy than something more interesting like the Signature Favorite (Sliced Nova - smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and capers). We did order a dozen bagels to split between us, which were then stashed in our backpacks for the rest of the trip. Yes, I spent the rest of the day in NYC with 6 bagels in my bag! I chose two sesame seed bagels then one each of oat bran, everything, poppy seed, and cinnamon raisin. Looking at the menu again, I wish I swapped a sesame seed for either a blueberry or pumpernickel. I know they run out through the day and will make more until a certain time. And we did come at lunchtime - peak busy hours, so it’s possible they were sold out of other flavors. Guess I’ll have to go back to try more!
Once we left the delicious bagel smells behind, we walked through the theater district on our way to Lincoln Center. We passed Radio City Music Hall, Times Square, Broadway, and the Ed Sullivan Theater where The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is currently filmed. Another time, it would be fun to be a member of a talk show’s audience; my choices would be either a late show or Live with Kelly and Mark (at the time, Ryan). The list of sights to see is still long, but I did narrow it down a little. I was able to check off seeing a musical in the city. My roommate and I bought tickets to see My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center.
We had third-row orchestra seats on the far right. The seats were pretty good with the action right in front of us, but there was a spinning set piece with a three-foot-tall sofa that blocked some of the action. Lauren Ambrose, who I had previously seen in a Hallmark movie, played Eliza Doolittle, and Rosemary Harris, who played Aunt May in Toby McGuire's Spiderman, was Mrs. Higgins. Allan Corduner played Colonel Pickering, and Harry Hadden-Paton played Henry Higgins. Both are seasoned actors with several stage, film, and TV credits. Since it was a Saturday afternoon matinee, we were not out of place in “street clothes” with backpacks. Evening performances are when people dress up more. (We may have been the only people with bagels in our backpacks, though!)
After an enjoyable show, we started walking again and passed more notable landmarks. Next door was The Juilliard School at Lincoln Center, as seen on the movie Center Stage. Our next longer stop was at NBC Studios and Rockefeller Center. We stopped and watched people setting up for an event.
My roommate's friend who lives in the city met up with us and said the rink was already set up, so the party taking place that evening happened on top of the ice after a new floor was put down. We browsed the Lego Store right off Rockefeller Center and looked into a Today Show studio from the street. I also requested a stop at Bouchon Bakery since my pastry chef instructor at Brightwater shared some of Thomas Keller’s recipes with us at culinary school. It was past peak freshness time for the pastries, but since we were there, my roommate and I split an Oh-Oh (Thomas Keller's version of a Ho-Ho). I also tried an eclair, but I was disappointed in that treat. My fellow bakery students and I made eclairs that looked and tasted better. It was late afternoon, though, so I’d like to think it would have been better fresh vs sitting in the case through the day. Thankfully, the Oh-Oh did not disappoint.
My roommate’s friend who met up with us at Rockefeller Center walked with us, past the famous Christie’s Auction House, to Washington Square Park. It was dark by this time, but it was fun to hear his brief tour guide talk and see him point out landmarks along the way. I don’t know any NYC locals personally anymore, but with all the coverage the city gets in the news and from television and film media, it was entertaining and educational to hear about the city from a local’s point of view. The three of us walked to our last stop in the city - Denino’s Pizza in Greenwich Village. I knew I wanted New York pizza in New York City, and this was the recommended place.
A second friend met up with us, so we became a party of four. I don’t remember a long wait, so it’s possible we put our names on a list or made a reservation ahead of time. I’m sure there are plenty of notable pizza restaurants in the city, but again, I was along for the “ride” and everything was a new experience for me. I was happy to eat with my friend’s friends and hear their stories of life in the city. The original Denino’s in Staten Island opened as a Tavern in 1937, but the location in the Village has only been open since 2016. I think we split a 1951 Original - tomato sauce and mozzarella - and Garbage - Sausage, Meatball, Pepperoni, Mushrooms, and Onions. If I have a chance to go back, I’d have to try the Clam; their menu claims it’s “Voted #1 in NYC”! Since it was a social occasion, and I thought it “went with the meal” I had a Stella pilsner. So, I thought I was ending a great day in New York with pizza and a beer, like the locals.
Our trip to the city happened to coincide with a Yankees vs Red Sox game. It was Game 2 of a Division Series that determined who would be playing in the World Series later that month. The group decided that we should go to a bar down the street to hang out longer and watch the game. Sure, why not? I like baseball. I like new experiences and trying the “when in Rome” things to do. A loud bar in Yankee territory? Sure! Well, my body had other plans. We got to the bar, which was already packed with loud Yankees fans, and the fun of the day and food and drink of the day caught up to me. I was not feeling it. Not only that, but I was starting to get a migraine, which can make me sick to my stomach. I didn’t even have time to order another drink. My friend and her friends were standing around the bar when I excused myself and said I was going to find the bathroom. I followed the sign downstairs to a room with a comedy club through doors at the end and a small bathroom off to the side. It was quieter downstairs, so I escaped some of the noise at least, but getting sick in a tiny bathroom with loud Yankee fans upstairs, and the next SNL hopeful going through their best set next door was not on my NYC list of “must-do and see.” I was that person who laid down on the weird vinyl booth seat in the dimly lit hall. I felt terrible, but I knew I’d never see those people again, and thankfully, the bathroom wasn’t that busy. My roommate checked on me and said we’d leave in a few minutes. I’m sure I would have had fun watching people in the bar while the Yankees won 6-2 against the Red Sox (Boston went on to win the next two, though), but my night was over as soon as we walked in the bar. It would have been all too ironic if Joey was upstairs cheering on the Yankees or if Phoebe and Mike walked into the comedy club. Yes, I know they’re fictional, but it’s the Village. Weirder things have happened. We made it back to New Haven about three hours later, late into the night, and I haven’t had a Stella since.
Sadly, none of Ken’s pizza recipes in The Harvest Baker feature clams, a harvest from the sea, but there are plenty of other garden-harvest recipes that would be even better if wood-fired. If you are like me and don’t have access to a brick oven, they’re still worth making in a standard oven! The first recipe is pizza-adjacent - Pepperoni and Veggie Pull-apart Pizza. It’s more of a monkey bread with pizza toppings scattered over balls of dough in a 13x9” pan. It was delicious, but it was more work to pinch and roll the dough into balls than topping one piece of dough flattened out.
Four more unusual veggie pizzas included in the book are White Bean, Spinach, and Bacon Pizza; Roasted Beet, Spinach, and Feta Cheese Flatbread; Potato, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Pizza (recipe shared below); and Broccoli Sauce and Cheddar Cheese Pizza. Even though I’ve never had beans on a pizza before, the White Bean, Spinach, and Bacon Pizza ended up being a favorite. Well, anything is made better with bacon! I’m also a fan of beets, and the spinach, feta, and sprinkled red wine vinegar on the roasted beet pizza was a combination I wouldn’t have thought of, but it turned out great. I had had potato on pizza before since one of my culinary instructors, who happens to be Italian, suggested we use it with olive oil and rosemary as is traditional. Ken’s recipe which includes bacon and blue cheese with the potato is another favorite. I don’t think Italians would agree with the ranch dressing in the recipe, but who’s going to tell? The last - Broccoli Sauce and Cheddar Cheese Pizza - calls for making … well… a broccoli sauce that is baked on the pizza first before topping it with cheddar cheese. It reminded me of when my mom would make steamed cauliflower or broccoli with a cheese sauce. It’s like it was intended to be healthy, the ingredients are still there, but the end product was changed too much from the original base ingredients. I like broccoli, and I like cheese, but I’m going to eat them in other ways than together on pizza. It wasn’t my favorite, but that doesn’t mean it might not be for you!
Ken does feature cauliflower on two pizzas, but not with cheese sauce. There is a Roasted Cauliflower Pizza and Cauliflower Parmesan Pizza. The Roasted Cauliflower Pizza was good - no sauce involved! It also had caramelized onions, olives, rosemary, feta cheese, and a white cheese such as Gruyère or fontina. Then the Cauliflower Parmesan Pizza was one I’d for sure replicate - another favorite. It involves making a batter in which to dip and then fry the cauliflower. If you’re in a hurry, you could also just eat the fried cauliflower with marinara, but it’s also worth the time to bake the fried cauliflower on the pizza and top it with cheese.
Lastly, there are two pizza recipes using squash - Winter Squash Pizza with Baby Kale and Roasted Winter Squash Pizza. The Winter Squash Pizza with Baby Kale is similar to the broccoli pizza in that the squash is turned into a smooth sauce to serve as the base. It’s then topped with kale and cheese. I added some sausage for more depth of flavors and protein. The recipe is inspired by Ken’s daughter who used the same ingredients for lasagna, another favorite way to use butternut squash! The second squash recipe took less prep since the squash only needs to be roasted and then used as an additional ingredient, along with pepperoni, kale or spinach, and cheese. This one would probably be the one I’d replicate.
Pizza is one of my favorite meals, and I’m fortunate to have tried so many famed styles and restaurants, outside the chains, all over the country. Pizza in New York City was only one part of the memorable day that I was able to experience. My unrealistic dreams of the city included drinking coffee in Central Perk, preferably with a waitress who couldn’t get anyone’s order right. I wanted to see flour pumped into the local bagel shop, leaving white powder in the air that never seemed to land. My day would have been made if I walked down 6th Avenue and saw someone who almost got hit by a cab yell, “I’m walkin’ here!” I would have had a hard time not enjoying being treated rudely by Al, The Original Soup Man. And I would have been too stunned to take a picture if I saw a rat carrying away a piece of pizza. None of those things happened. What did happen was I ended the night sick in a dirty bathroom shared by a bar and a comedy club while the Yankees won their game against the Red Sox. It wasn’t perfect. But it was very New York.
Potato, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Pizza
Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
Oil and cornmeal for the baking sheet and potato plate
Food Processor Pizza Dough or Hand Method Pizza Dough
4-5 medium-sized red-skinned potatoes (about 1 pound)
Salt
4 bacon strips
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Drizzles of olive oil, for the baking sheet and pizza
1¼ cups crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup ranch dressing
¼ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
Directions:
Prepare the dough and let it rise. You’ll need half of the dough for this recipe. The other half can be refrigerated, frozen, or used to make a second pizza by doubling all of the filling ingredients. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Salt lightly. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and boil gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender. Drain. Oil a large plate, so the potatoes don’t stick, and spread the potato slices out on the plate to cool.
Cook the bacon strips in a large skillet until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate to cool. Spoon off some of the fat in the pan, leaving 2 to 3 tablespoons, and add the onion. Cook the onion over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until it begins to caramelize. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and remove from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). When the dough has doubled, punch it down, knead for 1 minute on a floured surface, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Once it has rested, press or roll the dough into a large, thin circle or oblong. Transfer to the baking sheet. Lightly brush the surface with olive oil, especially around the edges.
Combine the blue cheese, ranch dressing, cream, and Parmesan in a shallow bowl. Mash thoroughly with a large fork to combine.
To assemble, scatter the onions here and there over the dough. Dollop with about half of the blue cheese mixture, then arrange the potato slices randomly over the surface. Salt the potatoes lightly and add pepper to taste. Crumble the bacon over the potatoes. Dollop the surface with the remaining blue cheese mixture and sprinkle with the rosemary.
Bake the pizza on the middle oven rack for 22 to 25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and bubbly. Slide the pizza to a rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat slices directly on a baking sheet, in a 350°F (180°C) oven, for 8 to 10 minutes.
The Harvest Baker (c) by Ken Haedrich, recipe excerpted with permission from Storey Publishing.
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