La Pizza

First off lets get something straight, I’m not italian.  Nor am I from New York.  But I did grow up in Ann Arbor, which by way of the University of Michigan has almost the per square foot population of New Yorkers as does New York itself, so I feel quite comfortable speaking on the topic of New York Style Pizza.  That being said, La Pizza is as good a New York Pie as I’ve ever come across.  It’s a small establishment that has a home cooked, hole in the wall feel as would befit any of the noblest of “original” pizzerias in the City.  The pie itself is as it should be - round, large, thin and cheesy.  All the slices I tried were great, but I’d like to spend some time talking about the tomato and garlic pie. 

This was one of the best slices I’ve had in a long time.  Cheese was plentiful, whole milk mozzarella (no provel, I’m glad to say) but not so greasy that you needed two napkins to dab it off (one did just fine).  The best part of this however, was the flavor.  Fresh tomato and tons of garlic blended seamlessly into a veritable orgasm of flavors in my mouth.  The tomatoes were fresh and juicy, adding just the right amount of moisture and acid.  The garlic however was really where this slice shined.  Many times establishments will say they have a garlic pizza that if I hadn’t been told before I ate it, I’d be hard pressed to find any such component of the flavor.  Not so with this slice.  The garlic was perfectly balanced with the tomato and cheese - not overpowering, but subtle, with a beautiful roasted aroma and taste that reminded me of my childhood growing up in the green pastures of Northern Italy. 

Ok, so I grew up in Ann Arbor, but we did roast a clove or two of garlic in my house and this pizza was awesome.

La Pizza

La Pizza is an unassuming little pizzeria on Delmar not far from 170. You might pass it by even if you're looking for it, and your whole party might not be able to fit at one table inside. None of this matters because La Pizza has a truly top notch New York style pizza. The Pizza Club meeting at La Pizza was one of the most successful meetings ever because all of us were just plain overjoyed by the delicious pizza and delightful surroundings. We dominated the entire seating area on a Sunday evening and the owner was even nice enough to stay open a little later than usual to accommodate us.

The pizza was fantastic. Everyone agreed on every pizza. The crust is thick and fluffy while the middle is thin and greasy. These are the makings of a perfect pizza. This is the kind of place that doesn't make a bad pizza.

Go see for yourself.