Does part of the NYC pizza taste come from the fact that slices are typically reheated?

[Guapo]

Until recently, any pizza outside of NYC/Boston might as well have been cardboard covered with copious amounts of sauce, low quality cheese, and too many toppings.

A good east-coast style pizza has a thin, chewy crust with a nice yeasty taste, a modest amount of sauce, and decent quality cheese. Any toppings enhance the pizza, rather than being the primary taste.

More recently you can find excellent pizzas in many cities, but IMHO none if the national chains have anything that us good enough that a plain, cheese pizza can stand on it’s own without being covered in toppings

[needscoffee]

@Guapo

Until recently, any pizza outside of NYC/Boston might as well have been cardboard covered with copious amounts of sauce, low quality cheese, and too many toppings.

Not sure what you consider “recently”, but that’s not true where I live in the PacNW.

[DrDeth]

@RickJay

I’ve found plenty of pizza outside NYC that was just as good as good NYC pizza - but it was ALWAYS a small independent pizza joint. It’s not New York, it’s the nature of the place, and outside NYC, generic pizza chains own a bigger slice (ha!) of the market.

Yeah, there’s a place on Hollywood blvd, or there was, that even my new York buddy said “well, damn close”,

I think the idea that NY slice pizza is special comes from New Yorkers talking it up.

[Guapo]

@needscoffee

Not sure what you consider “recently”, but that’s not true where I live in the PacNW.

I’m old, 1980 is recent to me. When I moved to Oregon in 1980 I found the pizza lacking. But that changed, and you are right, there are some excellent pizza places now. Apizza Scholls may be the best NY style pizza I have ever eaten and Ken’s Artisan Pizza has great Napolean-style, wood fired pizza.

[Smapti]

@Orville_mogul

Are you saying that that pizzerias in NYC/Philly are regulated by the mob?

At least one notable Manhattan pizzeria is owned by a Genovese capo.

Lombardi's Pizza

[MeanJoe]

A bit of a related… NYC slices and the fold. Only way to eat a slice, amiright? Okay so… I was watching the opening of Saturday Night Fever (yeah, yeah) and never noticed this before but at one point Travolta’s character stops and orders two slices. You then see him walking and eating, slices stacked and folded. STACKED AND FOLDED! The head, it swims!

Anyone do this? Seen this? It was new to me. Arguably I am not a native NY’er or current resident but I did live there for about 6 months and have worked remotely for a few companies in NYC meaning I travel there for work a few times per year. Never once saw someone order two slices, stack and fold them, and eat two at once like that.

[TriPolar]

@MeanJoe

Anyone do this? Seen this? It was new to me. Arguably I am not a native NY’er or current resident but I did live there for about 6 months and have worked remotely for a few companies in NYC meaning I travel there for work a few times per year. Never once saw someone order two slices, stack and fold them, and eat two at once like that.

Never seen it but it doesn’t sound absurd for someone eating pizza on the run. I really didn’t like to fold slices much, I might start eating a slice that way so it doesn’t flop over but I’ve seen people scarf down folded slices all the way through the crust like it was a taco. If I ate them that way and was in a hurry I might try the double slice.