One of the great things about living in New York City is the wealth of pizza joints. Anywhere you might be, you have a craving for a slice right out of the oven, you can satisfy it. Even the bad ones are good. Garlic knots craving? Check. Italian ice craving? Check. A plain old slice with tomato sauce and cheese? No problem. Chow down.
But as a Sox fan (and as a pizza lover), this instant gratification is, for at least this week to date (and potentially an entire off-season), a haunting in the guise of gustatory satisfaction. See why after the jump.
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Let's face it: Rays is bad news even if you're a Yankee fan.
Posted by: YF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 02:35 PM
I've never had a good slice of pizza at any place called Ray's in NYC.
The rule of thumb, during the late 80s and early 90s, was if it's called "Rays..." don't eat there.
Posted by: walein | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 03:02 PM
And never, ever eat at Chuck LaMar's In-Famous Super Original Ray's. Your gut won't recover from years from that mistake.
Posted by: Hit Dog | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 03:08 PM
We are so spoiled! Other cities would KILL to have pizza as bad as Rays available.
Posted by: SF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 03:15 PM
I grew up in Colorado most of my life : I happen to be a Papa Johns/Pizza Hut kind of guy.
Here in CT (like NY I'd imagine) gets you some pretty weird looks sometimes.
I just happen to not like Pizza that's paper thin, and dripping with oil and grease.
Posted by: Brad | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 03:59 PM
Lombardi's used to have good pizza downtown. But if you really want truly exceptional 'za, gotta take MetroNorth up to New Haven.
Posted by: Hudson | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:08 PM
apizza scholls.
Posted by: attackgerbil | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:31 PM
Gerb: you live in a foodie town. You're not one of the underprivileged. I went to grad school in St. Louis, home of perhaps the most god-awful pizza ever. The biggest disaster was a place called Imo's: they used some sort of processed cheese called Provel (nope, NOT provolone, provel) that stuck to your teeth. Literally. A disconcerting experience, to say the least. A classmate of mine once found a rubber glove in the lettuce bowl at the Imo's salad bar.
Posted by: SF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:35 PM
"I happen to be a Papa Johns/Pizza Hut kind of guy."
You live in New Haven, right? This is like being offered free tickets to a Rolling Stones show, and saying "Nah, I'm going to pay good money to see Nickelback."
Posted by: Nick-YF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:42 PM
I completely support SF's claims about St. Louis pizza. I was there last spring for weekend wedding. We had pizza one day. And yet the cheese tasted like American cheese.
Posted by: Nick-YF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Other cities would KILL to have pizza as bad as Rays available.
No joke. A New Haven native myself, I never realized how good I had it until I came to Texas. Well, West Texas, specifically. I can find good pizza in Austin and San Antonio. On a day-to-day basis here, though, I'm screwed. Papa John's really is the best pizza we have here.
But Pizza Hut is disgusting. Brad, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Posted by: Paul SF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:45 PM
I'm going to the game tonight for free, just found out.
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!
Posted by: LocklandSF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:47 PM
almost forgot. I was once told a story by a guy who worked at a Papa John's (or maybe it was a Gino's?) Gardner, MA. I won't share it here, but I urge you never to eat at any fast food places in or near Gardner, MA!
Posted by: Nick-YF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:49 PM
"I'm going to the game tonight for free, just found out.
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!"
Brad's response: "No thanks. I'm going to watch a rerun of a Red Sox-Brewers 1983 regular season game on my VHS."
Posted by: Nick-YF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:51 PM
> classmate of mine once found a rubber glove
Imagine how much worse it would read if "glove" got left off that sentence.
A truly disappointing thing happened several years ago when I went back home to the part of upstate where I grew up and found to my horror that the pizzas I thought were delicious for so many years were actually piles of varying kinds of crap. Fond memories destroyed.
Posted by: attackgerbil | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:53 PM
In my opinion, best slice in Boston is Nino's on Charles St.
If you're in a pinch, with no good pizza place around, Dominos Thin Crust actually isn't that bad.
Posted by: LocklandSF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 04:55 PM
yeah, Nick. I get that a lot. I work exactly thirty seconds walk from a very popular stroll of pizza joints called "wooster street", where from what I'm told, the "best pizza on earth is made".
I just can't get into it is all. It makes me feel like i just drank a glass of olive oil. However, if you're looking for the best eggplant or chicken parm anywhere on earth, Wooster Street is king.
And, what's wrong with Nickelback?
:)
Posted by: Brad | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 05:02 PM
Plus, the bottom is always freaking burnt, and it's impossible to eat without some kind of lobster/baby bib if you have to go back to work, which you won't feel like doing even if you manage to keep it from dripping all over you because you feel like you need some kind of arterial clean up procedure.
I just don't understand the appeal. I was once in Chicago for a week or so: now that is good freaking pizza.
Posted by: Brad | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 05:06 PM
And, you guys aren't going to believe the article coming out in SI over how the Red Sox have become the "racist" baseball team because of the severe lack of minority players on the roster and Manny's dismissal from town. They're talking about it on EEI right now. I can't wait to actually read it.
Posted by: Brad | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 05:09 PM
Dallas Cowboys just acquired Roy Williams, and apparently, I'm talking to myself.
Posted by: Brad | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 05:10 PM
I just saw that Roy Williams article. Wow. I'm actually a fan of the Lions after the NY teams (maybe just to torture myself) and I don't know what to make of this.. ah well!
Posted by: Lar | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Brad, I'm curious to read it as well. I don't have high hopes for it though, especially considering the timing of the release.
Posted by: attackgerbil | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 06:27 PM
> Dallas Cowboys just acquired Roy Williams
And all I could muster was, "what interest do they have in a basketball coach?"
Such is the depth of my understanding of the NFL.
Posted by: attackgerbil | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 06:30 PM
Wooster Street is the famous pizza block, but there is also Modern Apizza off the beaten track... Even low-end pizza like the slices they used to serve at some of the undergrad beer joints was far superior to Ray's (not going to even dignify the Pizza Hut comment, but I'm wincing at the thought that Brad probably also prefers Burger King to Louie's Lunch).
Posted by: Hudson | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 07:08 PM
New Haven has good pizza, but the home boro of YFSF, is the unassailed capital of the medium. Lucali. DiFara. Totonno. Grimaldi. In Manhattan, you've got UPN, John's, the original Patsy's up on 116th, which just might be the best of 'em all. NOO YAWK!!!!!!
Posted by: YF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 07:09 PM
There's a great place here in VIrginia called Florimonte's which is owned by an Italian dude from New York, and it's the closest thing to New York style pizza we can get. It's fantastic.
I agree 100% with Lockland though--Domino's Thin Crust is tremendous too.
Posted by: Atheose | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 07:34 PM
North Haven Apizza in North Haven, CT: Terrific pizza with Foxon Park birch beer or orange soda... Mmmmmmm
Posted by: Paul SF | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 08:09 PM
From CT. Stuck in SC. Pizza sux here
Willington Red Potato Pizza FTW
Posted by: jay | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 10:16 AM
I'm sorry,
The article is from Rosenthal, and it's on Fox sports.
Here it is:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8670984/Will-non-white-free-agents-shun-the-Sox??CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49
Posted by: Brad | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 10:16 AM
And Lou is king of burgers, guy! No Burger King here.
Posted by: Brad | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 10:17 AM
You forgot Franny's, YF, though I haven't been. Hear it's stellar. On the Slope.
Posted by: SF | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 10:24 AM