The Original Patsy's

Life is better with pizza. Finally made it to the original Patsy's on 117th street and 1st Ave. This is the only Patsy's with a coal oven and it is far superior to the chain of Patsy's located throughout the city. Patsy's has the hallmarks of an old school NY pizzeria; exposed brick wall and framed photos of celebrities eating their pizza. Perhaps the coolest thing on the wall is a large painted portrait of Frank Sinatra. I thought it would be more crowded but I guess not many people make the trek up to Harlem for great pizza. At least not on a weekday during lunch. Brian and I ordered a plain pie. There is only one size and it costs $11. We got the pizza pretty quickly and we both agreed that it was great.

Two things make this pizza unique. The ultrathin crust and the tomato sauce. The crust was a little on the underdone side but still had that great coal oven char on the underside and edges. The tomato sauce was probably the simplest I've had yet. No signs of any italian seasonings. Just great fresh tomato flavor. After finishing our pizza, we asked about the mozzarella. It wasn't clear on the menu, but it turns out that their basic cheese pie is made with grated whole milk mozzerella and if you want the fresh mozzarella (who wouldn't) you have to specifically order it. So, it looks like we'll be visiting Patsy's again for another pie soon. If you don't have the time to enjoy a whole pie, you could always stop by for a slice right next door. $1.50 for coal oven slices. Brian and I were tempted for more but we decided to hold off until next visit!