Pizza Wars: A new number 1?

Several new entrants into the pizza wars:

Rosetta pizza near office. Solid middle of the road. Cheese was among the better shops, but only slightly. Probably just because they used more? Seemed not only thicker, but a touch tastier. Sauce was tangy and fine. Crust was classic NY: Chewy, thin, and fairly bland. Tried ham and pineapple pizza: superior to the cheese, duh. Oh, well, it’s close to the office.

Roma pizza. Another close-to-the-office pizza place. Tried not only a classic cheese, but also a chicken bacon ranch, a popular choice. Good cheese. Blah crust. NY thin crust, but sometimes too thin. Like the way it’s cooked around the edges, but the middle can be too soft. This crust has no crunch, all chewy and too soft for my tastes–no option other than folding it and even then it was floppy. Chicken bacon ranch: Chewiest bacon ever. Overdone. Burnt. Cooked when put on pizza and then burnt after cooking pizza. I believe what they did to the bacon is punishable by law, or it should be. How dare they break the adage that everything is better with bacon. Bottomline: Not worst, but far from the top and worse than average. Bacon felony places them clearly near the bottom.

Lucia pizza. Lucia is recommended as a top 25 in NY pizza restaurant. We tried the Salsiccia pizza–whole pie, not slices, so leftovers! Toppings: Italian sausage, Thin red onions, Calabrian chilis on a whipped ricotta cheese base. Everything about it was great. The crust was almost as good as L’Industrie (see below) with a chewy base and crispy outer edges with some airiness. A few burnt spots added to the flavor. I like tomato-based sauce on my pizza, so was wary of the ricotta cheese base, but the whipped ricotta was light, creamy, and tasty. The calabrian chilis kicked harder than jalapenos, but to the just right level, not the burn-your-mouth-without-regard-to-flavor level. I would eat it again… and again, and again, and again.

Unlike Upside pizza, L’industrie pizza’s tastiness is no surprise. It is ranked by those who rank pizza (who does that?) as one of the best in NY. Now we know why. Crust is pure NY style, but at the top of the NY crust game. Thin but not too thin in the middle with firm, thicker, near crunchy edges and the right amount of chewy. The edges were a bit airy (not quite Neapolitan airy), which aided the crispiness. Everything about it tasted fresh. The texture is the best among NY pizzas. Sauce was not overwhelming but also tasted fresh. Fresh basil leaves and olive oil on top added to the freshness. They are famous for their burrata pizza. Burrata was the best–creamy and delicious. The mozzarella was fresh and flavorful. Tartufo—mushroom with clumps of ricotta and truffle oil was 2^nd best pizza we had, and the margherita was next. All good.

So, where does it rank? Tied for first with See No Evil Hell pie. They’re very different tastes and styles, so hard to compare. The Burrata was first rate but the spice intensity and combo of the Hell Pie is tough to beat. L’industrie Burrata put them even.

I couldn’t resist taking some photos of the line. We waited about 30 minutes to get in at 5:30 PM on a Saturday. When we came out the line was double in length. Apparently, we’re not the only ones who like L’Industrie pizza.

Our line

Forming the crust, so delicious!

Hour long line. Worth it?

New, updated rankings:

1. L’Industrie. Burrata is amazing. NY crust, freshness, toppings. All first rate. It’s a tie: See No Evil. Edges out Ribalta with an excellent crust, toppings, spiciness combo.
2. Ribalta. Still great pizza. Crust is outstanding. Cheese is still the best, but not by much.
3. Upside Pizza. A surprise with delicious NY style sourdough crust, tangy sauce and not just plain old cheese. Currently #1 NY style
4. Mama’s Too. Mama knows pizza. Crispy Roma crust with sharp tasting toppings and plenty of fresh mozzarella.
5. Song ‘E Napule. Excellent Neo crust.
6. Lucia. Did not disappoint. Crunchy, chewy crust is similar to L’Industrie. Ricotta cheese base (instead of tomato sauce) was creamy and tasty.
7. Don Antonio. What’s not to like about a deep-fried crust.
8. Made in New York Pizza. Excellent crust, toppings, cheese combo.
9. La Traviata. Crust pushed it above the others.
10. Rosetta Bakery: treating the mini-battle as an aberration and hoping (they’re very close to us) they are still delicious.
11. Baggios. Tasty but no big differentiators.
12. Little Italy III. The crunchy coarse semolina sprinkled on the crust boosted this one.
13. Two Boots. Great toppings with good crust, good cheese, OK sauce. I think fresh vs. reheated (by the slice) makes a difference.
14. Francesco’s (FranJessica’s). Very close finish to 3 and 4.
15. Max Brenner’s. First pizza in NY. We liked it, but it’s quickly fading from memory.
16. Roma. How dare they burn the bacon? Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?
17. Pop’s pizza. Same with Pop’s. Remember it as good but fading from memory.
18. Rosetta pizza. Not Rosetta bakery. OK pizza. Nice to have ham and pineapple again.
19. Pizza Collective. Roma style with good crust (we like Roma-style crust), but lacking in the toppings, cheese, sauce. Good but not great.
20. Soho Pizza. The 18 inch $8 pie did them in. Young missionaries are very sorry to see them go.
21. J’s Pizza. Takeout steams the crust while in the box, rendering it non-crispy. Expected more and better from J’s.
22. Little Caesars. Had some on quick visit to Utah for our granddaughter Chloe’s blessing. I guess I’m becoming a bit of a pizza snob. I still like Little Caesar’s pizza, but it doesn’t compare well with NY pizza places. Maybe it was from sitting in the box, but the crust lacked crispness and was bland. Cheese was just OK, sauce was scarce and run-of-the-mill.