Author Topic: What Do You Think of This NY Pizza - KoNYP (Read 4800 times)

PizzaEater101 · « **on:** June 19, 2011, 02:57:22 PM »

Even though you all never have tried this, many of you can tell by the looks of the pizza a lot about it. Pete, Norma, Bill, Chau and others are good with their skills of figuring out a lot about the pizza from the looks.

I found this place called King of New York Pizza here in Los Angeles. I know people scoff at the idea of good pizza on the west coast but we are trying. I called and this place has 2 cheese 18" for $20. I can add toppings for $2.50. So for a single topping it will be $12.50 a pizza if you get the special with added toppings. Maybe I'll have one with pepperoni and one with sausage.

This is near Hollywood or near Korea Town which is about 15 miles west of my location. I go down that way when I run errands and stuff but I would not go down there just for pizza as much as I love it. I do have to buy a capo for my guitar which is a, well, a clamp that you clamp to the guitar neck to play in a different key. Maybe I'll go to Hollywood to the guitar shops and buy one this week and get the pizza special. I love Sbarro, and I know people don't realize it's a great pizza and I'm pretty loyal to the Sbarro NY style pizza but for the price at KoNYP I might give it a try. To me it looks good but I'm not sure until I try it. But from the looks of it what do you guys think of it. Reviews are generally good with a few bad ones but I think good outweigh the bad. Check out the photos at the Yelp review -

http://www.yelp.com/biz/king-of-new-york-pizzeria-los-angeles

http://www.konypizzeria.com/

scott123 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 19, 2011, 03:37:04 PM »

I give them props for the 18" size and the price is commendable as well.

The crust doesn't have a ton of character/char, but for a NY pie, it looks pretty good.

It might be the lighting in the video, but the sauce looks like it's cooked. If the sauce is cooked, I don't care about anything else. It's thumbs down.

They filmed a hidden camera TV show with Heidi Klum in Joe's LA a while back. The slices were pretty generic looking, but if I were looking for something as close as possible to the real thing, that's where I'd start. Joe's wouldnt' give you cooked sauce.

Edit- and those toppings were completely overkill- which I can sort of forgive. But, cooked sauce, I can't.

Edit2- Found the images section on yelp. Based upon this shot:

http://s3-media1.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/wtUvPF67-8F846I0Jt87yg/l.jpg

I'm not really feeling it.

Also, a small thing, but, if you're really the 'King of New York,' why all the Dodger memorabilia?

http://s3-media2.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/4R3Z7HnyPT-aGWXKw24-NQ/l.jpg

chickenparm · « **Reply #2 on:** June 19, 2011, 04:37:22 PM »

It looks good and the menu looks like any good NY pizza place that sells all types of different topped pies.

I would love to try some if I was in the area.I would be happy to have a place like that around here.

Scott123,in one of the customer reviews,someone said (here is the partial quote)

Prob one of the best new york style pizzas I've ever had out here.The dough is so thin and tasty.
The sauce is not really sauce---its crushed tomatoes and tastes soooo light and refreshing!

Im not sure if they KNOW for a FACT,or assume they know.In the video,it does not look like crushed tomatoes to me.Not that it matters much anyway.

norma427 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 19, 2011, 04:41:37 PM »

James,

Their pizza looks like a typical NY street pizza to me. Let us know if you decide to try some.

http://vegasandfood.blogspot.com/2010/11/kony-king-of-new-york-pizzeria.html

Norma

scott123 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 19, 2011, 05:48:00 PM »

Quote from: chickenparm on June 19, 2011, 04:37:22 PM

Scott123,in one of the customer reviews,someone said (here is the partial quote)

Prob one of the best new york style pizzas I've ever had out here.The dough is so thin and tasty.
The sauce is not really sauce---its crushed tomatoes and tastes soooo light and refreshing!

Im not sure if they KNOW for a FACT,or assume they know.In the video,it does not look like crushed tomatoes to me.Not that it matters much anyway.

Here's a close up of a slice:

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/AmzxseMXSC3POBoSvgQ91w?select=AZQZoBTpngVLi5szsmJ3CA

As you can see, there's herbs in the sauce. Even is the sauce isn't cooked, the lack of a pronounced rim on the first photo I linked to and the heavy handed approach to toppings is giving me a chain-y sort of vibe. Which, for me, personally, is bad.

PizzaEater101 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 19, 2011, 10:41:23 PM »

Thanks everyone for giving your input on this pizza.

Well, I'm happy to report that I tried out KoNYP. My wife and I went out there. Like I say, it's not close to where I live, maybe 15 miles from but I just had to try it. I justified it by going to the guitar store area of Hollywood to buy the guitar accessory I needed. So since I was able to buy my guitar accessory and be in the general area I could go out and get the pizza at KoNYP.

To sum it up, my wife and I loved it.

I saw cans of plum tomatoes all over the place which indicates they make their own sauce but rather than assume I had to ask. I asked and they said they make their own sauce. I asked if it is cooked and they say no, they don't cook their sauce. The only cooked sauce is the marinara sauce. I asked if they make their own dough and they said no. I was a bit disappointed that they did not but I thought I'd put that aside and give the pizza a chance. I asked if it was made at a central location and they said yes. Duh, I know, I know, if they don't do it then some location does. But I just had to ask that. I asked if Lamonica makes it for them and they said yes. With that I was okay with it because Lamonica makes it for the Lamonica NY Pizza joint in Westwood (UCLA) and they have great pizza. Lamonica in Westwood gets theirs from Lamonica of NY altho Lamonica has a Los Angeles location so why do they get it from NY not LA? Confusing but bottom line is theirs is good. Costco uses Lamonica dough and it's good too but different. So I'm past being discouraged that they don't make their dough. I decided to stay open minded.

So we order the two 18 inch for $20 cheese specials. I have them ad sausage to one pizza for $2.50, the other I leave cheese. So for $22.50 plus tax I get a sausage and a cheese 18 incher. My wife and I give the sausage a try and bam, it hit us like a landslide in Malibu, it was great!!! Loved it. Loved it. We have tons of pizza left over now that I can heat up later. The sauce was to die for. I love Sbarro sauce too, but they are different. I don't prefer one over another and love both. Sbarro is pretty sweet but I like it still. This was not as sweet and I like it.

I have not been to NYC ever. Never ever so I never had a NY pizza. I guess if you get a NY style pizza in Los Angeles it's NY Style not NY since we are not in NYC. So I only have other pizzas I have tried to go by as my NY style pizza comparisons. But compared to the other NY Style pizzas I've had this is one of the best.

Sometimes I don't feel like making pizza. I kind of just want to eat it without putting forth the effort or labor and in this case this place would be perfect. It's far and I don't go to Hollywood just for the heck of it. Would I drive 15 miles for a two 18 inch pizza deal? I might. This is not in the glamorous part of Hollywood. This is east Hollywood, it's not nice. It's not gang infested and dangerous but it is an ugly area. Not pleasant. I am a guitar player and love guitar shops so maybe if I get on a kick for NY pizza I can drive to the guitar shops and then justify my pizza quest by being out that way already. If I buy 2 18 inches for the price I can have lots of pizza. Pizza is one food besides tamales and a few other things that taste great even after the first day. I can still go to Mama's Brick Oven Pizza in South Pasadena which is so much closer to me and the pizza is great too and the people running it are the best but I have to say I choose KoNYP king over Mama's. But remember Mama's is very good and no slouch.

I'm curious what Peter has to say about this pizza from the write up on it at Yelp and the photos. I'm looking forward to his opinion on this.

Bottom-line is folks it's really great pizza.

norma427 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 19, 2011, 11:08:37 PM »

James,

Glad to hear you liked the pizza.

You also found out a lot of good information.

Norma

scott123 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 19, 2011, 11:26:36 PM »

So the sauce is uncooked. Good to hear.

But Lamonica makes dough for 3 different pizzerias, with 3 different owners. Weird. I think as long as they don't freeze it, this might be a good thing because the logistics of getting the dough out of the central location should add a little time to the fermentation and might actually be long enough to necessitate cold fermentation.

James, nice review and good investigative work. If you ever go back, I'd be curious to learn more about the dough delivery logistics and whether or not the dough is cold fermented.

tinroofrusted · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2011, 10:00:42 AM »

Here's a link to Lamonica's website:

http://www.lamonicaspizzadough.com/online/Dough.html

PizzaEater101 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 20, 2011, 11:35:13 AM »

Thanks Norma, I try my best to put on my Magnum PI Detroit Tigers detective hat! The info I found out is helpful you are right.

scott123, I will definately ask them next time I make it out there how they get the dough delivered. You are right they do make it for multiple clients. Costco, Lamonica NY Pizza restaurant in Westwood (UCLA), KoNYP and actually other clients. Since the KoNYP dough did not taste like Costco dough it could be they are just making different formulations for different pizza places. Maybe they make it to the specific specs of the client. It's confusing because at the Lamonica website they imply they have dough factories in NY and LA but Lamonica the pizza joint in Westwood say theirs gets imported to them from NYC. Also the box that Costco gets their dough from says Brooklyn on it but with the Los Angeles phone number of Lamonica's factory in LA. So is Costco getting dough from the LA plant? I would think so, why send from NY? Why would the Lamonica restaurant in Westwood get it from NY when LA is the closest factory?

I did e-mail Lamonica dough to ask them lots of questions and I hope to get their reply and I'll post it later when I get it.

I will also as KoNYP if their dough comes from the LA Lamonica dough factory or NY. Makes no sense to ship from NY when it's cheaper, much cheaper to send from the LA factory about 10 miles away. I'll ask about how they get it sent to them too. The people at KoNYP are very friendly and I'm sure they'll be glad to mention it. Great staff at KoNYP.

tinfoofrusted, thank you for the link to the Lamonica dough page. They certainly run an efficient and clean facility. From what I read there they do make different formulations and sizes and such so that must by why Costco pizza dough taste diff from KoNYP. I like the KofNYP dough better altho Costco pizza is very good especially for the money. But overall I'd say KoNYP is better.

Thanks

Pete-zza · « **Reply #10 on:** June 20, 2011, 12:19:55 PM »

PizzaEater101,

Before reading your last post, I called Lamonica's in Brooklyn (718-567-2380) and spoke with "Melvin" (who answered the phone) about their two operations. The first question I asked Melvin was what dough making facilities Lamonica's has. Melvin said that there are, indeed, two manufacturing facilities, one in NY and the other in LA. The dough balls are made fresh but then frozen. Lamonica's does not deliver dough balls to pizzerias. However, I was told that if one wants fresh (unfrozen) dough balls, they would have to go to the dough ball factory to get them.

Lamonica's (perhaps more accurately one of the Lamonica family members) owns Lamonica's Pizzeria. That pizzeria uses only frozen Lamonica dough balls (naturally). I did not think to ask about KoNYP. Presumably you will get more information from them. However, one thing to keep in mind is that if KoNYP uses a smaller dough ball for its pizzas, the pizzas can have a different taste and texture than pizzas made with the larger dough balls. Costco uses a 30-ounce dough ball for its pizzas, but Lamonica's will, according to their website, make other sizes/weights of dough balls. Another member recently mentioned that he was using Lamonica's 22-ounce dough balls. When I asked Melvin if they deal only through distributors, he said yes but that if one wanted to cut out the middleman (the distributors), they could go directly to the dough ball factory and purchase the dough balls there. Presumably those dough balls could be fresh or frozen. I was told that Lamonica's ships their dough balls worldwide, although I would imagine that if one wants dough balls in California it would make sense to buy them there rather than have them shipped from NY.

Peter

Pete-zza · « **Reply #11 on:** June 20, 2011, 01:01:04 PM »

Quote from: PizzaEater101 on June 19, 2011, 10:41:23 PM

I'm curious what Peter has to say about this pizza from the write up on it at Yelp and the photos. I'm looking forward to his opinion on this.

PizzaEater101,

I read the Yelp reviews and looked at the photos you referenced and also others I saw at Google Image and flickr, but I prefer to rely on members like scott123, scott r, Terry Deane and chickenparm, among others, for opinions on the NY style. They are experts and know what to look for in a NY style pizza. People who do not know about pizza intimately usually tend to state just likes and dislikes and their opinions can be all over the place, sometimes justified and sometimes unjustified, but who really knows. I pay attention to whether likes overwhelm dislikes, or visa versa, but when I read reviews of pizza places I am usually looking for factual information, like a source or brand of flour, cheese or tomatoes, or specific preparation methods, oven temperatures, etc. I give insiders or former employees greater weight in their opinions but I have discovered that even they can be wrong, and the more distant the memory, the less reliable it is likely to be. I also can't tell who is right or wrong on a given point or matter. Even the best pizzerias have off moments where their products are not up to standard.

The above said, when I looked at the KoNYP pizza photos, the pizzas seemed to have the right form factor in terms of size and crust thickness and a flat rim without a lot of puff or oven spring. The crust color also looked to be in the ballpark for a NY street style pizza. I wondered about whether the flour used to make the pizzas is bromated or not, given the laws that apply to bromates in California, but I suspect that the flour is not bromated (otherwise there are too many hassles). If your objective is to try to reverse engineer and clone a KoNYP pizza, or the dough used to make the pizza, then I would want to get as much information on the pizza/dough as possible, including weighing a baked pizza, counting the number of pepperoni slices, bake times and temperatures, etc. Some places are more forthcoming than others in terms of giving you specific information. If KoNYP is using Lamonica's dough balls, they will know the weight of those dough balls. Maybe they will tell you that weight. When I spoke with Melvin this morning, he said that if a pizzeria is using their dough balls and say that their pizzas are NY style, they are NY style. But, being the trust and verify type, I usually want harder facts.

Peter

Essen1 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 20, 2011, 01:49:19 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on June 20, 2011, 01:01:04 PM

People who do not know about pizza intimately usually tend to state just likes and dislikes and their opinions can be all over the place, sometimes justified and sometimes unjustified, but who really knows.

This reminds me of a woman who gave a newly-opened NY-style pizza place here in SF a "One star" rating on Yelp because the glass of water she received had no ice in it.

She didn't say a word about the food or the place itself.

chickenparm · « **Reply #13 on:** June 20, 2011, 04:10:50 PM »

Quote from: Essen1 on June 20, 2011, 01:49:19 PM

This reminds me of a woman who gave a newly-opened NY-style pizza place here in SF a "One star" rating on Yelp because the glass of water she received had no ice in it.

She didn't say a word about the food or the place itself.

Glutenboy · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2011, 08:57:54 PM »

Just happened to see this thread. Scott R turned me on to this place a long time ago, and since I changed work locations, it is now on my way home. I've grabbed a pie for dinner on several occasions. Best NY pizza I've had in LA. The crust is thin, pliable, chewy, and flavorful. The rim has some puff. The tomato is nice and tangy. The cheese is grande. When you fold a slice, there's just enough orange drip, and the sausage is sliced NY street style. Scott R told me that he chatted up the owner or manager and discovered that they have their dough balls flown in frozen from a relative's pizzeria in NYC (I think that was the story, but it was a long time ago). I also seem to recall that, in Scott's judgment, the dough was made with bromated flour, which is illegal in CA and would account for the superior texture and flavor. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, the rumors are true. It's not elite, but in NY this place would definitely hold its own as a solid pizza joint. A desert oasis in a Koreatown strip mall.

scott123 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2011, 11:22:51 PM »

Unless the laws have changed, Bromate is legal in CA, you just have to label it correctly, which, I'm guessing they weren't doing.

From the photos I've seen, it looks like they may have switched doughs at one point. Perhaps they were getting the dough from NY (and it was bromated) and then, later, they switch to a CA supplier (where it most likely isn't bromated).

PizzaEater101 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 21, 2011, 12:11:44 AM »

Yeah I am new to this place. I only went there yesterday for the first time so I don't know how it tasted a long time ago when they used dough from a pizza place in NY that was flown in. They told me it was from Lamonica's so if that is the case they must be using the Lamonica's and not the flown in dough. I mean regardless of the dough it's great stuff.

Glutenboy, ever try Mama's Brick Oven Pizza in South Pasadena. I don't know what part of the Los Angeles area you live but if you make it out to South Pas try that one. It's deceiving because the oven is not a fire brick oven as one might think, it's a deck oven with brick on the side, either real brick or a facade I don't know. Regardless of the oven I like that pizza a lot. Then down the street is their old business partner, no nemesis, Nona's Pizza. Good too. But if I could choose it it's KoNYP.

Glutenboy · « **Reply #17 on:** June 21, 2011, 12:25:29 AM »

As far as bromate goes, that's Scott R's opinion (one I trust, by the way) and not mine. Same for the info on the dough balls. It's all second hand to me. All I know is I grew up on the good stuff, and I was blown away by LA standards. Haven't tried any of the South Pas places, but I will and report back. I live in Hollywood so it's not too far out of the way.

Pete-zza · « **Reply #18 on:** June 21, 2011, 06:47:04 AM »

As I reported a while back in Reply 24 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9121.msg83041.html#msg83041, Lamonica's does not use bromated flours. I doubt that that has changed as of the date of that post. However, if someone in California, whether it is KoNYP or anyone else, wants to use bromated doughs, and can deal with the notices required when using bromated products, having bromated dough balls shipped in from another state is an option.

Peter

PizzaEater101 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 21, 2011, 11:10:07 AM »

I received an e-mail reply from Roberto Martini about my inquiry. Roberto says that I am allowed to buy their dough that they sell per case. I must pick up the dough from Vernon (which is about 7 miles from where I live). He said the cost depends upon the dough size because that can vary depending on what you want.

I e-mailed him again to ask if they sell to KoNYP. I know KoNYP told me they use Lamonica dough but my question might have been kind of a leading question. What I mean is, I did not ask what dough manufacturer they get the dough from but I asked if they use Lamonica dough and they said yes. They are good people at KoNYP but because my question is leading they might have just said yes for the sake of it. I have to confirm with Lamonica if they supply KoNYP with their dough. I'm sure they do, I'm sure even tho I had given KoNYP a leading question they answered correctly but I just want to confirm with Roberto Martini. The dough is good guys I tell you. Now I have to figure out if I should buy a case or just keep on making my own. Sure I do dough experiments but I might just buy a case depending on the cost of the case. I have to think about it because I might just keep on making my own dough. Not sure as of yet.

If KoNYP does indeed use Lamonica pizza dough and since they don't deliver I suppose everyday or every other day the KoNYP people drive on down with their delivery vehicle and pickup some cases of it. It's not that far from them, maybe 8 miles or so maybe slightly more. Or they can use a delivery service but that could be costly.

Oh I also asked if the downtown Lamonica is owned and run by Lamonica pizza dough and Roberto said the downtown store was the first one opened by Lamonica (the dough company) but the new one is in Westwood. From this, I think it's implied that the Westwood (UCLA) pizzeria is owned and run by Lamonica (the dough company) and the downtown Lamonica pizzeria is not associated with the dough company called Lamonica. I take it this is the case since the Lamonica pizza dough company references the Lamonica pizzeria as servicing the UCLA and LA area but they make no reference to the one out in downtown LA. I suspect the one downtown is an independent pizzeria which bought the right to use the Lamonica name, i.e, Lamonica (the dough company) sold their interest in it. Does this mean that Lamonica pizzeria of downtown LA still buys dough from them or make their own? I don't know but the pizza there is very good. By the way they use a dough press to make their dough, I've seen it. Nifty machine.