Author Topic: Queens NY, IMHO, the best pizza in all the boroughs, better than Brooklyn (Read 20650 times)

HarryHaller73 · « **on:** August 11, 2016, 02:35:09 PM »

First let me preface by saying, I've lived in NYC for over 40 years and witnessed alot of change over the years. Something about Queens, it never went through the gentrification as did lower manhattan and many parts of coastal Brooklyn, esp in the NW. Lots of pizzerias which opened past 10 years or so, now serve kinds of pizza that nobody ate in NYC 20 years ago. Secondly, there is something to be said about neighborhoods that saw very little change in the past few decades, like flushing (outside of the chinatown area), and elmhurst and continue to mostly serve the locals, and not transplants. And for that reason, you can still find original NY pizza in these neighborhoods..

I refer to 3 places as standards which to me represent the true NY slice as they were.

Amore Pizza in downtown Flushing.

Louie's Pizza in Elmhurst. The best grandma slice in all the boroughs

Lucia Pizza in downtown Flushing.

Jersey Pie Boy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 11, 2016, 03:27:59 PM »

No area code on the Lucia sign..now that's vintage

T hey all look like the real deal that they are, but I'll take that grandma slice over all of them

Mickey Tomato · « **Reply #2 on:** August 11, 2016, 10:06:03 PM »

Oh man, those look great. Next time I am in town ...

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 11, 2016, 10:29:12 PM »

Quote from: Jersey Pie Boy on August 11, 2016, 03:27:59 PM

No area code on the Lucia sign..now that's vintage

T hey all look like the real deal that they are, but I'll take that grandma slice over all of them

yeah right, none of these cookie cutter trendy hipster millenial interiors.

Jersey Pie Boy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 11, 2016, 10:57:07 PM »

Quote

trendy hipster millenial interiors.

Well, a really great pie is a really great pie..if the interiors are trendy, hipster, millenial ( clealry I am none of the above) that can still be pretty cool...even to an ol.....uh. vintage..pie boy. On the other hand, I love a place with a ton of character. Like the original John's in Greenwich Village...oh yeah, well I guess that's Manhattan LOL

mitchjg · « **Reply #5 on:** August 11, 2016, 11:20:30 PM »

Quote from: Jersey Pie Boy on August 11, 2016, 10:57:07 PM

Well, a really great pie is a really great pie..if the interiors are trendy, hipster, millenial ( clealry I am none of the above) that can still be pretty cool...even to an ol.....uh. vintage..pie boy........

+1

hammettjr · « **Reply #6 on:** August 12, 2016, 07:12:38 AM »

Quote from: HarryHaller73 on August 11, 2016, 02:35:09 PM

I refer to 3 places as standards which to me represent the true NY slice as they were.

Great looking pies, thanks for posting. I'll add these to my list.

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 12, 2016, 06:03:30 PM »

Quote from: Jersey Pie Boy on August 11, 2016, 10:57:07 PM

Well, a really great pie is a really great pie..if the interiors are trendy, hipster, millenial ( clealry I am none of the above) that can still be pretty cool...even to an ol.....uh. vintage..pie boy. On the other hand, I love a place with a ton of character. Like the original John's in Greenwich Village...oh yeah, well I guess that's Manhattan LOL

yes.. for other genres of pies like wood fire oven places, the trendy hipster environment with fork and knife silverware, porcelain white plates, and cloth napkins is fine, and lest be known these pies didn't even exist in nyc 20 years ago.

now for ny street slices which is the focus of this thread, if the joint doesn't have plastic serving trays, paper plates or wax paper, plastic containers of red pepper flakes, oregano, grated parmigiano and garlic powder, i don't eat there and if they still serve italian ice in the white crimped paper cups in pina colada flavor that's a bonus. i admit, i'm a ny pizza snob.

mitchjg · « **Reply #8 on:** August 12, 2016, 07:04:14 PM »

Well, then if you are talking about the old days, especially in Queens...............Maybe it has changed since I left NY quite a long time ago - but the real deal ices were from Lemon Ice King of Corona. There was no substitute.

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 12, 2016, 07:41:41 PM »

Quote from: mitchjg on August 12, 2016, 07:04:14 PM

Well, then if you are talking about the old days, especially in Queens...............Maybe it has changed since I left NY quite a long time ago - but the real deal ices were from Lemon Ice King of Corona. There was no substitute.

east of astoria hasn't changed much. astoria is going through some gentrification. but corona still feels the same as it did 20-30 years ago. lemon ice king of corona is still there and i agree, it's the real deal. i tell you, since gentrification came along with it's transplants from the midwest and other places of the US, lots of pizzerias stopped serving italian ices due to it containing *delicious* artificial flavors and colors and the young folks are into frozen yogurt w/organic granola, and commericialized hipster gelato places.

mitchjg · « **Reply #10 on:** August 12, 2016, 08:23:18 PM »

I was thinking about 40 + years ago - not 20 or 30. But, that's me. Everything is relative.

BTW, I guess the meaning of "hipster" is in the eye of the beholder or the imagination of the one that is judging - but I do not think hipsters are have descriptions that go along with high end (porcelain white plates), artificial flavor, and trendy commercialized.

"Trendy" seems to be more akin to what you are objecting to......

Jersey Pie Boy · « **Reply #11 on:** August 12, 2016, 08:30:03 PM »

Definitely agree with you re the slice joints, Harry...in fact, if I hadn't just eaten, I'd want a slice right this second.

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 12, 2016, 09:01:55 PM »

Quote from: mitchjg on August 12, 2016, 08:23:18 PM

I was thinking about 40 + years ago - not 20 or 30. But, that's me. Everything is relative.

BTW, I guess the meaning of "hipster" is in the eye of the beholder or the imagination of the one that is judging - but I do not think hipsters are have descriptions that go along with high end (porcelain white plates), artificial flavor, and trendy commercialized.

"Trendy" seems to be more akin to what you are objecting to......

true, and hipster isn't really a category much as "grunge" wasn't anymore by the mid 90's. though it does affect how things are consumed and affect popular trends. i mean hipsters or rather those of the millenial generation do not like artificial flavors, which is why the italian ice has slowly disappeared. they've been replaced by frozen yogurt and gelato joints. also, the old greek souvlaki gyro joints, as they seem to abhor processed meat turning around on a stick. the idea of carving out slivers must turn their stomachs, though i still love them.

i guess i'm just old school now.

Davydd · « **Reply #13 on:** August 12, 2016, 09:54:15 PM »

We visited my wife's aunt in Queen's Village last fall and had delivery pizza from Big John's Pizza & Pasta on Jamaica Avenue. My first pizza in NYC. We boondocked camped on a narrow one way street on a block north of Jamaica Avenue nearby. Our camper van just fit between the driveways of the single family residential neighborhood. The pizzas were very good and reinforces New York style survives in the neighborhoods. I'm guessing Jamaica Avenue is nothing like it was in the late 1940s when my wife's aunt moved into her house there. I understand Big John's has been there as long.

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 12, 2016, 10:22:34 PM »

Quote from: Davydd on August 12, 2016, 09:54:15 PM

We visited my wife's aunt in Queen's Village last fall and had delivery pizza from Big John's Pizza & Pasta on Jamaica Avenue. My first pizza in NYC. We boondocked camped on a narrow one way street on a block north of Jamaica Avenue nearby. Our camper van just fit between the driveways of the single family residential neighborhood. The pizzas were very good and reinforces New York style survives in the neighborhoods. I'm guessing Jamaica Avenue is nothing like it was in the late 1940s when my wife's aunt moved into her house there. I understand Big John's has been there as long.

it certainly does survive in the neighborhoods. what makes queens, nyc special is that it holds onto alot of it's old heritage, unlike manhattan and brooklyn which have been in flux through commericalism.

i would argue that other immigrant cuisines stay alot more true to their original representation in queens whether it be chinese, jamaican, indian, russian, polish, italian, irish or korean just because it hasn't been tapped by developers and the media.

thx for sharing those pics. those long shaved sausage slices are so good.

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 12, 2016, 10:28:44 PM »

anyone know if it's true that new park pizzeria in howard beach queens uses fruit juice in the sauce? us new yorkers, we all know it's all about the sauce....

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 12, 2016, 11:03:22 PM »

Quote from: hotsawce on August 11, 2016, 06:52:41 PM

My favorite in Queens is actually Dani's House of Pizza in Kew Gardens... I don't get an opportunity to head over that way much but I find myself craving it so you know it has to be good.

dani's is awesome. but it's already been exposed, so no need for more publicity, let's get the other queens joints some play.

hammettjr · « **Reply #17 on:** August 14, 2016, 08:46:51 PM »

Quote from: HarryHaller73 on August 12, 2016, 06:03:30 PM

yes.. for other genres of pies like wood fire oven places, the trendy hipster environment with fork and knife silverware, porcelain white plates, and cloth napkins is fine, and lest be known these pies didn't even exist in nyc 20 years ago.

now for ny street slices which is the focus of this thread, if the joint doesn't have plastic serving trays, paper plates or wax paper, plastic containers of red pepper flakes, oregano, grated parmigiano and garlic powder, i don't eat there and if they still serve italian ice in the white crimped paper cups in pina colada flavor that's a bonus. i admit, i'm a ny pizza snob.

I moved to NY in 2003, and lived in Queens for 10 years. I never thought about it, but the pizzerias I went to all had Italian ices. There was one place that I'd sometimes get a chicken roll - they'd always give me a funny look when I asked for a side of sauce, then they'd give it to me in one of those paper cups. I always did wonder what those cups were for...

HarryHaller73 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 14, 2016, 09:34:01 PM »

Quote from: hammettjr on August 14, 2016, 08:46:51 PM

I moved to NY in 2003, and lived in Queens for 10 years. I never thought about it, but the pizzerias I went to all had Italian ices. There was one place that I'd sometimes get a chicken roll - they'd always give me a funny look when I asked for a side of sauce, then they'd give it to me in one of those paper cups. I always did wonder what those cups were for...

queens is cool, they still have italian ice. really can't find that in NW brooklyn or manhattan was the gyst of my post and the influence of trends.

rolls. that's the old stromboli turned into something else last 15 years. gotta find a good pizza place that serves calzones. they won't give u that look. but i mean how many places these days in the city serves a good calzone. lots of transplants don't know what that is. they used to serve the sauce in styrofoam cups with the plastic cap.

norma427 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 14, 2016, 10:16:32 PM »

HarryHaller73.

My oldest daughter lived in Queens for awhile. I recall a lot about Queens and the food I ate there. I will have to ask her what was the name of the pizza shop we visited that I really like their pizza. I might have changed my mind though now about that pizza. That was when I was quite new to making pizza.

Norma