Why is so hard to find a great NY-style pizza outside of New York ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's something about the NY water that makes pizza dough and bagels better. Unless you're importing the water, it's just not the same!

I think this is a myth. Water is water.

And wine is wine. And single malt is single malt.
So maybe most people either can’t taste the differences, or don’t care enough to pay attention.
I have no idea whether or not the water is really a critical variable, but there are huge differences in different types of water, and even in the way it tastes when it’s stored in different containers.

Water is my favorite drink, so I was pretty excited when I heard about this guy:


https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/4/7/8360993/how-las-only-water-sommelier-is-changing-the-way-people-taste-h20

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's something about the NY water that makes pizza dough and bagels better. Unless you're importing the water, it's just not the same!

+1. Water is the correct answer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even think people even know what the mean when asking for good NY Pizza. If Andy’s or Wiseguys were in NY people would be raving about and complaining they can’t get the same in DC.

I’d love to see all these NY Pizza experts do a blind taste test.

My standard for a slice is the Rays at 6th Ave near 8th. My standard for a pie is John’s on Bleeker. I haven’t been to either in a few years, but haven’t had pizza that’s close to that here. My pizza standards were also set in New Haven, so I liked Pete’s when I had it a few years ago, and haven’t yet tried Pepe’s. I don’t eat pizza much, but I’m open to trying it if it’s good, and I’m not picky about the style. Yay: Timber.

PP, I’d be happy to do a blind taste test. Lol. This thread actually reminded me that I did one with coworkers using Coke from different regional bottling plants. We nailed it.

Good taste! I am a born and raised New Yorker, I'd be happy to do a taste test. I am pretty sure I would instantly be able to separate NY pizza from not.

That said, Andy's and Wiseguy are my favorites in DC. They're not the same as NY pizza, but they are good and scratch the itch well enough.

Ok, so, we’ve got at least two of us up for the Regional/ Mid-Atlantic Pizza Taste Test! I’m not sure I could tell NY pizza from good NY - style pizza — but trying to would be fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even think people even know what the mean when asking for good NY Pizza. If Andy’s or Wiseguys were in NY people would be raving about and complaining they can’t get the same in DC.

I’d love to see all these NY Pizza experts do a blind taste test.

My standard for a slice is the Rays at 6th Ave near 8th. My standard for a pie is John’s on Bleeker. I haven’t been to either in a few years, but haven’t had pizza that’s close to that here. My pizza standards were also set in New Haven, so I liked Pete’s when I had it a few years ago, and haven’t yet tried Pepe’s. I don’t eat pizza much, but I’m open to trying it if it’s good, and I’m not picky about the style. Yay: Timber.

PP, I’d be happy to do a blind taste test. Lol. This thread actually reminded me that I did one with coworkers using Coke from different regional bottling plants. We nailed it.

do we know each other? these were my pizza joints in the late 80s/90s. I took my son to John’s a couple years ago. He didnt get the charm, sadly…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried making your own? I’ve had great results with this recipe in both a 500 degree oven on a stone and in my Breville Pizzaiolo (a fabulous I’d extremely pricey device). The latter has a preset temperature and time for NY style pizza.

You can't make your own.

Household ovens will never get hot enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's something about the NY water that makes pizza dough and bagels better. Unless you're importing the water, it's just not the same!

But it’s also about the air!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's something about the NY water that makes pizza dough and bagels better. Unless you're importing the water, it's just not the same!

I think this is a myth. Water is water.

No.

Philly makes the best hoagies and sandwiches in the country, because of their rolls. It's in the water. NY best pizza, because of the water. Water is not just water. They have all sorts of different levels of mineral content that you can absolutely taste. Look how much Fiji waters cost. They mess around with the flavor of the water by altering mineral content. Yeast and microbes absolutely react to ion content in the environment, because ions modify all sorts of crazy physio chemical parameters wrt enzymes protein protein interactions etc. It's chemistry baby

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Original Ledos pepperoni is the worlds best.

Hate to say it

You have got to be kidding me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NY Pizza is not all that.

+1. Why do people like NY pizza is beyond me. The mushy limp crust that's like undercooked dough. The sauce is good, but the grease pooled on the top that feel like the worst fast food restaurant's old leftover food. No thank you.

That's not NY pizza. It is bad pizza. NY pizza should have a crispy thin crust..period. that's the defining feature.

[Anonymous]

Could someone recommend a decent NY style pizza in Jamaica NY? I will have a layover in NYC but won’t have time to venture out in the city, wanted to order to the hotel near JFK or I would go to the place if it’s close and not too sketchy area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even think people even know what the mean when asking for good NY Pizza. If Andy’s or Wiseguys were in NY people would be raving about and complaining they can’t get the same in DC.

I’d love to see all these NY Pizza experts do a blind taste test.

My standard for a slice is the Rays at 6th Ave near 8th. My standard for a pie is John’s on Bleeker. I haven’t been to either in a few years, but haven’t had pizza that’s close to that here. My pizza standards were also set in New Haven, so I liked Pete’s when I had it a few years ago, and haven’t yet tried Pepe’s. I don’t eat pizza much, but I’m open to trying it if it’s good, and I’m not picky about the style. Yay: Timber.

PP, I’d be happy to do a blind taste test. Lol. This thread actually reminded me that I did one with coworkers using Coke from different regional bottling plants. We nailed it.

do we know each other? these were my pizza joints in the late 80s/90s. I took my son to John’s a couple years ago. He didnt get the charm, sadly…

Maybe we do! The late 80’s through the mid 90’s were my prime pizza-in-the-Village years. (After that I shifted to Rafetto’s tortellini and Ollie’s dumplings.) Is it awful that my first thought was: How wonderful that you took your son to John’s! But my second was: Bummer, but more slices for you! lol. I have tried the pizzas more recently— but pre-COVID, and was happy to find that they were just as good as I remembered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's something about the NY water that makes pizza dough and bagels better. Unless you're importing the water, it's just not the same!

But it’s also about the air!

I wondered about the air — generations of proprietary NYC wild yeasts floating around? — but I don’t know enough about baking to know if that’s a reasonable thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's something about the NY water that makes pizza dough and bagels better. Unless you're importing the water, it's just not the same!

But it’s also about the air!

I wondered about the air — generations of proprietary NYC wild yeasts floating around? — but I don’t know enough about baking to know if that’s a reasonable thing.

Yeah I was kidding of course
No reasonable explanation for NY style pizza phenomenon

[Anonymous]

Because not many 100% Italians here compared to NY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t even think people even know what the mean when asking for good NY Pizza. If Andy’s or Wiseguys were in NY people would be raving about and complaining they can’t get the same in DC.

I’d love to see all these NY Pizza experts do a blind taste test.

My standard for a slice is the Rays at 6th Ave near 8th. My standard for a pie is John’s on Bleeker. I haven’t been to either in a few years, but haven’t had pizza that’s close to that here. My pizza standards were also set in New Haven, so I liked Pete’s when I had it a few years ago, and haven’t yet tried Pepe’s. I don’t eat pizza much, but I’m open to trying it if it’s good, and I’m not picky about the style. Yay: Timber.

PP, I’d be happy to do a blind taste test. Lol. This thread actually reminded me that I did one with coworkers using Coke from different regional bottling plants. We nailed it.

Good taste! I am a born and raised New Yorker, I'd be happy to do a taste test. I am pretty sure I would instantly be able to separate NY pizza from not.

That said, Andy's and Wiseguy are my favorites in DC. They're not the same as NY pizza, but they are good and scratch the itch well enough.

Ok, so, we’ve got at least two of us up for the Regional/ Mid-Atlantic Pizza Taste Test! I’m not sure I could tell NY pizza from good NY - style pizza — but trying to would be fun!

Sign me up too! I could totally pick out NY pizza.

-Grew up in NJ and spent a lot of my childhood in NYC