New York Pizza. Uptown: 4418 Magazine. 504-891-2376.

Written by Tom Fitzmorris October 17, 2010 23:42 in

2 Fleur
Average check per person $5-$15
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New York Pizza

Uptown 3: Napoleon To Audubon: 4418 Magazine. 504-891-2376. Map.
Very Casual.
AE DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
This is a great name for a fairly good, consistent pizza shop, except for one thing: it's a misnomer. It's thin-crust pizza, crisp on the bottom, and restrained in its application of ingredients--all hallmarks of the New York style. But it's not quite that, and people acquainted with the best pizza in New York might be disappointed. After thirty years in a cramped location, it moved in 2009 to a much more pleasant space down the street. The move also allowed a major expansion of the menu, turning it into a more important resource.

WHAT'S GOOD
The quality of the raw materials has always been well above typical. Fresh vegetables, whole-milk mozzarella, dough made in house--all these were rarely encountered in other pizzerias when this place opened. In the new premises, they're making more out their dough and offering pasta and sandwiches.

BACKSTORY
Wayne Del Corral opened New York Pizza in 1980 on a Magazine Street corner. It quickly became the hip place to get pizza--particularly among Tulane students, many of whom are from the Northeast and hungered for the pizza they remembered from home. In 1992 a second location opened on Carrollton just off Canal, but it didn't reopen after the hurricane.

DINING ROOM
Bright, spacious, and a bit stark, the new dining room is much more amenable to having a full meal than the old one. There are a few tables on the sidewalk. The service staff varies widely in its hospitality. A rather cool metal Statue of Liberty stands at the front door.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Cappellini pasta with marinara
Baked feta cheese
Buffalo wings
»Snooie bread (like bruschetta with cheese and tomatoes)
»Salads (wide range of them)
Meatballs or sausage with pasta
Lasagna
Calzones
»Muffuletta
»Pizza by the slice or pie (with red sauce, olive oil, or garlic butter)

FOR BEST RESULTS
Don't come in here thinking you're eating at Ray's in Manhattan. And know that the most common complaint voiced about the pizza--that it seems oily--is what happens when the richer whole-milk mozzarella is used. The pizzas that come closest the the ideal of the name are the plain cheese pizza. My favoprite: cheese with fresh garlic. one with

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
They're still getting the service act together.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

  • Dining Environment
  • Consistency +2
  • Service
  • Value +1
  • Attitude +1
  • Wine & Bar
  • Hipness +1
  • Local Color +1

 

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
  • Sidewalk tables
  • Open Sunday lunch and dinner
  • Open Monday lunch and dinner
  • Open after midnight
  • Open all afternoon
  • Good for children
  • Easy, nearby parking
  • No reservations

ANECDOTES AND ANALYSIS
The original location of a chain of two above-average pizzerias is a cramped little place built more for take-out than eat-in. They use very good ingredients and make the pizzas deftly from the ground up. But if the words 'New York pizza' conjure up a very specific taste and texture image in your mind, be aware that this is not quite that.