Famous Original A's

Lombardi’s bills itself as the nation’s first pizzeria. And that’s sort of correct. As a proud New Yorker, I’m willing to overlook some twists and turns in the joint’s history if it means putting NYC on the map as home to the oldest pizzeria in the U.S.

Truth be told, though, the current pizzeria’s namesake, Gennaro Lombardi, opened his grocery store down the street from the extant location in the very late 1800s. In 1905, he applied for—and was granted—the first pizzeria license in NYC and the nation. Legend is that Lombardi had been baking leftover bread dough in the grocery’s coal-burning oven, topping it with tomato sauce and cheese in the style of his native Naples, and selling it as an inexpensive dish to fellow Italian immigrants. After a while, his pies became the go-to thing at his grocery and he converted the place to pizza only.

The original Lombardi’s, at 53 1/2 Spring Street, closed in 1984. A decade later, in 1994, John Brescio and Gennaro Lombardi III, grandson of the original Gennaro Lombardi, opened the current pizzeria at 32 Spring Street (also with a coal oven). If you take this hiatus into account, Papa’s Tomato Pies in Trenton is the oldest continuously operating pizzeria in the U.S.

I delve deeper into Lombardi history in this post on Slice: NYC Quintessentials—Lombardi’s »

32 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 (at Mott)
212-941-7994; firstpizza.com

*In reality, TKplace is

Barboncino's clam pizza. From my review on Slice.

Robert Sietsema reviews Barboncino this week in the Village Voice, and while I agree with most of his words, this passage jumped out at me:

There are a couple of inferior pies, too. Using clams on a pizza is always an iffy proposition. Sadly, Barboncino de-shells the bivalves first, depriving us of the clam broth that spills out when the shells open. The naked cherrystones are minced and placed on a cheese-saturated pie, overwhelming their briny flavor with dairy. Similarly, the boring marinara, priced at $8, represents the kind of pie made in Naples before the margherita was invented. It’s strictly for the lactose-intolerant.

I thought the clam pie at Barboncino was great. And I hate when places put the damn clams on in their shells. I don’t go to a pizzeria for a day at the shore shucking bivalves. Fuck that. A lot of these places that do clam pies take the clam broth and drizzle it back on the pie, anyway — I’m thinking of Franny’s and Motorino, whose clam pie Barboncino basically clones.

I do agree with Sietsema about the marinara pie. I know there’s been a vogue as of late among pizzaheads for marinara pies. With a couple rare exceptions, I have always found them boring as shit, too.

From Slice:

Famous Joe’s (once “of Bleecker,” now a couple doors down on Carmine Street) is not the greatest slice you’ve ever had or ever will have in New York City, but it’s still pretty damn good and remains my favorite slice joint in this area. The crust is thinner than most and it’s nice and light. Get two.

Read the full review here »