Mike's Pizza
Mike's Pizza on the UWS is now open. They were only open for delivery of pizza and a few pasta and side dish items today. We ordered a pie ($20--a reasonable price for a kosher pie) and some fries. it was really good. the pie was a very thin crust with a nice cheese blend and a great sauce.
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OK. No one can say we didn't give it a shot. Pizza, just ok. Pasta, just ok (albeit fresh gnocchi). Gelato--prepackaged in the freezer, not bistro-like at all. Service--confusing. You are supposed to order at the counter, but there is a nice, helpful man working the tables that we ended up having to tip even though we couldn't order with him. Disorganized and very limited menu. I'm sorry, guys. Manhattan can do much better dairy bistro than this. Was there a plan in mind for this place because you certainly don't feel one.
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re: cappucino
I tried Mikes last night and unfortunately I have to say it was dissapointing from beginnning to end. I went on the take-out line and was immediately bombarded with requests from what I believe to be the waiter to come and sit down. So I was already apologizing for taking my food out. I then had to wait on a line to order the take out as there is only 1 person and 1 computer to put orders in. OK. So we got the order in ($69 of take-out plus another $25 from the ready to eat showcase, and I asked how long and he said 10 minutes! ( I ordered a regular pie, a mac and cheese and a ravioli)
OK, so I stepped back to let them make my food. I had no idea how they could make a fresh pie in 10 minutes. As I was looking in the freezer at the full frozen pies (how can someone cook that at home?) someone from the back came to the freezer and grabbed a frozen package of ravioli...Hey wait a minute, thats my order! I thought it was supposed to be fresh pasta! FRESH AND FROZEN PASTA ARE NOT THE SAME THING. (I was praying that he didnt take a a pie or a mac and cheese out of the freezer and Thank G-d he didnt.
So at least the ravioli order loks like it will be a good size entree..Nope sorry, they only gave me half of that container..10 raviolis for $13.50?
The Pizza was a reheated pie with a very well done crust.
The Mac and cheese had not enough crispy stuff on top and too much garlic. (But it was still the best part of the meal.
The Ravioli were terrible (I had the potato garlic filling, if I had known the Mac and Cheese would be so Garlicy, I would have picked a different filling)
I also bought the Mozzarella rollatini ($8.50 for 6 small pieces!) nothing special
The Farro Salad was too oily and too sweet. No balance
The Marinated mushrooms only tasted like vinegar
The Mango Sorbet was nice.All in all, not the level of cooking that I was expecting from Mike. Maybe he should be there more often...
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gotcholent
Jan 12, 2009 09:26 AM
Everything that chef touches is gold....I can't wait to try out Mike's new creations.
Didn't he spend like 6 years working in Napa after he finished at CIA? Would you call it a California approach to Pizza? What else does anyone recommend to try when going?›11 Replies-
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re: avitrek
So true! and having eaten both I can tell you Mike's is much better. In therms of the other entrees there and the desserts, Mike's is definitely more expensive. But to me, the price is worth it, the food I have had from there is excellent. Hopefully this restaurant will be with the community for a long time!!
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re: MartyB
gotcholent
Jan 18, 2009 02:30 PM
This is the UWS, not the boondocks in Far Rockaway or Brooklyn. Id like to see any pizza shop, kosher or not, that makes everything from scratch, INCLUDING THE MOZZARELLA and charges less then $20. And, my wife and I thought the Pizza was good, it was really the fresh pastas, Mike's famous handmade gnocchi, and homemade mozarella that we got to take home that makes Mike's such a welcome addition to the UWS.
Does anybody know if he does milchig catering now?
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re: gotcholent
Don't even think of Mike as a pizza joint... it is his real home made gelato which sings like a colaratura soprano! And the other italian specialties are superb. I would like to bring to an old-timer from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to see if he lives up to non-ksoher Italian standards.
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re: masteraleph
Last night, I was admitted through a side door for a takeout order. It looked like they could use a few days before opening. The menu was limited - I had the foccacia. I would not call it a pizza. Mine had the carmelized onions and was topped, oddly, by a roughly-cut piece of fresh sage that promptly fell off. It was tasty enough but I would not make a meal of it. At $18, I would be more inclined to pick up some of the grilled vegetable foccacia at Fairway, if they still make it.
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I've had the following things from them so far:
Large pie with mushrooms
"Focaccia Pizza" with mushrooms
FriesThe fries are rediculously overpriced- they're normal shoestring fries, nothing special.
The normal pizza was good. It wasn't absolutely amazing, but definitely a solid pizza. There was some fresh basil on it, which I thought was a nice touch. Price for this seems to be about the same as Cafe Roma. Overall, I enjoyed it, but since I eat at Viva, it wouldn't be a frequent meal for me. Definitely a huge step up over Roma, though, so those who don't eat at Viva should definitely go for Mike's. Price including mushrooms: $26.01, including tax (this was a large pie).
The "Focaccia Pizza" was a generous helping of focaccia bread with arugula and carmelized onions on top and with a cheesy tasting dressing of sorts. The mushrooms were "exotic mushrooms", which in this case seemed to be mostly shitake. The dish itself was really fantastic, but the mushrooms made it something very special. We also keep a block of parmigiano reggiano around, and grated a bit of that onto the dish. The thing basically filled up the kind of box you'd use for a small pizza, and so was a good meal for two people. Of the stuff I've tried so far, this is definitely the one I'd specifically order again, even though I do eat at Viva.
And of course, the most important information, since it's hard to find: The number for ordering is 212-362-0700.
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Now that it's been open a bit longer, is it offering a fuller menu? What's on the planned full menu, anyway, other than pizza and pasta? How formal a dining experience is it?
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