Staten Island Pizza first time next weekend--3 favorite places and what to get there?

[rschwim]

I'm heading to SI next weekend w. 2 friends on our first SI pizza expedition. I've done some research here. Please tell me your opinions and favorites. Right now I'm thinking about:

Denino's--MOR, Garbage pie

Lee's Tavern (which I just read about herein the last few days) white clam, sausage, calamari (is this a calamari pie?)

Joe & Pat's--Haven't found anything on what to get here.

Anyway please tell me if you approve/ disapprove/ have completely different ideas, etc.
Thanks

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Lee's Tavern
60 Hancock St, Staten Island, NY 10305

[Jeffsayyes]

is it all in one session?

I'd go to sal of soho - get white pie or vodka pie. or anything else.
joe and pats or Lee's tavern.
nunzios.

while you're at sal of soho, you might want to check out The Square next door. which is similar in construction to L&Bs

[missmasala]

Salvatore's of Soho is the one on hylan blvd, right?
While their pizza is good, if one of the reasons you're doing the SI pizza thing is ambiance, then I would skip salvatore's. It's a nice place, but it feels newish. Joe and Pat's and Denino's have more of an old school vibe, for lack of a better term. I haven't been to Lee's (planning to go, tho, after reading the thread above) but from the pics i've seen, it seems more old school as well.

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Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

Salvatore's of Soho
3738 Riverdale Ave, Bronx, NY 10463

[Tay]

Excellent point. I agree 100%

[Jeffsayyes]

Sals is only 3 years old, that's why it feels newish. but I disagree. I think the ambiance there is one of my favorites in the boroughs. It's themed from the turn of the century. They have all these antiques from the 20s and 30s. Somehow it feels classic and not kitschey. Most people I talk to swoon when they step inside.

Joe and Pat's doesn't feel that old school to me at all. It is very pretty in there, feels updated. classic but not old school.

Lees and deninos def feel old school. In that vibe that they haven't done anything to the place in 30 years. which is cool.

all great choices for pizza. except deninos, I wouldn't focus on a regular pie.

[famdoc]

Salvatore's of Soho is decorated to resemble a late-50s drive-in joint. Those antiques are less antique than you think.

As for crust doneness, you have a right to request your crust to be baked to your specifications and, in several visits, I've never found any opposition to my request for charred, not burned (what Paulie Gee terms "leopard spots") crust.

In addition to the pizza, Salvatore's salads and pastas are quite good.
His waitresses, dressed to match the drive-in theme, are cheerful and professional.
S of S has a neighborhood restaurant feel.
I like the place.

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Salvatore's of Soho
3738 Riverdale Ave, Bronx, NY 10463

Paulie Gee's
60 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

[rschwim]

Ok, we're heading out in about 2 hours... Any last words of wisdom for us?

[razeup]

If you go to Sal of SoHo and Sal is there, ask for a tour of the place. Let us know how it goes!

[Tay]

Please post about your experience.

[rschwim]

The report from three Brooklyn guys--RS, DD, and SD

1. Denino's
    1/2 MOR & 1/2 Garbage Pie (plus we had calamari)
RS--Good but not great. I liked the Garbage better than MOR...Weird cornmeal?
DD--My least favorite. Some kinda of corn meal on the bottom (presumably to keep the pie from sticking to the oven) was just not right. Taste was OK, nothing special. Ditto for the calamari.

2. Joe & Pat's
     1 Regular Pie
RS-- Ultra thin crust-- Aggressively different from what I'm used to (DiFara's, Motorine, L&B, Tontonno's)I really enjoyed this pizza. I didn't think I was going to go for this but yeah, very nice...good sauce. Probably my fave of the day... Jesus Crisp!
DD--My favorite of the three. A crispy thin crust with a snappy sauce. Light and breezy.

3. Lee's Tavern
     1/2 Sausage and 1/2 White Clam
RS--I liked this better than Denino's but not as much as Joe & Pat's...Maybe just my mood that day? But very good. I liked the white clam a lot. Very old style place... No sign outside. Very neighborhoody...
DD--Best atmosphere. I liked the clam half better than the sausage half. The clams had cheese on them but still very good. Sort of like a garlicky white clam sauce with mozzarella. Not bad.
DD--Overall, in my opinion, Brooklyn pizza is superior.

SD--i liked the vibe at Lee's Tavern also, but i was struck by how the worker bees at each location were excited to hear about our self-made pizzatourism.  (we had good service in general, i'd say.)  i always hear non-New Yorkers talk about NY pizza as "thin crust," but this (Joe and Pat's) was the thinnest crust pizza i've ever had--whoever coined the "matzoh" reference was dead on--but i must say i didn't notice it after the first coupla slices.  the corn meal at Denino's didn't bother me.  i had some sort of ceramic "pizza stone" i cooked on for a few years, so that was something i was accustomed to.  the tomato sauce on our regular pie at Joe & Pat's was nice & flavorful.  i think i would have liked the clam pizza better had it been the centerpiece of a traditional meal, like we had in New Haven, rather than as part of our sampling binge; it was a little too "different" for me to enjoy thoroughly.  also, DD was clearly insane when he was lobbying for a fourth stop.  it IS possible to have too much of a good thing.

i'd still say Di Fara in Midwood for a fairly traditional pie.  the fancy-pants pies at Motorino in Williamsburg were excellent, too.

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Joe & Pat's
1758 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314

Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

Lee's Tavern
60 Hancock St, Staten Island, NY 10305

Motorino
319 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

[Tay]

Great review...Thanks for posting. :-)

[yussdov]

nunzio's rocks.

[comestible]

Thanks for the review! Side note: Pier 76 in Tompkinsville reportedly has some affiliation with Joe & Pat's, and I've really enjoyed the pies there.

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Joe & Pat's
1758 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314

Pier 76
76 Bay St, Staten Island, NY 10301

[Jeffsayyes]

it's then son, I believe. great pies.

[razeup]

Hey just FYI, if you're a fan of the Joe & Pat's cracker-thin pizza, Joe just opened up a restaurant on Mulberry St. in Manhattan across from Torrisi called Rubirosa which makes their style of pizza. They also have slices during the day, and the interior is beautiful.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/rubirosa-manh...

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Joe & Pat's
1758 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314

[bklynsausage]

Classic in a strip mall kind of way... The Pizza is good also the food is good but.. the service suffers a bit and VERY uncomfortable... This is brick oven style for regular NYC pizza I think Deninos is the best in SI

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Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

[Tay]

I like Denino's as well, but Lee's is really excellent.

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Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

[comestible]

I keep making the rounds. Lately I stopped at Salvatore's for a personal pie and it was quite delicious, crust was fine. Lee's is a favorite though I don't get there often enough. We are fortunate to have a few great alternatives to choose from!

[Tay]

Shhh...
We don't want to risk being 'discovered' by the DiFara-ites, Totonno-ites, L&B-ites or (Gasp!) those Lucali/Grimaldi-ites. :-)

[Jeffsayyes]

If you do one place, I would say Salvatore. But if you do 3 pies, maybe pier 76, denino's and nunzio's would be a good tour.

[Tay]

I'd respectfully substitute Trattoria Romano for the consistently mediocre Nunzio's. When Salvatore's is on point, their pies are very good but too often they are burned past any acceptable degree.

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Nunzio's
2155 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10306

[Jeffsayyes]

Romano is great, but they might not appreciate you only ordering a pizza pie.

[Tay]

i see your point though I've never noticed a posted min. charge. We were there last week and we ordered an eggplant pizza and split a salad and there was no problem. The Chef even stopped by to ask if we were enjoying our meal. Out of common courtesy we would not linger if other patrions were waiting for a table

[razeup]

You're spot on with Lee's and Joe & Pat's. For J&P a regular pie is sufficient; its a thin and crispy "old fashioned" style pie thats somewhat common in Staten Island, but its also the best of this style.

I thought Denino's was completely overrated, especially the basic pies there. I'd reccomend Salvatore of SoHo, which is among the best pizzerias in the city, let alone Staten Island. Get a white pie, calamari and hot peppers pie, or a pepperoni, onion and garlic pie. Been meaning to try the clam pie there too.

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Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

[comestible]

Salvatore's crusts were burned the last couple of pies I got from there. Charred is OK, burned is not. Otherwise, they are great and would be at the top of any list..

[razeup]

Weird, I haven't had a problem. Did you eat in or get take out?

[BMartin]

Re Denino's, if you do go there you should have the fried calamari which is the best I have ever had. Since pizza taste is so subjective, its hard to find "the best." But if you do want to do Pizzatourism out in SI, there are a lot of postings elsewhere.

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Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

[comestible]

It was takeout, both times. Before that, I'd eaten at the restaurant and it was great there...not that there should be any difference.

[comestible]

Didn't mean to ignore your post...it's just that I'm a vegetarian and so can't comment on a limitless range of toppings.

Denino's and Lee's are tops. Also, Trattoria Romana makes an excellent pizza.

Joe & Pat's I haven't had in a while but was not so impressed with them the last time. Same for ßalvatore's.

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Denino's
524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302

Trattoria Romana
1476 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10305