Best pizza and New York style deli

From what I understand it's impossible to re-create NY style pizza crust in this part of the country because of our water. Not that NY's water is better or worse than ours but something about no one can put a finger on. I;ve heard the same thing about rolls used to make cheesesteak.

[Robin Garr]

From what I understand it's impossible to re-create NY style pizza crust in this part of the country because of our water. Not that NY's water is better or worse than ours but something about no one can put a finger on. I;ve heard the same thing about rolls used to make cheesesteak.

I think you're thinking about bagels.

From what I understand it's impossible to re-create NY style pizza crust in this part of the country because of our water. Not that NY's water is better or worse than ours but something about no one can put a finger on. I've heard the same thing about rolls used to make cheesesteak.

Yes, our water is HAARRD here...Great for bourbon, not so much for pizza dough...It definitely takes a high gluten flour.
When I lived in Phoenix, there was a Jewish style deli that supposedly shipped water in from NYC to make their bagels.
I don't blame them after tasting the tap water for the first time out there. Piped in from the Colorado River and you sure can taste every mile of pipe.

You know all this talk about finding New York style pizza over the past few years has stirred up my creative juices to try and see if I can come up with something close. I will keep in touch and invite the New York pizza experts over to Boombozz for a focus group to guide me in the right direction.

Talk to you soon,

Tony

Oh hooray! I nearly cried when I realized that I had moved out of your delivery area when I moved to Old Louisville...

Mike and I are transplants from NY (me - Queens/Mike - LI) and hands down, Luigi's satifies us every single time. The pizza is so close to NY (thin with bubbles in the crust) and the rice balls are heavenly! Also, the sauce is pretty fabulous too. We recently tried Johnny V's (the old Heros location) and really enjoyed the pizza and garlic knotd. The pizza isn't quite NYC style, but the taste is great and the garlic knots are worth the trip! As for deli, Stevens and Stevens is our go to place. Mike is a pastrami & corned beef guy and has never been disappointed.

[Robin Garr]

transplants from NY (me - Queens/Mike - LI)

What neighborhood in Queens, Michele? Mary and I just loved Astoria when we were transplants TO NY.

Let me take a moment express my NYC pizzology theory.

Not so much the water as the ovens used to make the pizza. NYC water is spectacular and does play a part in their fantastic pies, but i think the main reason we lack a true NY pizza in Louisville is because no one uses a coal fired oven in Louisville - and no one uses a conveyor oven in NYC.

I can't think of anyone in Louisville that cooks a pizza at over 1000 degrees, much less on stone.

The crust of your pie simply can't get that crispy, charcoaly, kind of love at 600 degrees on a pizza screen.

I've had good pizza in NYC and i've had mediocre pizza in NYC and i've had terrible pizza in NYC

I've also had great pizza in the Ville, and when it comes down to it - given the option - i'll take a Roundhouse from the NABC with a decadent inch thick doughy crust or one of my pizzas over of a slice of NYC pie any day.

"In Indiana, we don't make NYC pizzas, why would we? when we can make better pies"

I remember when we were in Sardinia and I asked a bartender where I can get some good pizza. He looked at me with a concerned expression and said emphatically, not at this time of the year. I did not know what he was talking about and asked him what he meant. He said the humidity was too high and that it will take another month until I could get any good pizza anywhere on Sardinia. So much for the science of pizza. Now I had to check the weather report until I could get a good pie. I guess I just kept on drinking.

transplants from NY (me - Queens/Mike - LI)

What neighborhood in Queens, Michele? Mary and I just loved Astoria when we were transplants TO NY.

Hey Robin -

I was a Howard Beach girl , but mom is from Astoria. Home to the most amazing Greek restaurants!!

Michele

I've had good pizza in NYC and i've had mediocre pizza in NYC and i've had terrible pizza in NYC

I actually had an horrible pizza one time in NY- at a Chicago Uno's. Learned my lesson very quickly.
you hit the nail on the head with the ovens- without coal ,or better yet wood, you are starting out with a losing hand.

I actually had an horrible pizza one time in NY- at a Chicago Uno's. Learned my lesson very quickly. You hit the nail on the head with the ovens- without coal ,or better yet wood, you are starting out with a losing hand.

You cannot get New York pizza at a chain restaurant anyplace, even New York, and you went to a Chicago chain restaurant trying to get a New York pizza? No wonder the pizza there wasn't any good! I agree that some of the best New York pizzas I've had came from wood and coal fired ovens but I've also had some from conventional pizza ovens (not conveyors) that were just as good, as mentioned by someone else one of the biggest factors is the temperature of the oven and in this case hotter is definitely better.

I definitely agree that some of the local pizza places make a great pie but there is just something special about a New York pie that nothing else achieves. Unless you grew up on them you probably don't understand this but those of you who did know what I'm talking about.

I don't know about it being a Jewish deli, but I really like Morris' Deli and Liquors on Taylorsville Road just off of Bardstown. I especially like their huge selection of nonalcoholic beverages. I also enjoy Just Fresh on Bardstown Road. I know we discussed this place when it first opened and no one seemed to be super excited about it, but I keep going back because they are so consistent. What about Wagner's Pharmacy? I've never been there, but I've heard good things.

I don't know about it being a Jewish deli, but I really like Morris' Deli and Liquors on Taylorsville Road just off of Bardstown.

Definitely not a Jewish deli, but I agree about Morris', and I forget about it often. Very good indeed.

I actually had an horrible pizza one time in NY- at a Chicago Uno's. Learned my lesson very quickly. You hit the nail on the head with the ovens- without coal ,or better yet wood, you are starting out with a losing hand.

You cannot get New York pizza at a chain restaurant anyplace, even New York, and you went to a Chicago chain restaurant trying to get a New York pizza? No wonder the pizza there wasn't any good!quote]

Mark- that was my point. What is the emoticon for sarcastic irony?

Hello everyone back in Louisville-

I just want to let you know I'm eating enough NYC pizza and Italian Deli food for everyone in the Bluegrass State.

I'm currently in Hoboken, NJ, which is like the 6th borough of Manhattan w/ a dash of Dirty Jersey.

I live next to Luca Brasi's Italian Deli, which makes its own mozzarella daily! The Johnny Roast Beef w/ pink roast beef, gravy, and fresh mozz is amazing.

For really good pizza, I walk about a block to Filippo's on 1st. Cheese only w/ a dash of garlic powder and plenty of crushed red pepper for me.

If I have enough company to split a whole pie, I make the 2 block walk to Grimaldi's 2nd location (the Brooklyn location was mentioned earlier). They definitely have the best pie in town.

The insider word is that Manhattan and Brooklyn pipe their water in from the Adirondack's. They say the best water makes all of the difference in the world.

It is still pot luck out here. There are pizza places and dry cleaners on every corner, all with mixed results.

In summary, I never had any pizza like this in the Ville.