Back in the day, or last semester, I came to Lombardi’s with Suzie. Mouthfuls of melted cheese, sweet tomato sauce… it was good. But then Trevor and I went to Grimaldi’s and we had a darn good margarita pie. Possibly even the best. Trevor at one point asked me which I thought was better- Lombardi’s or Grimaldi’s? I couldn’t decide. I didn’t think it was fair to judge a mushroom and sausage pie with a margarita. So obviously, I had to come back to Lombardi’s and try their plain pie (fine, we added sauteed spinach, but close enough). And who to better back with than the pizza man himself? [cough, Trevor]

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Margarita with sauteed garlic spinach.

The verdict: Good, but not good enough. Grimaldi’s wins with the cheese although we both agreed that Lombardi’s has a better/sweeter tasting tomato sauce. But when it comes down to it, the cheese is the kicker. At Grimaldi’s, the cheese coated the pie in large chunks, allowing spotfuls of tomato sauce to peak through. Here’s the funny part. I could have sworn that the Grimaldi’s pie had more cheese because the cheese was the one thing  that Trevor and I distinctly remembered. But when I went back to look at the pictures, there was actually less! So I can only conclude that where there was cheese, it was deep and piled on because I remember moments when I just couldn’t stop the string of cheese from growing after a bite. But at Lombardi’s, the cheese is melted thinly, and we could not relish watching the a long string of cheese break when a slice was lifted up high.

For the price conscious, the winner also goes to Grimaldi’s.  A large there runs at $14 whereas at Lombardi’s it’s $19.95 (no toppings)!

Now, I wouldn’t go as far to say that Grimaldi’s is completely 100% better. They’re both fantastic, but when you have to make a choice… Although given the distance, I may choose the tomato sauce over the cheese.

Lombardi’s MENU
32 Spring St.
New York, NY 10012
Near. Mott St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-941-7994 Send to Phone

Grimaldi’s MENU
19 Old Fulton St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Near Front St.  See Map | Subway Directions
718-858-4300
Takeout Available, NO SLICE PIZZAS!!!

It’s a terrible shame that we take pizza for granted. Low class pizza is regarded as a cheap way to feed the mass. Clubs at Stern can get 15 pies for around $100. That’s epically cheap.

But then you have el gourmet pizza, high class society. And when crem de la crem meets the wallet, it turns into a moderately expensive meal. Our lunch for 2 at Lombardi’s came to the tune of $37 (including tip).

Lombardi’s is the first pizzeria in New York City. On Saturday mornings, there are heaps of people piling through the door even at 11:30am. I’ve never seen such passion for pizza amongst these lazy New Yorkers who generally like to sleep in on the weekends.

But no doubt is Lombardi’s pizza good. Expect to shell out some money especially if you’re looking for toppings. Suzie (my Little!) and I wanted to split a small pie and get an appetizer. We chose the Bruschetta, thinking that fresh ingredients would make this common appetizer a bit more meaningful, but to be honest, it was like every other bruschetta I’ve eaten. It’s not bad, but it’s not fantastically great.

Each small pie (6 slices) is $14.95. A large pie is 8 slices and runs at $19.95 a pop. But then, there’s the topping. Here’s the pricing chart for that:

• 1 topping = $3
• 2 toppings =$5
• 3 toppings = $6
• 4 toppings = $7
• 5 toppings = $8

And here is a list of toppings:

• Citterio Pancetta
• Rosa Grande Pepperoni
• Italian Sweet Sausage
• Imported Anchovies
• Sauteed Garlic Spinach
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Wild Fresh Mushrooms
• Sliced Tomato
• Extra Pecorino Cheese
• Calamata Olives
• Extra San Marzano Tomato Sauce
• Red Onions

Your observation skills should tell you that we choose the wild fresh mushrooms with the Italian sausages. I had expected those round chunks of sausages that you generally get. Instead, we got thinly sliced mushrooms, which were just as good and sweet as described. It was a great combination, the mushroom and sausage. I’d get it again.

However, some problems that I had:

• The first bite didn’t have that satisfying crunch! Actually, I don’t think I had a satisfying crunch in any of the bites. It was probably all of the toppings that weighed heavily on the pizza. Towards the end, the parts near the center were almost, I want to say, soggy, because the pizza dough was struggling to hold the weight of the toppings.
• The crust was great, but not crunchy. Maybe it’s just me, but I love a pizza with crunch

But here are some good notes:

• It’s ginormous. No, this isn’t a small, it’s a large in non-American restaurants
• I really loved how sweet and tangy the tomato sauce was. None of that commercial canned stuff.
• The toppings are really good. If this was a contest between the toppings and the pizza dough, the toppings win. The flavors came beautifully together and it was a great tasting pizza.

I think I still need to try out Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn just to see how it compares with Lombardi’s. Even though I had a great lunch experience, despite the lack of crunch, I think that I enjoyed Patsy’s pizza on University Place alot better. Their pizza is thinner and with lighter toppings, making it irresistibly crunchy.

But either way, this place is a must go, just for its historic significance. It was the first pizzeria in New York City after all.

MENU
32 Spring St.
New York, NY 10012
Near. Mott St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-941-7994 Send to Phone

You can’t get any more authentic than Ferrara Cafe when it comes to Italian dessert. Homemade gelato, traditional pastries, mouth-watering cakes, and more- all align the endlessly long counter. It’s as if someone zapped me back to Italy.

But don’t get too excited. This place isn’t for the faint wallet-ed. Mini pastries run at around $2 and regular sized pastries around $4-6. Gelato runs at $4/scoop and $6/2 scoops. It’s the price you pay to get the real stuff.

After our little excursion at Lombardi’s for pizza, we decided to head here for dessert. By this time, it was already 1pm and the place was hopping. After taking forever to decide, we still couldn’t quite figure out what we wanted. So, we decided to split and order the trios. I chose the trio of miniatures, where you can pick three mini pastries. I wasn’t going to share my chocolate cannoli, so we got two of those and then one eclaire.

The cannoli was great. Even though the custard didn’t quite match to the ones I got in Venice, it was still supurb, especially if you compare it to the average American cannoli. The eclair broke beautifully and seemed to melt in your mouth.

Suzie ordered the gelato combo. We chose the Strawberry, Stracciatella, and Tiramisu. Surprisingly, the Strawberry ended up being the best. It was an explosion of concentrated strawbery flavor within each bite. But, the Tiramisu and Stracciatella were great too. The Tiramisu came in a coffee flavored looking scoop instead of the general white with swirls of chocolate, lady finger, and rum that I’m so used to.

Each trio was roughly $8.95. But it’s how much you’d usually spend for dessert at a restaurant anyway. If you dine in, it’s a bit more expensive. Opt for take out if you’d like to save a couple of bucks.

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Ferrara Cafe
195 Grand Street
New York, NY 10013