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Real good review Adam. I am going to give this place a another shot. I thought the slices were tasty the last time I went, but too much moisture pooled in the middle of the slice.

Next time I will try the whole pies like you did.

If he would have simply boasted about how he feels his pizza is the best I would take no issue with his comments.

But he somehow felt it necessary to impugn the integrity of all his competitors. Say what you want about Keste in terms of it's product, but Caporuscio is commited to the Platonic idea of producing a pure Neapolitan pie and ultimately this is the reason why I believe he does not produce the best pizza in NYC. He is so committed to the VPN dogma that he will not take a step back and consider making adjustments to his food or his practices.

I believe he is stubborn and a true believer in what he is doing and that was the reason he was asked to leave his prior venture (A Mano) in NJ. When asked to change the way he made pizza he refused and parted company with ownership and struck out on his own. These traits are not the earmarks of a cynical money grubber, but they are of someone that has a profound commitment to what he is doing.

There are plenty of ways to pay your dues, everyone has a different path and it doesn't necessarily encompass trying to make pizza in your parents fireplace like a moron.

Anthony Mangieri the Martyr of Modern Artisanal pizza movement. The whole angry young man act is wearing thin.

The problem is many of the top tier slice places in Manahattan took their cue from DiFara and raised their prices just below the old $4.00 plateau that he established. Even pizza places in NJ posted articles surrounding his last price increase almost using it as justification for any moderate increases that they had considered.

Many places are already charging $3.50 to $3.75 for Fresh Mozzarella slices. These places may not be as good as DiFara's, but they feel that they invest a substantial portion of their overhead into their ingredients and have higher rents to maintain, and will now be emboldened by the move.

When the prices were raised the last time he had some compelling circumstances that were dictating an increase:

1. Soaring cost of dairy.
2. The increasing strength of the Euro against the dollar, that impacted imported products like Mozzarella Di Bufala and imported Olive Oils etc.

At this point the price of dairy has fallen significantly and the currency situation is more stable, so the only reason for the increase is to max out the profits and subsidize the new 5 day schedule.

The unintended consequences of this move is that he is actually setting the market for other vendors and thus making decent pizza more expensive for everyone.

Robyn,

Agreed very good fries, but it may very well be the most overrated burger in the country. When I still want to fix my burger "Jones" I will head over to the Shake Shack and get a couple of Shack Burgers.

There are about 185 instances of "dude" on Slice: http://www.google.com/search?q=%22dude%22+site%3Aslice.seriouseats.com

Thanks Dude!

He forgot one very important judging element....do not trust a place that does not run out of dough before it closes for the day.

Rocco is not the first chef to lend his name to promote frozen foods or ready to serve sauces from a jar. This in and of itself should not qualify chefs as sell-outs and objects of public scorn. Mario Batali has recently given his name to a Progresso Meal line and Wolfgang Puck was peddling frozen pizzas before this whole celebrity chef thing even hit it's stride. Yet very few people dispute their credentials as great chefs and cut them considerable slack in the wake of these projects.

The reason why we all castigate Rocco, is we got too see a once serious chef from the comfort of our living rooms, erect and destroy a simple Red Sauce place in less than a year, and in the process treat all people associated with the enterprise rather shabbily.

Running restaurants and being a chef is grueling work, so I can see the temptation to grab the brass ring of celebrity after paying your dues behind the stove. However, in Rocco's case he continually elects to take short term gigs for easy money rather than rebuild his reputation by using his prodigous talents as a cook once again. He should follow the example of his former mentor Gray Kunz, who has travelled a diametrically opposite path by eschewing the limelight since relinquishing his toque at Lespinasse in the late 90's. The result has been the very well the received Cafe Gray and another midtown venture to open in the fall, plus plans to open a French Laundry like shangra la of gastronomy in upstate NY in the not too distant future. This path is a bit more laborious and a lot less sexy, but it would do Rocco a world of good since Americans love nothing much more a good tale of redemption.

Personally, I feel more sadness than disdain for Rocco DiSpirito.Nothing is more depressing than a case of squandered talent. Many people, myself included, would be ecstacic to have a fraction of the ability and would love to duplicate the culinary magic that was created during his halcyon days at Union Pacific. Instead it appears that in the wake of last week's spectacle, that he is inadvertently hell bent on becoming the embodiment of the Terry Malloy character in that great movie "On the Waterfront". Despite one shameless propaganda stunt after another he elects to" take the dives the for short term money "and throw away his God given talent to cash in on "his one way ticket to Palookaville". Unfortunately, talent is not a substitute for critical self-reflection and the need to unearth in the depths of your soul an untapped reservoir of humility.

Great, another public figure cowed and brow beaten by intimidation tactics and the charge of racism. The group that has initiated these charges really is in a no lose situation, because restaurant owners cannot afford the bad press or be forced to wear the Scarlett Letter of bigotry. Racism is still the one charge where there is always the implicit assumption guilt that is thrusted upon the accused. If you deign to defy the accusers and resist the tag, the mob yells the charge that much louder until all critics are rendered submissive; if you chose to refrain from comment, you must be guilty as well because of your refusal to defend yourself. What a shame!

The Banh Mi is lighter and a much better sandwich on a hot day, but a sandwich high of quality cured pork fat is always very hard to resist. Especially, paper thin slices of Proscuitto Di Parma fresh from the slicer.