What I’m about to say may be blasphemy to some.
I’m not the biggest of pizza fans.
Blame it on years of pizza parties, the discovery too late that orange juice doesn’t mix well with pizza, and that my body kind of doesn’t really like dairy products very often or too much. So I kind of have this, well, bad taste in my mouth and the idea that pizza and I don’t mix. It’s not really true. I like pizza, especially really good pizza, but I’m just not the type of person to get hungry and think “I want pizza.”
Having said that, my boyfriend loves pizza. Any kind. He claims he grew up with the best pizza, that he grew up in a real Italian neighborhood, and that he knows pizza. Mmm, okay, but when we began dating and he introduced me to this “best” pizza of his, I scoffed. It wasn’t what I was used to (big ups to Calda’s in Rego Park – no longer there, but you know!!!) and just was a bit… floppy. At the time, though, we worked together at a bar, and the boss, other people all swore by this place.
One day, the boss came in and, while I served him a beer, ordered a pie “well done”. After he’d hung up the phone, I asked him what that meant and why he ordered that. “It’s the only way their pizzas taste good, otherwise it comes out a little soft for me,” he explained. When I took a slice later, the top was slightly browned, with the cheese just this side of not-burnt, and I could immediately see that he was right.
Over the years since then, I’ve had New Park many, many, many times. Sometimes they get it right, like that night. Other times, it is passable pizza.
A few weeks ago, while hanging out at the BF’s in Howard Beach and not eating meat, I decided I wanted pizza. I placed the call and requested it be well done (thus the marking on the top left of the box “WD”), which wasn’t blinked at, but he had a problem with my address and kept asking me if I was in Howard Beach. Finally, I called back and told him I’d just go pick it up, as I needed to get cash anyways.
It looks kind of well done, but not quite – the dark brown spots should be larger.
Looks alright, no?
And the requisite upskirt: FAIL. This is not well done at all. I did inhale a couple of slices pretty quickly – since I don’t eat pizza often, when I do, I eat a lot of it, haha – but it was suspiciously floppy, and grew cold really fast – I’m not even sure why that was. I even had to microwave (PIZZA BLASPHEMY, sob!) the third slice I ate for it to be even a normal temperature above ice cold.
Having been here enough times over the course of 5+ years, I can confirm that New Park is decent pizza, but wildly inconsistent. No matter how many times I request well-done, the pizza can range from really good, perfect, excellent, to limp, flaccid slices that just wilt when I pick it up. Hah. I can’t recommend an alternative, as it’s been too long since I’ve gone to Gino’s (which was my previous favorite in the area, it was directly across the street from the bar I worked), La Villa isn’t where I’d go for pizza, Paesano’s changed owners a few years ago, and so did Joe D’s (which hasn’t been called that since… I don’t know, a long time ago; I think it’s called Baby Luna’s now? – but I go there for chicken, veal, pasta, not pizza).
Yvo says: If you go on a good day, order it well done (and they actually do it) and you’ll excellent pizza. If you go on an off day… mehhh. It’s not destination dining to be sure, so unless you’re in the area, it’s probably pass. (And if you’re in the area, you’re probably there for a very specific reason… if not, I recommend Ragtime for some sandwiches!) Very strange review, eh?
has its good days and its off days
Heather Poole says
You ruined it! You took it home in the box. That’s why there are holes in the box. The steam made it soft. I bet you picked it up late. Next time don’t take the pizza home! Eat it there. HUGE difference
Yvo says
Heather, as I mentioned in the post, I’ve actually been going there for almost 6 years, eating it there or taking it home or having it delivered, it’s all the same. (Actually, I got there early and had to wait for my pie.) And the black spots in the picture aren’t holes in the box, that’s where I blocked out my phone number and address that was written on the box. Haha.
Rochelle says
I always get so sad when I have pizza that is a disappointment – it’s such a treat, and so I always want the best of the best. Can our next walking feast be pizza-themed, actually? I’d love that!
Heather Poole says
I admit, sometimes you can get lucky when you take it home or have it delivered, but once in the box there’s a greater chance of the steam making the crust softy. If the pizza is delivered right to you, you have a good chance of getting a decent crust. But if it sits in the box, because perhaps there are other deliveries on the way to your house, you’ll probably get softer crust. Or if you pick it up and it’s been in the box for any length of time, softer crust. That’s why I rarely ever have pizza delivered anymore, and if I do, I ONLY put it in the over, never the microwave!
Anonymous says
As a longtime HB resident whose family has also been involved in the restaurant business for generations, I’d like to shatter a local misconception: the pizza in HB isn’t particularly good. Granted, back in the early 60s hardly anyone could top the Sicilian at Pizza City or the regular at New Park. Sure, the nouveau style pizza at La Villa is decent and Gino’s is solid, but great? No, not great. And let me shatter another misconception: Queens does not have the best Italian bread – I’m going to have to side with Brooklyn on that.
– Joey Clams (HBNY)
Anonymous says
I used to live down the block from New Park and have been going there off and on for 20 years. You have to be careful when you order a whole pie over the phone….I don't recomend it. They have whole pies sitting on the counter sometimes and they loose track of the rotation and you might get a pie that's as fresh as it should be. I would go in person, order a whole pie at the counter and tell them you'll take the next one out of the oven….It should not be more than a five minute wait. Tell them not to close the box. Keep the lid slightly ajar on the way home. Eating it there is better…..wait a few minutes fo rthe pie to settle before eating if you eat it there. Try La Villa Lindenwood for something different and tasty.
Hermionerules! says
I have live in Howard Beach most of my life (Before that, I lived in South Ozone Park.)and I completely adore New Park pizza. In fact, my mom is ordering it right now.