Arinell Pizza

First time here, I came in after beers with friends and thought it was a glowing beacon of hope- I had a hard time finding any decent (let alone GOOD) pizza in this city. And no diss to you Lanesplitter's and Arizmendi's fans, I'm talking in terms of simple slices, not chi chi gourmet pizza, which I have also been known to indulge in from time to time. Knowing that my excitement might have been influenced by beers more than truth, I came back a second time. This time, I had New-York-Native, at-least-4-slices-a-week John to back me up.

I was pleased to see the same guy working as the one I saw a few weeks earlier, it adds to the impression that it's a small operation. And who doesn't love eating at a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint that blasts Bad Brains and is run by surly metalheads? This place is delicious. Even sober, I love the thin, slightly crispy crust, and love even more that they don't use sugar or salt (except a little salt to make the dough rise) to season their sauce.

By having un-sweetened sauce, the flavor of the appropriately greasy cheese comes out. It's refreshing to have pizza with damn good cheese. Simple and perfect. John called the place "good", which is about all I can squeeze out of him, and he's been wanting to go back everyday since; even at $2.75 a slice, I freaking love Arinell Pizza. It's one of the few places that claims to have New York style slices, and actually does.

Food Coma Factor: 1.2.3.4.5

Grease Factor: 1.2.3.4.5