Joe's Pizza is often lauded as the home of the best slice in NYC; the never-ending lines from noon to the alkie-soaking wee hours of the morning are a testament to just how popular this slice spot is.  If you're lucky enough to snag a perch on onoe of a handful of stools in there, you can read the many plaque mounted newspaper clippings about how celebs like Ben Affleck queue up to chow down at this famously relocated pie-churning factory.

However, my co-worker Jason has long protested that Bleecker Street Pizza, a much more quiet, unassuming storefront just a few short blocks away, offers a superior slice.  In a completely unscientific experiment with a grumbly stomach, I did a quick comparison of Bleecker Street's Nonna Maria slice and Joe's Pizza's margherita slice. 

Both got quick reheats in the oven, both went down with tap root beer (my preferred slice beverage partner).  My verdict?  I side with Jason.  My enthusiastic vote goes to Bleecker Street's Nonna Maria -- generous dabs of simple sauce, thin sheets of mozz, plenty of herb punctuation, and a crisp, whisper thin crust embellished with crunchy golden breadcrumbs (dare I say panko?) instead of the standard cornmeal.  Joe's slice was a little bland in comparison, with a simple crust that felt like toasted Wonder bread after the subtle complexity of the Nonna Maria crust. 

Which just goes to show that you can't trust a Red Sox fan to show you where the best slice in NYC is.  Not that you should trust some Thai-American chump from a state that regularly puts goat cheese and pineapple on pizza.  Don't take my word for it -- just go try the Nonna Maria yourself.

(To be fair, I didn't rate the plain plain slice; I prefer the margherita anyway.)

Another sign of Bleecker Street Pizza's superiority is the fact that they carry ices from the Lemon Ice King of Corona.  If you know from the old guy's lemon ice, pips and all, you know what a treat it is to be able to get his wares on this side of the river.

Bleecker Street Pizza
The corner of 7th Ave. and Bleecker St.
1 9 to Christopher St.
A C E B D F V to W. 4th St.