soltro79 wrote:
Noli's NY Style Pizza

For some odd reason, this picture cracks me up. If my photoshop skill was a little better I'd put a couple of eyes and a smiley face on the slice.

Perhaps lost in all of this is the fact that Famous Famiglia's pizza is terrible. I've sampled it in such charming venues as Penn Station/MSG (never know what track the Acela is on, so you can't wander too far) and various airport terminals, including Logan, Philly and LaGuardia (guy's gotta eat). That's neither here nor there in terms of the quality of Noli's product, but it was highlighted by the OP as a positive. IMO, far from it. FF's poor quality toppings are especially noteworthy. Best to steer clear of the watery canned mushrooms and sawdust-like sausage. Noli's looks to be the best of this mass transit-based chain by default already.

[Edit: Now that I know Noli's is not actually part of the Famous Famiglia Family, allow me to clarify that, if Noli's were in fact part of that chain, it would certainly be the best branch of that chain because the pictures in this thread look a lot better than the pizza that's available at the airport, plus, I can't really think of worse pizza than FF, even though I eat that very pizza from time to time, which possibly reflects more poorly on me than any pizza chain.]

You have to understand that you're basically making the same comparison as say a chef at a famous restaurant who got his start flipping burgers in high school at McDonald's.

Noli's isn't owned by Famous Famiglia. The current owners, used to be a part of their corporation. As you can see from the pictures, they are certainly doing their own thing.

It's insulting, because you're basically (without trying the product) making the comparison to a Connies Pizza at a Bears Game. When this is far from it. They are making everything incredibly well, with extremely fresh ingredients.

Hey now, I think you are unfairly reading something into my criticism of the airport hot-lamp pizza chain. What's insulting, my opinion of Famous Famiglia? 'Cuase, you have to understand, that's what I criticized. I actually have tried that product and it's not good. You don't disagree, I assume, or you might have said so.

I look forward to trying the "new" Noli's. Apparently, I misunderstood your mention of the FF connection to have a positive connotation in the context of your post. I also thought you were suggesting there was a closer affiliation. Here's what you wrote: "The owners are from the Famous Famiglia chain in Brooklyn, NY."

I don't think your simile is apt, either. Take another look at my comment. My suggestion is that the stuff you picture (while not mind-blowing) looks better than anything one might find at FF. To make the McDonald's point parallel, it would read more like: "I'm from Wichita, so I know from burgers; you should try an old burger place that's much better and more authentic now. The owners are from the McDonald's hamburger chain in Oakbrook, IL." Not sure what any of this has to do with someone going from flipping burgers to being a serious chef. It's all pizza places in our discussion.

Also, I went back and clarified my post.

That's fine, I could have been clearer. Or, in hindsight, should have left off the Famous Famiglia connection.

They are two guys who used to make pizza in NYC. And are now making the pizza at Noli's. It's the bomb. Order it this weekend, thank me later.

I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

Just order the large one topping for ten bucks, you'll be glad you did. Noli is my new pizza spot so thanks to the original poster! I've eaten there twice in this past week thanks to the recommendation, and I think it's the best representation of ny style pizza in chicagoland by far!

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

It's leftover by the previous owner. If they could have done their own build out I'm sure they would prefer to do something similar to Cafe Luigi or Ian's. But it is what it is. Whether you use the rotating heat lamp, or it sits on the counter, neither would be as fresh/flavorful as a pie right from the oven.

soltro79 wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

It's leftover by the previous owner. If they could have done their own build out I'm sure they would prefer to do something similar to Cafe Luigi or Ian's. But it is what it is. Whether you use the rotating heat lamp, or it sits on the counter, neither would be as fresh/flavorful as a pie right from the oven.

I don't understand what "leftover by the previous owner" has to do with anything. Why can't they just get rid of it? Slices reheated a la minute are WAY better than heat lamp slices, and every pizzeria in NY knows it. Even Famous Famiglia. I might still try a fresh Noli pie someday, but I'm disappointed to hear that slices are out of the question. It's not a NY pizza place if you can't just grab a quick- reheated via oven blast - slice. Anyway, thanks for helping me avoid wasting a trip today.

Kennyz wrote:

soltro79 wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

It's leftover by the previous owner. If they could have done their own build out I'm sure they would prefer to do something similar to Cafe Luigi or Ian's. But it is what it is. Whether you use the rotating heat lamp, or it sits on the counter, neither would be as fresh/flavorful as a pie right from the oven.

I don't understand what "leftover by the previous owner" has to do with anything. Why can't they just get rid of it? Slices reheated a la minute are WAY better than heat lamp slices, and every pizzeria in NY knows it. Even Famous Famiglia. I might still try a fresh Noli pie someday, but I'm disappointed to hear that slices are out of the question. It's not a NY pizza place if you can't just grab a quick- reheated via oven blast - slice. Anyway, thanks for helping me avoid wasting a trip today.

Yep, reheated slices are the way to go. I agree, I wouldn't touch it either, unless I saw them put the pizza into the contraption before much time elapsed.

I never said slices were out of the question, you did.

soltro79 wrote:I never said slices were out of the question, you did.

True. I interpreted your post to mean that they keep slices in the heat lamp contraption. Was I right about that? If so, slices are out of the question for me. They certainly don't have to be for anyone else.

I really don't know if they still use it because I always order by the pie. I know how committed they are to serving and producing a quality product. So I doubt they would let a slice sit all day under a heat lamp before serving it to a customer. It'd be better off sitting in cardboard before making its way back into the oven.

soltro79 wrote:It'd be better off sitting in cardboard before making its way back into the oven.

agreed. anywhere but the heat lamp.

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

I thought that was pretty much standard equipment at a NYC slice place.

stevez wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

I thought that was pretty much standard equipment at a NYC slice place.

Oh god no! Standard is to keep a bunch of pies on the counter at room temperature and blast them to order for a minute in a scorching hot oven. I don't think I had ever seen one of those things before I moved to the midwest.

stevez wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

I thought that was pretty much standard equipment at a NYC slice place.

Any halfway decent place is going to throw your slice(s) in the oven to bring them back to life. Heat lamps were never part of anyplace I frequented for slices.

I hope you're all able to try the deliciousness this weekend!

Maybe a certain UWS la Famiglia introduced the heat lamp to NY, causing untold damage to the culture of tomato pie in the city ....

http://www.yelp.com/biz/famous-famiglia ... _eSNzLoVug

Kennyz wrote:

stevez wrote:

Kennyz wrote:I'm tempted to try the new and improved Noli, but a peek in the window this morning has me scared. I saw one of those rotating heat lamp contraptions, frequently used with dire consequences to keep the day's slices warm. Please tell me that this torture device is just a show piece at Noli. No self-respecting place claiming to serve NYC-style pizza would dream of using one of those.

I thought that was pretty much standard equipment at a NYC slice place.

Oh god no! Standard is to keep a bunch of pies on the counter at room temperature and blast them to order for a minute in a scorching hot oven. I don't think I had ever seen one of those things before I moved to the midwest.

Places here in Chicago are probably not allowed to do because the health department will bust their asses for serving out-of-code slices.

=R=

only half-kidding

Too bad all the young ex-NYers missed the old LoGalbo's/Red Tomato at the Southport Brown Line L. Slices were in the best East Coast tradition, though they were clearly Chicago-Italians from waaay back. Good "plain" cheese pie, with toppings added to the slice before going into the Fauld's oven for a minute or 2. Provolone was an obvious component. Delivery pies came party cut. Ragu on the mastaccioli was swell too.

JeffB wrote:Good "plain" pie, with toppings added to the slice before going into the Fauld's oven for a minute of 2.

It took me a long time to make the switch from "plain" to "cheese".

ETA - I grew up in northeastern NJ, so it also was news to me that you were actually supposed to pronounce the final vowel sounds in "prosciutto" and "mozzarella".

Ordered Noli's today. We ordered half sausage, half pepperoni. The pepperoni was cool. The sausage was not very good. They use those strange sausage nuggets most chain places use. If I order again, I'll go for the cheese.

MoodyGirl wrote:The sausage was not very good. They use those strange sausage nuggets most chain places use.

I also tried Noli's last night for a change of pace. I agree that the sausage was not good at all. Also, the pizza itself was very doughy and the crust was bland. I suppose these are traits that endear the NY style to many. Personally, I prefer a thinner, crispier Chicago style pizza (and a better tasting crust) any day of the week, but that's just me.

The heat lamp carousel was not in use, but even if it was, there are no heat lamps in the one they have. It's merely a three tiered storage area if they decide to sell pies by the slice. They were doing very little business. No one was dining in and when they pulled my pizza from the oven, it was the only one being cooked at 7:30 on a Friday night. There was one other to go order sitting on top of the oven waiting to be picked up and the phone wasn't ringing. I'd say that if you like this particular style of pizza, get there soon. Noli's future seems unclear unless business picks up.

stevez wrote:

MoodyGirl wrote:The sausage was not very good. They use those strange sausage nuggets most chain places use.

... the pizza itself was very doughy and the crust was bland. I suppose these are traits that endear the NY style to many.

Steve, no offense - you are man of great knowledge about many food-related matters, but you have already outed yourself as someone with no idea about NY style pizza. The thinly veiled insults about the style are doing nothing to change that reputation.

Kennyz wrote:

stevez wrote:

MoodyGirl wrote:The sausage was not very good. They use those strange sausage nuggets most chain places use.

... the pizza itself was very doughy and the crust was bland. I suppose these are traits that endear the NY style to many.

Steve, no offense - but you have already outed yourself as someone with no idea about NY style pizza. The thinly veiled insults about the style are doing nothing to change that reputation.

I'll freely admit that I'm not an aficionado or fan of the NY style. Every time I've tried it, it's been similar to what I was served last night at Noli's. I aways assumed that the soft doughy style is what the lovers of that style prefer, mostly due to the fact that being able to fold it in half is praised as one of the hallmarks. My bland comment wasn't meant to apply to all NY style pizzas, but only to the specific pizza served at Noli. I assume many of the venerated coal fired NYC pizza places put out a crust that is orders of magnitude better than Noli's. I meant no offense. I've yet to make a pilgrimage to New York to try any of the artisanal places like Lombardi's, Grimaldi's, etc., but I've had lots of experience grabbing a quick slice on the streets of Manhattan, and I just don't like the style.

Here's a question for all those NY pizza lovers. Do you consider there to be different styles (and grades) of NY pizza? In other words, if you order a pie at Lombardi's, for example, is it different/better than a pie ordered at a "by the slice" place? Are they considered different styles, or just a different quality of the same thing?

stevez wrote:Here's a question for all those NY pizza lovers. Do you consider there to be different styles (and grades) of NY pizza? In other words, if you order a pie at Lombardi's, for example, is it different/better than a pie ordered at a "by the slice" place? Are they considered different styles, or just a different quality of the same thing?

There is certainly variety among NY pizza places. A Lombardi's pie is sure to be better than an average, run-of-the-mill place.

It sounds like your comments about NY-style pizza come from sampling versions from places outside of NY, probably most frequently here in Chicago. I can understand why you have the opinion you do if that's the case.

stevez wrote:I aways assumed that the soft doughy style is what the lovers of that style prefer, mostly due to the fact that being able to fold it in half is praised as one of the hallmarks.

The best NY pizzas, imo, are the ones that are bready (doughy? perhaps - but I would call it "springy") toward the outside lip, but then taper to a very crisp crust at the center. In fact, I would argue that that tapering characteristic is a requirement if you are going to call something "NY style". You can fold them because the outside is pliable enough, but the center should be quite crispy, and ideally have a good bit of char.

Kennyz wrote:

stevez wrote:I aways assumed that the soft doughy style is what the lovers of that style prefer, mostly due to the fact that being able to fold it in half is praised as one of the hallmarks.

The best NY pizzas, imo, are the ones that are bready (doughy? perhaps - but I would call it "springy") toward the outside lip, but then taper to a very crisp crust at the center. In fact, I would argue that that tapering characteristic is a requirement if you are going to call something "NY style". You can fold them because the outside is pliable enough, but the center should be quite crispy, and ideally have a good bit of char.

Not the best pictures, but here is Totonno's 1/2 white 1/2 Margherita pizza:

Kennyz wrote:The best NY pizzas, imo, are the ones that are bready (doughy? perhaps - but I would call it "springy") toward the outside lip, but then taper to a very crisp crust at the center. In fact, I would argue that that tapering characteristic is a requirement if you are going to call something "NY style". You can fold them because the outside is pliable enough, but the center should be quite crispy, and ideally have a good bit of char.

Perhaps doughy was the wrong word to use to describe Noli's pizza. I'd say flaccid is more accurate; certainly not bready in any sense of the word. There was nothing crisp about that pie at all, except maybe parts of the outside crust. There was no char at all; even in the one single "crust bubble". If it were crispy, I'd probably like it more, since thin crispy Chicago pizza is my preferred style. The pizzas at Coalfire, while I know people refer to them as New Haven Style, are quite to my liking. If that's what NY pizza was like, I'd be a fan; but I've yet to encounter a pizza like that in my many visits to NYC (admittedly, searching out pizza while I'm there has never been very high on my priority list due to my poor experiences whenever I have tried a slice).

stevez wrote:Here's a question for all those NY pizza lovers. Do you consider there to be different styles (and grades) of NY pizza? In other words, if you order a pie at Lombardi's, for example, is it different/better than a pie ordered at a "by the slice" place? Are they considered different styles, or just a different quality of the same thing?

Different quality, not different style. DiFara's, for example, is better than any "by the slice" place but similar in style. Just way better in quality.