Do you remember my story about the day when I walked out of Zen Palate? Well, that day we ended up at Two Boots Pizza. I know: I am a little behind in my posts...
So, what makes a good pizza? For me: the crust must be crispy. It can be thin or thick, I do not care. Then the second thing is the tomato sauce. Most of the pizza shops buy pizza sauce. They just need after to put some additional ingredients, such as oregano, to make the difference. What is interesting is the way pizza is eaten in France versus the US. In France, you can also have it by the slice, but only for take out in boulangeries or sandwicheries. If you go to a pizzeria, they will serve you a large pizza, bigger than a standard round plate. Then, the toppings are different. For instance, one of my favorite when I was living in Paris was one with smoked salmon and creme fraiche. They first cook the pizza and then, before serving, put generously some creme fraiche and then the salmon. I find it better this way as, if you cook the salmon directly with the pizza, the sauce will have a fishy taste and it will reveal the salt of the fish.
Cheese being big in France (more than 400 different varieties), you have pizzas with different combinations of cheeses. One of my favorite is with St Marcellin (when I can find it!). A last example refers to my last trip there: I had a pizza with cream and ravioles that are a thiner and better version of cheese ravioli. That was so delicious!
So, to go back to Two Boots: the restaurant was opened in 1987 by 2 indie producers, explaining why their signature pizzas have name like: Mr Pink, Larry Tate or the Newman. They of course have the standard pizzas: sicilian, cheese....We tried the sicilian (awesome with a perfect crust - I need a corner), the classic cheese (lots of cheese and a great tomato sauce) and a cheese with roasted pepper (love it)! Perfect crust, perfect sauce! Perfect pizza! This is definitely a nice address to know, especially if you are in Time Square and want to go grab a quick bite before or after a movie, instead of going to a touristy, overpriced restaurant!
Enjoy (I did)!
