Joe's Pizza 7 Carmine St (corner of Carmine and Bleecker) New York, NY 10014-4441 Phone: (212) 255-3946

Date and time of trip: May 24, 2003, 7:45 PM
People Present: Audrey, Tien
Pre-meal Events: Walking around
Weather: overcast and 52°
Hunger Factors: Audrey - somewhat hungry, Tien - somewhat hungry

Pizza Ordered: Audrey - 1 plain slice, 1 fresh mozzarella slice, Tien - 2 plain slices
Beverages: Audrey - Snapple Lemon Ice Tea, Tien - Stewarts Wild Cherry

Cost:
$2 for a plain slice, $2.25 for a fresh mozzarella slice, $1.50 per drink

Review:
The crust at Joe's Pizza was very thin and crispy. The crust was not burnt at all. This is probably because the oven here is the typical oven that you see at pizza places. It should be noted that if you do like your crust even crispier than normal, they can accommodate this when ordering a pie, as another customer requested. The crust of the pizza was much thinner than you see at a typical pizza by the slice establishment with a crunch to every bite that makes it seem like you are eating Italian bread (Tien even thought it tasted a bit like Italian bread). There are also times when it feels like there is no bread at all and one is just eating cheese. That is how thin the crust is. The sauce has a unique flavor when compared to other pizza places ("clean" was the word Audrey used to describe the flavor). When he was younger, Tien remembers the sauce from the pizza actually tasting sweet, something that Audrey noticed with the fresh mozzarella slice, which allows one to taste the sauce more because of the cheese distribution. Overall, the pizza at Joe's is probably the best individual slice that you can get in New York, although one wonders if the Original Patsy's can be included in this category also, since they too sell individual slices. Audrey also notes that the slice is very flavorful and no extra salt is needed (she swears this is necessary sometimes).

The atmosphere of the pizza parlor was not as pleasant as the pizza itself. There is no seating at all, just tables where patrons can stand and eat. The "ambiance is lacking," says Tien. These factors did not take away from the pizza itself, but was something that went into the overall rating.

It should also be noted that that this will be one of the few pizza by the slice establishments that will be rated on this page which shows how respected the pizza is at Joe's.

Comments to take away:
"Paper thin crust", "Best Slice", "Ambiance Lacking"

Overall Ratings (out of 5):
Audrey:
Tien:
Average:

For more comments, take a look at the CitySearch page for it.