Emerald City's East Coast Pie

We didn't quite know what we were in for when we visited one of Seattle's top rated pizza joints. Usually a lot of hype sets me up for a major disappointment. Ballard neighborhood's Delancey is a wood-fired pizza place that (on most weekends) has people lined up outside and sometimes waiting an hour for a table. We arrived on a Saturday around 6:00 p.m. and waited to be seated for only 15 minutes, which allowed us to have a drink with friends at a small table near the entrance. They have an area for outside seating, and you would think that in June they would have tables set up, but it hasn't exactly been speedo weather yet in Seattle. 

I figured the pizza would be decent, but nothing prepared me for phenomenal pies that were just as good as some of the best in New York City. I was actually in shock after the first bite. We started with the Sausage, which was ultra tasty with lots of fennel seed -- exactly the kind of Italian sausage that I love on pizza. The crust was near perfection -- nice and charred, crispy and chewy -- and the cheese-to-sauce ratio was as it should be. 

Next up, we ordered a Margherita -- with homemade coppa -- and a Hot Salami. Each of them tasted like a good! I couldn't even say which was my favorite, but Regan loved the Hot Salami. Delancey uses great ingredients, and I'm sure every pizza combination could make you weep with joy. This was the best pizza I've ever had outside of New York City. It even reminded me of my all time favorite, John's of Bleecker Street (the legendary coal-fired brick oven pizza that I talked about in my NY pizza post). It turns out that the owner of Delancey, Brandon Pettit, is from Brooklyn and frequented DiFara and John's. (The co-owner is Brandon's wife, author Molly Wizenberg, who writes the popular food blog Orangette.) His love for these places is apparent, and his attempt to recreate that love is so successful that if Delancey was in New York City, it would be right at home. Those of us in Seattle are lucky as pie to have a slice of East coast perfection in our Emerald City.  

Between four of us, we shared three pizzas, and it was plenty. We definitely wouldn't have left hungry if we had only split two. This is one of our new favorites, and I really can't wait to go back. If you've never been to New York, and you live in Seattle, trust me -- this is the real deal! Unfortunately, if you want delivery pizza, Delancey is dine-in only. For a home slice, I recommend Pagliacci. It really is the best delivery you will ever get. Try the Parma Primo! They use high quality ingredients, including Salumi products on several pies. Next week, we head to Rome for another slice! Ciao!

Battle: NY Pastrami

Oh my! How can anyone ingest such a monstrous pastrami sandwich from one of NY's legendary delis? Yet, you look around, and it seems everyone is doing it -- even with a side of fries! Regan and I decided to split one. We knew if we would've tried to knock one down each, we would have had to sleep it off on the sidewalk out front. Katz's is perhaps NY's most famous pastrami sandwich, and with good reason. It has been in business since 1888 and continues to draw hordes of drooling folks looking for the ultimate NY sandwich.

They slice all their pastrami by hand and what you get is a thick pile of juicy, smoked beef served on rye bread with deli mustard. They also give you an enormous pickle and a couple pickled green tomatoes, just in case the 2-pound sandwich wasn't enough for ya! The sandwich carries a hefty price tag at $15.75, but when you consider it could almost feed a family of four, this is quite a bargain.

We really enjoyed Katz's, and no trip to NY is complete without trying it once. On our next visit to NY the following year, we had finally digested the pastrami and decided to give another much-loved deli a chance for best pastrami in the city. 2nd Ave. Deli is a proper kosher deli that first opened in 1954.

Walking in, you can see the love put into the deli case. 

This place feels like a neighborhood gathering spot and doesn't have the full-on tourist vibe like Katz's. Cozy little booths adorn the interior. You get the feeling that over your shoulder you may hear Frank and Estelle Costanza ordering tuna on rye and complaining about the booth they are in.

The pastrami is sliced super-thin but piled as high as the one at Katz's. Now it just becomes a matter of personal preference. I loved this pastrami and prefer the thin, melt-in-your-mouth version at 2nd Avenue. Regan also agrees that this is the superior version of the east coast heart clogger. We again split the sandwich, but all around us people were shoveling down the entire thing! 

We were so full -- but what the hell! -- we were only in NY for a short while, so we ended the perfect pastrami sandwich with a piece of warm, chocolate babka. That created in Regan an obsession for finding an authentic West Coast babka that even came close -- a desire that remains to be fulfilled. Now we know why Jerry and Elaine didn't want to settle for anything less. ("Might as well get a Mengele!")

Pizza Battle: New York City

Greenwich Village in New York City is a pizza lover's dream, with three outstanding parlors within a few blocks of one another: Bleecker Street Pizza, Joe's, and John's of Bleecker Street. We begin with Bleecker Street Pizza. A good pizza slice should be crisp yet soft, light, and hang off a plate. Immediately, we knew we were in luck. 

We shared each of their famed slices, the Nonna Maria and the square, thick Sicilian style. I would never get the Sicilian again, because it fills you up and you don't have room for more! The Nonna Maria has an amazing thin crust with a bit of cornmeal on the bottom. This place is amazing. The next day, I ended up going back and having my own slice!

No better late-night treat than Joe's. (Although, this was where Regan's pizza fatigue almost set in.)

This is right around the corner from Bleecker Street Pizza and, while I love the Nonna Maria, Joe's plain cheese slice is even better! It folds easily; it's super thin, crispy, chewy, and huge: a proper slice of NY pizza. If I lived on this corner, I would have pizza stains on all my clothes. 

Take the Q train to Avenue J in Brooklyn for DiFara Pizza. You'll arrive in Midwood, a predominantly Orthodox Jewish community where Woody Allen went to high school and where many great movies have been filmed, including scenes from The Godfather. It is also home to one of NY's most expensive and loved slices. Owner and pizza guru Domenico has been serving beautifully thin crust slices drizzled with olive oil and torn basil for over 40 years. At $5 a pop, it's a bit much for a humbly sized slice. It is more cheesy and smaller than most NY slices, but it left me searching in my wallet for another Lincoln. 

Midwood is an interesting area to take a long stroll after a slice or two. You are also just a few subway stops from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. We had a good time in this part of Brooklyn -- and I am glad I tried DiFara's -- but with so many great places in Manhattan, you may want to save your subway fare for another slice. We continued on our Brooklyn journey all the way to Coney Island for a bite at Tottono's, but they were closed! Supposedly, The Warriors were there for lunch and ate the last slice!

Ahhh! John's Pizza -- the first stop on our last few trips to NY. This is as good as it gets, although you have to commit to a whole pie. They do not do slices, nor do you want them to. If you can't finish it, then you shouldn't be in NY. John's is the perfect slice of pizza. 

Once the glorious cheese pizza hits your mouth, you want to sleep in the booth only to be awakened by another pizza, perhaps topped with their Italian sausage or meatballs. John's of Bleecker Street is the best every time. Next time you are in NY, go to the triangle at Bleecker Street, and be prepared to loosen your belt.