The Search for the Slice Part 3 - Pie by the Pound

Hey folks, its been some time since I last wrote about my quest to find the best slice of pizza in New York City. To date, I have shared with you the glorious high that was "Artichoke" and the tremendous disappointment I experienced at "Famiglia", which nearly turned me off pizza for a while. But now, due to popular request, FoodGasm brings you the third installment of The Search for a Slice - The Last Crusade - Pie by the Pound. 

There are few pairs of words that go together as well as "pizza "and "beer". Good thing Pie by the Pound (for short PIE) has them both in spades. But PIE has two more words for you that are sure to turn some heads - "recession" and "special". Finding cheap eats in Manhattan is no easy task, and even pizza, a traditionally cheap treat, can be deceptively expensive. Walk into any local pizza joint, order two slices and a drink, and tell me you aren't in awe of the sheer lunacy of what you have to fork over for mediocre pie. At PIE, for a mere ten dollars, you can purchase a super long, super thin crust pizza. However, before you realize how great a deal this is, let me tell you a little something about the pizza at PIE.

PIE, a block from Union Square, serves thin crust pizza shaped into a long oval shape, resembling something like a flat bread. A full pie is about 2 and a half feet long, big enough to satisfy at least 3. F0r those high roller, fancy pants types, PIE offers pizza "by the pound". So here is how it works. On display is a variety of some seriously awesome looking pizzas. They sport a ton of really interesting toppings, from a Proscuitto and Ricotta pie to a Greek Salad pie. After making your selection, you tell them how much you want, and they charge you for it by the pound. While that all sounds fine and dandy, I am a sucker for cheap eats, so for me its all about the recession specials. 

For ten dollars you have a choice of the classic cheese pie or the sauce and ricotta pie. While the sauce pie does look tasty, its a little baron in the cheese department. In order to qualify as a pizza, there should be a mandatory state regulated cheese minimum. Go with the cheese pie. Once the pizza comes out of the oven, it's cut into pieces about 2 inches by 3 inches. Be warned - because of these tiny thin crust pizza bites, you can eat them almost indefinitely. Its almost like eating a box of pizza cookies. You'll awake from a hypnotic food trance and all of a sudden you have devoured an entire pie, and you don't feel so hot.

After indulging in a couple bites you surely will need a cool beverage to wash it all down, and after dark, PIE will hook you up with dollar beers. Dollar beers are like the holy grail of discount food and drink. Much like the third installment of Indiana Jones, this holy grail is of the most humble origins. Miller High Life, The Champagne of Beers. C'mon what did you expect, Stella? Trust me, you can taste the one dollar-ness in every sip, and it makes this holy grail of recession specials good enough for Jesus to indulge in. 

Until next time, stay hungry folks. 

Jon

Report Card:

Food: A-

Atmosphere: B+

Service: A-

Price: A+

Overall: A-