Day 31, 2026: Heritage Grand Restaurant & Pizza Bar (Midtown, NYC)

exterior

DAY 9: OCTOBER 9th, 2026 

LOCATION: Heritage Grand Restaurant and Pizza Bar (8 W 40th StNew York, NY 10018)

GUEST(S): Maddy Mako, Ange DeManti, Robin Rothman

ORDER: 2 slices of Heritage Grain Sourdough Margherita (einkorn flour, fior di latte, parmigiano, tomato basil), 1 slice of thin crust Wild Mushroom (oyster mushroom, pickled shallots, caciocavallo, pecorino), 1.5 slice of Neapolitan Pepperoni (tomato sauce, fontina cheese, pepperoni)

REVIEW: 

Milling around Midtown.

You might assume that Midtown Manhattan would be the absolute last place you’d run into a restaurant milling its own flour in-house. I sure did. But right in the heart of the concrete jungle—just a stone’s throw from the busiest thoroughfares in the country—Heritage Grand Restaurant and Pizza Bar is doing just that, grinding ancient einkorn grains daily for their signature doughs.

They offer three distinct crust profiles: a classic bread-forward Neapolitan, a crispy bread-backward thin crust, and a signature einkorn sourdough. Hands down, the sourdough Margherita was the star of the show. The crust balance and fermentation flavor pair remarkably well with their top-tier toppings. Each pie gets a final dusting of house-milled flour before taking a trip into one of two massive gas-assisted, wood-fired domed brick ovens.

The dining space is spacious, remarkably pristine, and seamlessly connected to their adjoining bakery for fresh-baked goods and drinks. While Midtown comfort and fresh-milled grain come with a slightly elevated price tag, Heritage Grand delivers a genuinely impressive, highly reliable pie right in the core of the Big Apple.

PHOTOS:

underside of Neapolitan crust

cross section of Neapolitan style crust

underside of thin crust

Day 31

slice of Heritage Grain Sourdough Margherita

underside of sourdough

Wild Mushroom thin crust pie

Heritage Grain Sourdough Margherita pie

Neapolitan Pepperoni pie

pizza menu

gas & wood-fired dome ovens

lobby by door

interior & bar

VIDEO:

coming soon

MISCELLANEOUS:

Maddy Mako, Ange DeManti, Robin Rothman, Sean Taylor

1. Maddy Mako has been tracking an item she made in pottery class for over a week while it awaits the kiln

2. Ange DeManti uses a phone app to improve restful sleep. #epic

Robin Rothman and Sean Taylor

3. Robin Rothman and sort of coorindated our costumes. I went as a pizza slice and she went as a "person who inadvertently dressed up like a pizza slice." #Itysl #iykyk

RATING:

 3.81/5

• VALUE:
   3/5


• AMBIENCE:
   3/3


• TASTE:
   7/10


• SERVICE:
   3/3

16/21 = .762 x 5 = 3.81

Day 30, 2026: NY Pizza Suprema @ the Magnet Theater

exterior

DAY 30: OCTOBER 30th, 2026 

LOCATION: NY Pizza Suprema (413 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001)

GUEST(S): Michael McLarnon, Robin Rothman, Randy McKay, Ange DeManti, Lanee' Sanders, John Ross, Brian Chase, Chris Smith, Nina, Shawn Wickens, Ralf Jean-Pierre, Matt Shafeek, Lorina Ladrillono, Katey, Julie McNamara, Papa Fern

ORDER: 2 slices of cheese

REVIEW:  

A home run every single time.

There’s a very good reason why, whenever I supply pizza for the audience of my solo storytelling show, LIFE OF PIE, NY Pizza Suprema is my top choice.

Sure, its location directly across Eighth Avenue from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden makes it ultra-convenient, but convenience alone doesn't earn iconic status—plenty of neighborhood slice shops have location on their side. Only Suprema has been holding down that corner since 1964. Only Suprema has spent over six decades refining and defining the quintessential New York street slice. And only Suprema has taken home a coveted Slicey Award. (Granted, I’m the guy who invented the Slicey Award, but the facts speak for themselves.)

My go-to order, the plain cheese slice, is a massive wedge built on a thin-yet-sturdy gas-deck-oven crust. It features a generous layer of chunky, bright tomato sauce, what I consider the industry's absolute best low-moisture mozzarella, and a dusting of imported grated Pecorino Romano to round out the bite. The balance between these top-tier ingredients and that signature crisp-yet-chewy undercarriage proves that when execution is this high, less really is more.

If you're pairing your classic triangular cheese slice with a square, the Upside Down slice—crispy, light, and layered sauce-over-cheese—is another masterclass in tomato and mozzarella. These slices are hefty, hold up incredibly well in transit, and reheat just as beautifully as they come out of the oven. Try NY Pizza Suprema once, and you'll quickly understand why it’s a non-negotiable stop on any NYC pizza tour.

PHOTOS:

slice options

seating area

slice menu

underside

Day 30

VIDEO:

coming soon

MISCELLANEOUS:

audience of Life of Pie (10/30/26)

1. I performed my pizza-themed storytelling show called Life of Pie today at the Magnet Theater. I was lucky enough to have friends from the improv, softball, and pizza world show up. After talking to the audience about pizza, it only seemed fitting to have some waiting in the lobby when the show got out. 

Sandwich board with Tonight's Show

Michael McLarnon, Sean Taylor, Robin Rothman

2. The accompanist for Life of Pie, Robin Rothman, and my director Michael McLarnon all went to the Festival Fringe back in August. Life of Pie ran for 9 days and it was an amazing time. I even got a review from Finge Review written about my show here: https://fringereview.co.uk/review/edinburgh-fringe/2026/life-of-pie/

Sean Taylor, Joe Riggio

3. After my show, while I was still in costume, I ran into the owner of NY Pizza Suprema, Joe Riggio. If you have seen my show, you know that we've been friends now for 18 years now.

RATING:

 5/5