Day 10, Pizza Month 2011 - Rubirosa Pizza (Little Italy, NYC)

DAY 10: OCTOBER 10th, 2011

LOCATION: Rubirosa Pizza (235 Mulberry St., NYC)

ORDER: half of a slice of Classic, half of a slice of Margherita, one third of a slice of Vodka slice, two slices of Mushroom, one slice of Arugula and Prosciutto

GUEST: Erik Tanouye, Robin Rothman





MISCELLANEOUS:
1. We celebrated both Erik Tanouye's birthday and Robin and my engagement over pizza and dessert. Little Italy is a delicious place for that sort of stuff.
2. I tend to get into the exact same television shows Erik Tanouye gets into just 5 years afterward. Currently, I'm in season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
3. Erik Tanouye is going to New Orleans soon. I must really like that town as I get excited just when the name is mentioned. Btw, here is my "things to do in New Orleans list"...

• EAT (strictly New Orleans style food...cajun, creole, Lousiana cuisine)
• French Quarter (Cafe Du Monde, Jackson Square, St. Charles Streetcar, Bourbon St.
• Harrah's (casino)
• Don't earn beads the hard way...cameras are watching you
• Pizza (eat at Slice and/or Lousiana Pizza Kitchen and make sure you get the cajun toppings)
• Drinks - start with a Hurricane (@Pat O'Brien's), Hand grenade (@tropical Isle - girly but good), Sazerac (sweet rye whiskey), absinthe (so long as they make it the way it's SUPPOSED to be made), when you're already buzzed (and you will be with any of the above mentioned drinks, carry a cheap beer available anywhere on Bourbon and nurse it from bar-to-bar in a plastic cup.
• Coffee - Community Coffee, also try a coffee with chicory, Cafe Au Late at Cafe Du Monde)
• Expensive but noteworthy - Antoine's (where Oysters Rockefeller was invented) - http://www.antoines.com/
• Parades - around Jackson Square there is likely to be wedding processions which are really cool - "saints" marching jazz band walking through the streets with the bride and groom
• Music - see the band that performs in the rinky dink music hall adjacent to Pat O'Brien's. Also, tip the street performers, they're amazing
• Other crap folks like (but, uh, didn't appeal to me) - visit Katrina stricken areas, do a cemetery tour (graves are above ground), do a ghost tour

PHOTOS:

Day 30, Pizza Month 2010 - Mario's (Arthur Avenue, Bronx)

DAY 30: OCTOBER 30th, 2010

LOCATION: Mario's (Arthur Avenue, Bronx)

ORDER: 4 slices of a personal appetizer pie, 4 slices of an entree pie

GUEST: Adam Kuban and his guest

REVIEW:
Great pizza despite its own best interest.

Raising the price, hiding it on the menu, and being surrounding by pizzerias are three tactics used by Mario's Restaurant to hide the fact they make some pretty high quality pies. This Bronx Little Italy trattoria is an Italian restaurant first and foremost and has put forth a concerted effort to distance themselves from the word "pizzeria." But there's just one problem...Mario's serves delcious pizza!

Located at the bottom of the Appetizers section of the menu, "individual Pizza" is the only indicator Mario's even serves it. No where is there any mention of available toppings, pie sizes, or even that it is circular. Though not listed, there is an entree version of the "individual Pizza" as well. I know, because i ordered them both.

"i'll have the Individual pizza as an appetizer and then pizza for the main course," I explained to the waiter. I always wanted to say that.

When my appetizer arrived, many questions were answered. The "individual Pizza" is an eight inch wide Neopolitan (circular) thin crusted pie cooked in a gas-powered deck oven with low-moisture mozzarella cheese. Upon eating a slice, my pizza guest (SliceNY's Adam Kuban) and I deduced that it was a "cooked" red sauce beneath the herb and spice infused toppings. A lot of cooking expertise went into this under-appreciated appetizer. I surely appreciated it! The crust was cooked to perfection and the crushed red pepper and basil provided a nice one-two flavor combo that had me looking forward to the main course - which, thankfully, was larger.

Since Mario's is a fine-dining establishment more-so than a pizzeria, the price tag for my pair of pizzas was a bit on the steep side. Had I ordered just one I doubt my appetite would have been sated; also, the staff might not have been as friendly. As it was, the staff was extremely nice. Mario's has been family owned and operated since 1919.

If I find myself in the Arthur Avenue area of the Bronx, I would most certainly return to Mario's. Next time I may order a different entree but that pizza appetizer sure would be hard to pass up.


VIDEO CLIP:

RATING:
4.05 out of 5

• VALUE:
  3/5


• AMBIENCE:
  3/3


• TASTE:
  8/10


• SERVICE:
  3/3

17/21 = .810 x 5 = 4.05

MISCELLANEOUS:
1. Adam Kuban founded sliceny.com - the greatest pizza resource on the web! He also posted his review of our meal here: http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/marios-pizza-arthur-avenue-the-bronx-nyc-review.html
2. Is it dorky to be happy to have gone to both Mario's and Luigi's in the same pizza month? Probably. But I did it! :)
3. I met the owners (the Migliucci's) who pronounce Mario like "Mare-ee-ohs" so, from now on, I will too!