#1 New York Pizza in Snohomish, WA

#1 New York Pizza is one of those places I have wanted to try for ages now. I found it via an internet search over a year ago but never had the time to drive 30 minutes north east of Seattle (i.e. middle of nowhere) to try a slice of pizza. Lo and behold today I found myself with a free hour and I figured I would make the drive.

The user reviews for #1 New York Pizza are promising. Out of the 10 reviews I could find only one user who had a negative comment and almost all the reviewers claimed to be from the New York area. However the one negative reviewer did seem to give the best description which made me a little nervous because this wouldn’t be the first time that supposed ex-pat New Yorkers have raved about a restaurant that in the end did not live up to the hype.

Now when I said #1 New York Pizza was in the middle of nowhere I was not joking. If you blink while driving you will pass this place. It is a tiny shop located off Highway 9 in Snohomish, Washington. The owners claim to be New Yorkers and the second one of the owners opens their mouth, any questions about their authenticity can be thrown out the window. I was lucky to meet the woman of this Husband and Wife owned restaurant and if I didn’t know any better I would think I was talking to Doris Roberts' character in Everybody Loves Raymond (Marie Barone). Sure enough, Relita, the woman I met in the restaurant and her husband Tony are “off the boat” from Queens, NY. She knew enough about New York that when I mentioned my hometown she began to utter the word “upstate” but I quickly cut her off because I find that comment borderline offensive! Regardless of the quality of the food I can tell you that the second I stepped foot in this place and talked with the owner I felt at home.

After meeting Relita I wanted so very badly to love the food at #1 New York Pizza but in the end I have mixed results for you. The pizza is sold by the pie or by the slice which is certainly a good start. Plus they have no tolerance for off-the-wall toppings (that’s right Hawaiian pizza lovers … you will not get pineapple on your pizza here). However the slices I ordered really just didn’t live up to the name of this establishment. The dough had the right thickness but it was dense and bread-like. With what I know about pizza making my honest impression is that they don’t let their dough rise long enough. The sauce and cheese were ok and there were some remnants of New York pizza flavor hidden in my slice but overall it fell way short of my expectations.

The Cannoli I ordered was an entirely different story. When I ordered my Cannoli, Relita pulled out an empty fresh Cannoli shell. This is always a good sign. Relita also informed me that they order Polly-O ricotta cheese for the filling which is a common ricotta cheese back east. Finally to top it off they candy their own fruit. I was notably impressed with my first bite into the Cannoli. The shell was fresh and crispy and the filling was creamy with just the right amount of powdered sugar added. Overall this might be one of the best Cannoli’s I have had in the state of Washington.

So #1 New York Pizza is really a mixed bag. If you are looking for a little New York attitude and a fine Cannoli by all means make the drive. However if it is New York pizza you seek I think you might be better off saving the gas money and the environment and stay home and follow my New York pizza recipe listed in a previous post. I will also add there were many other items on the menu I wish I had a chance to try including a Sicilian pizza and a meatball parmesan hero. I am not sure if I will ever make it back to #1 New York Pizza but if you are ever in town tell Relita I say hi!

#1 New York Pizza

17809 State Rte 9 SE Ste 1

Snohomish, WA 98296-6302

Abbondanza Pizzeria in West Seattle

My visit to Abbondanza epitomizes many of the reasons why I write this bl0g. After all how many people love New York food enough to drag their wives all the way across town, on one of the rare occasions they get out of the house, to a pizza place? Or perhaps the real question I should be asking is how many wives would actually go!

I found Abbondanza after doing one of my semi-regular searches for New York food establishments. When I read some of the reviews for Abbondanza I was thoroughly excited. Several reviewers claimed this was some of the best New York style pizza in the northwest. When we arrived at the restaurant there was a crowd standing outside the door which is always a good sign. However we quickly discovered we had landed at Abbondanza on a night where the restaurant was having what appeared to be a private event. That said the host was very kind and had us wait at the Starbucks next door. He regularly came in to tell people their table was ready which by all accounts is pretty great customer service.

Once we were finally seated I was again excited, this time by the sight of the menu. Along with a list of various pizzas were some classic sandwiches and a few desserts I was eager to try, specifically the Cannoli. We ordered two pizzas, a Margherita and a "Alla Salsiccia". When the pizzas arrived they both looked terrific. The Margherita pizza was really just a plain cheese pizza. Beyond not using fresh mozzarella the pizza was supposed to come with basil but there was none on our pizza. Perhaps they were out of basil due to the large crowd. Regardless it was a small enough oversight that I was willing to look past it. The "Alla Salsiccia" pizza was loaded with toppings which was nice to see.

Unfortunately the flavor of the pizza did not live up to the hype I had conjured up in my head. The crust on the pizzas was actually pretty good. The crust was chewy and had a decent char on the bottom. However the sauce and cheese on the Margherita pizza were fairly bland and both lacked any real depth of flavor. Also there was way too much cheese on this pizza for me. As I indicated above the "Alla Salsiccia" pizza was loaded with toppings which was good on one hand, but on the other it had a tremendous amount of grease which made the dough soggy. Overall I can see why people think this is New York pizza. The thinness and texture of the dough certainly put it in the ballpark of New York pizza, but they certainly didn't hit it out of the park.

After our pizza I ordered a Cannoli, perhaps one of my favorite Italian pastries that are common in New York. To be completely honest the Cannoli looked great but it was not very good. The filling was ok but it had more of a cottage cheese texture instead of the creamy texture of most ricotta creams I grew up with. The worst part of the Cannoli was that they committed a faux pas by pre-filling the Cannoli which made the Cannoli shell little more then a soggy mush. If you are looking for a Cannoli I certainly wouldn't send you here. Perhaps had I gone earlier in the evening or a day when they first make them it would have been better.

For those that don't already know Abbondanza means abundance in Italian. What I will say about this restaurant, is that there is an abundance of customer service and an abundance of effort put into making their pizzas. Perhaps had we visited on a less crowded evening the quality would be even better. I really wanted to love Abbondanza, but in this New Yorker's mind they fell a little short of New York pizza and Cannoli gold.