Motorino and Previti

So much talk about Motorino pizza lately. The NYT reviewed it as the best pizza in the city and gave it one star. Earlier this year, Rachel Ray published Adam Kuban (Slice Blog) and Ed Levine's pizza chart that lists Motorino as the best in the country. She said she visits the Lower East Side location "more often than I should."

Of course Matt and I were there before the NYT and Rachel Ray article. What did we think?

I think pizza rating needs to become more refined. Because is Motorino generally better than DiFara? No.

But is Motorino one of the more high quality wood-fired, artisinal pizza I've had in the city? Absolutely! Matt loved the crust, which was just charred enough and thin on the bottom and slightly puffy on the edges. If you savored each bit, you realized the cheese had a complex, almost nutty flavor. If you just downed the slice I felt the slice fell a bit flat.

Matt and I both agreed that the pizzas with toppings looked better. We'll be trying those this weekend at the Williamsburg locale.

To continue proving my point that pizza ratings need to be more nuanced, we also loved the Previti Pizza artichoke slice. A white slice with a creamy artichoke and spinach mixture on top, it is rich but not overly heavy and greasy. The artichoke pieces are substantial and delic! Frankly, I also liked that the owner was working at the counter and was super friendly. If you are midtown, near Grand Central, DEFINITELY give it a try.