PIZZA BAR, downtown miami

Everyone has their idea of what a perfect slice of pizza should be.  If you grew up in the northeast like I did, it’s simple; a thin slice of cheese is all you need.  Memories of the gritty pizza shop—strangely they play out in Technicolor—the checkered laminate floor, faded red Formica countertops, bright fluorescent lighting… A place never quite as clean as you’d like it to be, but as a kid dirt is really never an issue.  The sounds of Pac-Man, Frogger, and Street Fighter fill the air.  Behind the counter the dough is being tossed, stretched thin, and formed to the right size by what seems to be an always-annoyed Italian-American covered in flour.  A ladle of a semi-sweet sauce with a hint of spice is meticulously spread around the dough, a hand full of cheese tops it off, and into the oven it goes.  Two dollars later, I have my large slice of cheese and drink; needing only garlic powder and crushed red pepper to finish it off.  Nothing but a greasy, almost transparent paper plate remains, unhealthy I know, but oh so good.  The perfect slice.

The New York style pizza—or in my case the Jersey style pizza—at its core: a simple, unpretentious thin slice of cheese; no magical ingredients, no fancy toppings and yet, so difficult to duplicate outside of the northeast. Flash forward 20 years and travel 1,300 miles south to Pizza Bar in Downtown Miami [228 SE 1ST Street].  Here, you won’t find the gritty pizza shop of your youth.  There are no arcade games playing in the background or faded Formica; instead, you are treated with the familiar sounds of the movie Goodfellas (so cliché and yet, so fitting).  Hanging guitar light fixtures replace the fluorescent bulbs, and stainless steel countertops, exposed brick, and flat screens round-out the modern and purposely gritty décor.  Pizza Bar brings out what you would expect in a typical New York pizza joint: a simple menu, freshly made pies displayed on the storefront and of course, the owner: an Italian from the City.  Like any good pizza joint, a few hot Italian subs and wings round out the menu.  If you’d rather have a salad, they have those too, but really, why would you go to a pizza joint for a salad?  If you’re looking for a good BIG cheese slice, fountain drink, and garlic knot for under $6 then this is your place.  No magical ingredients or fancy toppings, just a good slice.  It’s not quite New York or Jersey, but with the cool vibe and hearty slice, it’s pretty close.

The quest for the perfect slice continues…