New York City has a reputation for alot of different things.  We have approximately 8 million (8,000,000) residents with more than 50 nationalities represented.  Variety is truly the spice of life her in the city.  Of course with such a strong mix and high population, we have a strong reputation for ethnic foods.  One of the most notable ethnicities, Italian, has in fact given New York a staple food of world class caliber.

Pizza.

Now sure there are those who say the Greeks invented pizza, there are those who say Mexicans make the best pizza, and those that will argue that Chicago deep dish is a meal fit for a king.  They all may be right… they may all be wrong… but what no one can deny that pizza in New York is overwhelmingly Italian and meant for everybody.  One of the unique things about New York pizza is that although the style remains the same… we are still a city of diversity and it also shows in our pizza… for ever restaurant’s pizza is not equal.

Famous Famiglia is located on the soutwest corner of East 97th Street and Madison Avenue.  They have some of the best, and in my opinion underrated, pizza in the city.  While it isn’t somewhere we’d go everyday, it is a weekly necessity to enjoy the classic meal for every man on the move.  So yesterday, my partner and I decided to go and eat at Famiglia’s for their awesome slices and garlic knots.
So this is their specialty slice that I normally get.  It has pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, extra sauce, mushrooms, onions, and the softest underdough I’ve ever had in a pizza that was NOT a deep dish.  I am all about this slice of life, I assure you.  The cost?  Its only three dollars.  Sure I could grab a plain dollar slice down the street at some hole in the wall… but for what they put onto it, at three dollars it is a steal, I assure you.  Unless of course… well… something happens that wasn’t quite planned.

See the thing with Famous Famiglia is that it is in a busy and congested area.  Usually we’re in and out, but yesterday we needed to actually sit down and eat like human beings for a change.  The constant eating and moving gets to you after awhile, and every now and then you need a break.  So that’s what my partner and I did… we sat and ate while out truck was parked outside.  Unfortunately… we didn’t really pay much attention to the fact that we were parked in a NO STANDING zone from 5:00pm-7:00pm.  Needless to say, we only got there at 4:50pm… and left at 5:10pm to find an orange envelope on the windshield.  Yep.  Those damn Traffic agents gave us a ticket!  What’s worse?  After they had given us the ticket at 5:02pm, they came into Famiglia‘s and sat behind us!

So… with two slices of pizza costing $6.00 + $115.00 ticket means that yesterday, I ate a slice of pizza worth $60.50.

But it was just too damn good.