Last week, I found myself in a lunch conundrum. I hadn’t brought anything from home and I was bored of my old standby quick lunches. To further complicate matters, it was Friday during Lent, so no meats for me. Much hemming and hawing ensued until I heeded the siren call of the Midtown Lunch Twitter Tracker and hit up Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck (on 47th btw. Park+Mad) to check out their vodka slice.

Perhaps I’m late to the party, but I didn’t discover the wonders of vodka pizza until a couple of years ago. It was one of those “ah ha” moments where everything in the universe suddenly makes sense. Vodka sauce = delicious. Pizza = delicious. Vodka sauce topped pizza = super delicious. I had high hopes for the vodka slice at Jiannetto’s.

The slice itself has a thin crust and is the same size of one of their grandma slices–long, skinny and rectangular-ish. Even when their reheated slices come out of the oven they are steaming hot, always a plus in my book. Jianetto’s vodka sauce deviates from the standard rose colored sauce by including mushrooms and peas in addition to onions. It was a little thinner and less creamy than I was expecting. According to the guy on the truck the slice has fresh mozzarella on the bottom, sauce, and then some grated cheese on top, but cheese lovers may be disappointed with the amount of cheese on the slice–however, if you are a regular at Jiannetto’s, the lack of cheese will come as no surprise, their Grandma slice has only a light sprinkle of grated cheese. Thin crust fans however, will likely be pleased with the chewy and slightly crisp crust.

At $3.25, the vodka pizza costs 50 cents more than their regular Grandma slice. If you’re a Jianetto’s regular looking to mix up your lunch routine, the vodka slice is worth a try and according to the guy who took my order, they have this kind of pie most days–makes sense since it’s the same sauce that they use for the penne a la vodka on their regular menu. Unless you have a very small appetite, one of these slices isn’t filling enough to make for a satisfying lunch, so plan on picking up a couple slices or if you’re like some people (ahem, me) you might get a vodka slice here and then grab a slice or two from one of the nearish 99 cent pizza joints to round out your lunch without breaking the bank.

Sadly because it’s Good Friday, Jiannetto’s is taking the day off in Midtown (but for some reason will still be on Wall Street?!) So I’ll be looking elsewhere for my vodka slice needs today. So far my favorite vodka slice I’ve had is from Bene’s in Windsor Terrace, but that’s a little too far for a Midtown Lunch. Anybody have a good lunchtime vodka slice rec for Midtown? Put it in the comments…

Wafels & Dinges isn’t the only truck in Midtown to make some New Year’s changes. The Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck (on 45th btw. Park+Mad) has added some new items to their menu for the first time in… well… as long as I can remember. The biggest news is, they’re now serving proper torpedo shaped chicken and meatball parm heroes. (The original versions were served on these smaller round rolls.) And, in a Papa Perrone twist of student schooling the teacher, they will make the hero on garlic bread for an extra $1. In addition to the sandwiches, they’ve also added a fresh mozzarella vodka pie, a chicken vodka roll, and a pepperoni roll.

Related:
Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck (Original Post 8/28/06)
Papa Perrone Will Put Any Hero You Want on Garlic Bread

For those who didn’t realize that there are actual ovens in the famous Jiannetto’s Pizza Trucks, proof came yesterday in the form of a lunchtime fire that was large enough to draw the NYC fire dept.  I got this on site account from Lunch’er “Alan” yesterday afternoon:

I went to lunch at about 2:00 and wanted some Jiannetto’s pizza only to find it mobbed with firemen dousing it with water. The fire seemed to be out by the time I got there. I left the scene at about 2:15 and they were pretty much tearing the truck apart inside making sure the fire did not spread anywhere. I heard someone say it started from a small oven fire which could of been put out by a fire extiguisher which they did not know if they had in the truck.

Papa Perrone’s (on 55th btw. Mad+Park) is fine, but it’s no replacement for Jiannetto’s- which has at least two trucks, possibly three, so I’m guessing there will be no interruption to service on 47th btw. Park+Madison, but I don’t know that for sure.

1.  The history? Pizza is not Italian.  At least not originally.  Started in Greece… no tomatoes… Queen Margherita… colors of the Italian flag… WWII… Italian Immigrants… Pizza Hut… 30 minutes or your pizza is free… Mexican Pizza at Taco Bell.  I covered everything right?

2.  The best pizza in New York?  I don’t even want to start that argument…

3.  Tourists visiting New York eat at the worst pizza places.  How else do you explain the existence of a Sbarro’s in Times Square?  (It still amazes me every time I walk by that place and there are people eating in there)

The list could go on and on.  The simple fact is, I’m not a pizza aficionado.  Don’t misunderstand this for pizza hate… I love pizza just as much as the next guy- I’m just not a connoisseur.  I guess some places are better then others, but I can’t really pinpoint exactly what I love and hate about each slice.  If you’re into that sort of thing, there are plenty of blogs that talk about pizza… and only pizza.

But the truth is, pizza is one of those things that has so many different varieties that trying to determine the “best pizza” is futile… because everyone likes something different.  You’ve got deep dish, thin “New York” style pizza, Sicilian, pizza with tons of toppings, pizza with no toppings, crunchy crust, floppy crust… it’s no wonder people love to argue about this crap.

Anyway, when talking about great pizza in Midtown, one name comes up all the time:   Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck.  I finally went last week to check it out, and found an amazing slice of “pizza” that will find just as many haters, as lovers.

The pictures, +/- and more… after the jump.

I hate reviewing places.  I could easily say “The pizza at Jiannetto’s sucks!  It’s got no cheese!  What kind of pizza has got no cheese???”  Of course that would not only be a disservice to Jiannetto’s, but also to people who enjoy what I have come to learn is “authentic Sicilian pizza”. That’s right.  Sicilian pizza is not just square pizza.  It’s square pizza with little to no cheese.  Bread, sauce, basil, and a sprinkling of parmesan… and if that type of pizza doesn’t make you go “Hey Goober!  Where’s the cheese?”, then Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck is your new favorite spot.

Even if you love cheese (which I do), and can’t imagine a pizza without cheese- it’s still worth checking out Jiannetto’s.  First, they have a pizza oven built into the truck.  A pretty sweet sight in and of itself.  Second, no cheese means you can fully appreciate the sauce.  It may be too sweet for some, but the sauce at Jiannetto’s is meant to be the real star… and even if you don’t want a slice of their pizza, there are other things to order that get covered in sauce.

One of the most popular is the Sicilian Rice Ball (or arancini as it is called in Italian).  I’m a big fan of the rice ball.  Ever since having them in Rome, I fell in love with these balls of rice (about the size of a tennis ball), usually stuffed with cheese and a little sauce, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried.  So delicious.  I can’t be sure, but if Jiannetto’s is any indication- the Sicilian version comes stuffed with cheese, ground beef and peas (almost like the Italian version of Shepherd’s Pie). They serve it broken already, in a tin container with a side order of garlic knots.  For $4, it is the steal of the century.  Unfortunately, they only have a limited amount and they always run out early.  If you want to guarantee a rice ball, call ahead and have them set one aside for you (the guy on the truck said he’ll do it).  The garlic knots were not fresh (or garlicky) but they can be salvaged with a quick dunk in sauce and parmesan.

They also have daily pasta specials, and all the parmigiana sandwiches you would expect from a place like this.  There’s two locations, but like I reported on Friday, the truck normally on Park and 51st got into an accident and is out of commission… which only means the one on 47th is just going to be that much more crowded.

THE +

• It’s from a truck, but it’s made fresh, thanks to their built in pizza oven!
• If you like thin crust Sicilian Pizza (bread, sauce, sprinkle of parmesan) then this is one of the best slices in Midtown
• The crust is delicious.  And so is the sauce… (but some may find it too sweet)
• The rice balls… if you like ground beef and peas!

THE -

• Where’s the cheese, goober?
• The parmesan they do sprinkle is powdered.  This is something you might be able to overlook if your pizza is already covered in Mozzarella… but with no cheese, it’s a little harder to ignore the fact that the stuff is powder.
• The lines.  This place is really popular, and if you don’t go early, you will have to wait.  Call in your order to save a little time… especially for the rice balls and sandwiches.

Jiannetto’s Pizza Truck, 47th St. btw. Madison & Park (on Vanderbilt Ave.), 917-287-7241

(There’s also one on the corner of Front & Wall St. downtown for those of you work around there)