Monday, March 22, 2010

Prince Pizza: "Every time I comb my hair, thoughts of you get in my eyes."


Prince Pizza is a wonderful place. I wish beyond wishes that every slice joint could feel the same inside as Prince Pizza. As I walked up to the line to order, Aaron walked straight back to the seating area. The hypervigilant proprietor watched intently as Aaron sat down at a table and then eyed me suspiciously. I returned his stone grill, "Lemme get one regular slice."
"Just one?" And his eyes drifted towards Aaron in the back.
"Yeah, one." I liked this guy, but he didn't trust me.
When I joined Aaron at the table, he said, "I like that guy, he's either got a dislocated shoulder or the best natural swagger I've ever seen."

The back seating area of Prince Pizza looks like a bathroom. Tiles and formica, tiles and formica, tiles and formica. You know the drill. There is years worth of Filth discoloring The Grout. This may sound like an indictment to anyone who is a totally shitty snob, but the fact of the matter is that everywhere should be this picturesqely decrepit. It didn't seem dirty, just well-worn, like my Dead Dog/Ramones split t-shirt. It can be straight out of the wash and smell so fresh and so clean, but it will never be pristine in color because it's got permanent Dirt.

While we were sitting back there, our companions were a couple of bored teenagers, a Bike Messenger (as opposed to a "bike messenger," which is what I used to be), and a few mumbling weirdos. Didn't seem like much of an Office Lunch crowd. More like the dregs of the neighborhood stopping in to chow down. And that was a real pleasant change of pace from most of the other place I've been to around here.


The bummer beneath the beauty is that the slice totally stinks. Aaron called it "loafy," I thought it tasted like sugar. The dough was too thick and not salty enough, the cheese was bland and the sauce had hell of Heinz. Wildly disappointing considering how smitten both A.C. and me were with the interior, and we are both Connoisseurs of Corrosion. If there was a Picturesque Shithole Aficionado magazine, we would be the editors. I will probably still come back here and suffer the bad pizza for the excellent environs.

Rating:


Prince Pizza - $2.50
642 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022

2 comments:

  1. Tried to go here today - closed down - too bad
    BBC

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  2. They opened up under a new name on the west side of 3rd Ave just about the same block as this location. Rent issue. I like their pizza.

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