Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Rocky's II: "I'm a little nervous for when I go eat pizza at Rocky's V and my protege sucker punches me in an alley."


It was kind of a totally weird, bridge and tunnel crowd inhabiting Rocky's II, but that's not necessarily their fault, right? Of course not. Despite being crowded up with NJ Beefcakes, there was an ample and tastefully decorated back room where me, Clancy and Mike could sit and talk about feminist horror films or anything else our wussy hearts desired, out of earshot of the crowd of musclehead goons in salmon pink polo shirts in the front.


The pizza here was interesting. It tasted a little bit like a salami--smokey, thick and meaty. Mike said some places sneak meat into their sauces as a cheat, the old meat cheat, but I don't know if I believe him. Either way, this slice was not really my thing, but you could tell it was TOTALLY someone's thing. Like, it wasn't haphazardly put together using sloppy style and sub-par ingredients. It was definitely cared for and made with love, although not to my liking. Does that make sense? I think I've used this analogy before, but it's like if one of your friends played in a band that sounded like Red Hot Chili Peppers. And she is like, totally stoked on her sick slap bass skillz, and you know she is super invested and it's hella honest, but you just can't like it no matter what. That's how I feel about this pizza. And Mike Taylor summed it up really good when he took a bite, chewed slowly, ruminated for a minute and then said, "it's not repulsive, it's mysterious." But let's get Jessica Fletcher up in here to tell us what's going on, because I don't really want to eat this pizza again, though I'm sure someone does.

Rating:


Rocky's II - $2.50
607 2nd Ave (33rd & 34th)
New York, NY 10016

17 comments:

  1. Awful. Yuck. I couldn't even finish it. Never again.

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  2. LOVE ROCKY'S PIZZA

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  3. Rocky's is great. My two sons and I were visiting NYC this summer from Lawrence Kansas. I told my kids about how fantastic real New York pizza can be. After having a few mediocre slices and a couple of good ones I was beginning to feel that my kid's were going to have doubts about everything I've ever taught them about life such as never trust some one who says "you can trust me"...but then as if guided there by some unseen but powerful internal pizza magnetwe walked into Rocky's while heading to the Highline Park. We actually ordered two large pizzas. My kids decided that maybe I could be trusted. We ate every slice and could have eaten two more pizzas. Pizza at Rocky's and a summer's walk on the Highline park may not be in the tourist brochures but it was the best thing we did in NY.

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  4. the pizza is always fresh and delicious amazing pizza siciliana... my favorit i love rockys...

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  5. I was only hitting this place up for pizza at first (which is amazing, btw), but I just finished their penne vodka and it was redonkulous! Amazing spaghetti and meatballs, too. This really is the best inexpensive italian restaurant in NYC. I like the service, as well. If you're respectful to them, they're twice as respectful back to you. Great place to hit up at 2 am, also. Madd props, Rocky's!

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  6. I know my way around New York, and Brooklyn. I'm also half-Italian, and used to live in Long Island, so I know Pizza. This is is a Top 5 pizza restaurant in New York. Hands down. I always eat there, so I don't know about delivery, but it's usually very crowded. It's also open late, which is helpful. Vodka slices are excellent, and regular cheese slices are top notch. (They have a brick oven) Veggies are always fresh, too. Highly recommended!

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  7. My favorite pizza .

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  8. Absolutely amazing! I am obsessed with their Margarita Pizza - the sauce is what makes it - sweet with basil and a strong presence of garlic - mmmmmm

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  9. Great Italian Food! Great Delivery!

    I had perhaps the best Fettuccine Alfredo that I have had in New York here. And, the Lasagna was excellent too!

    We had Rocky's delivered to us. Delivery was timely and the food was good and hot when we received it. The Fettuccine was tender, with a wonderful, well-flavored sauce that was rich with cheese. I could especially tell the high quality of their dish by seeing how little separation there was in the sauce when I reheated my Fettuccine.

    The Lasagna was great too! Lots of good quality meat, great cheese and noodles. We also had Garlic Knots and received bread with our pasta.

    This is a rare time that I have given Five Stars for delivery. Rocky's Five Stars are well-earned!

    Highly Recommended!

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  10. The salad was wonderful and the Italian sub is my favorite....it is a really good place!

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  11. This pizza is SOOO GOOOOOOD!

    Yes we went after a late night of drinking but I'm pretty picky with pizza regardless. I ordered a Baked Ziti slice and the sauce was just incredible. I love Vodka Sauce! My BF got the plain Vodka Sauce slice, which was Mmm Mmm good- and the proceeded to eat my slice!

    The crust was crisp, the pizza was fresh - late night. Ambiance, just like any other small pizzeria. Long narrow store

    Pretty pricey at $10 for 2 slices though... but I want more!

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  12. I visited NY for the first time last week and came across this small place on my rush to the United Nations building. I was too hungry to walk anymore so I just accidentally came into this one & man was it a good choice! I tried their bake ziti after determining it was too late for me to even go inside the UN building. It was so hot and juicy, I actually burned by mouth with it cuz it was soooo delicious. Their bread & butter were good too but I was saving room for my food which I only had room for half.

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  13. I visited NY for the first time last week and came across this small place on my rush to the United Nations building. I was too hungry to walk anymore so I just accidentally came into this one & man was it a good choice! I tried their bake ziti after determining it was too late for me to even go inside the UN building. It was so hot and juicy, I actually burned by mouth with it cuz it was soooo delicious. Their bread & butter were good too but I was saving room for my food which I only had room for half.

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  14. I moved to New York from the Midwest and despite my eventual acceptance of higher prices, the lack of yards and garages, and the constant scent of stale cigarettes following me anywhere and everywhere, I swore I would never learn to love NY style pizza. In Chicago, the specialty is pizza pie stuffed with at least a pound of cheese, encased in a crust that's approximately an inch thick. NY style pizza just seem so bland and inferior by comparison. Enter Rocky's II in Murray Hill - I was sitting at the nearby Starbucks starving to death and no matter how much I looked over my shoulder at the selection of baked goods behind me, they continued to look overly sweet and stale. So I decided to walk down the block in search of fresher food that contained ingredients other than flour and sugar. As always, I was craving Italian so I stopped into the first pizza place I saw. Two slices of Rocky's fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil pizza and I finally felt like a true New Yorker - for I found it to be AMAZING. Chewy, fresh, and flavorful, with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. Absolute culinary perfection. I now love NY style pizza and honestly don't think I'll ever go back to stuffed, pan style, or even a thick crust. I highly recommend checking this place out - it pretty much changed my life forever.

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  15. I LOVE PIZZA.................

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  16. Best Slices in Manhattan I never write reviews, but Rocky's is so good that I felt the need to write something up. This pizza is absolutely AWESOME! The vodka slices are freakin' great, and I really like the pasta dishes. I had a whole pie delivered to me and it was prompt and hot when I got it. When I went in last night, I thought the place was really classy. They have TV sets, and nice backroom. It's very clean, and the staff is great. The people in line kept raving about the place, so I'm not the only one who loves Rocky's. This is the best pizza on the east side of Manhattan.

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  17. loveee rocky's pizzaa

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