Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Now that some of the hubbub surrounding the 2010 opening of Artichoke Basille's Greenwich Village location has finally died down, we decided to stop in for a slice of their meatball pizza ($4.50). Maggie originally tasted this offering when she checked out the chain's Chelsea location a couple of years ago, deeming it "a hit" with her group of diners.
The slice we tasted today didn't disappoint either; perfect for a chilly, drizzly day, this pizza will fill you up. It's very rich, like eating a lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs in pizza form—this is a slice for when what you really want is a meatball sub. Those meatballs, which go light on breadcrumbs and heavy on seasoning, are dense, flavorful and meaty. They get mashed down into the deep red sauce, which is cooked down with lots of onions like a Sunday gravy. It's altogether different from the lighter, fresher sauce found on Artichoke's standard Margherita slices.
Artichoke likes to cook their crusts dark and crisp, to the point of being nearly crunchy. Along with mozzarella, the pie gets topped with a generous grating of Pecorino Romano post-oven. Like many of Artichoke's pies, the meatball slice is big, cheesy, salty, and greasy, but not in a bad way. If oily, rich, and filling while being plenty flavorful is what you're looking for, it'll do you just fine.
Artichoke Basille's Pizza
111 MacDougal Street (map)
646-278-6100; artichokepizza.com