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.
With such as ostentatious name, King of New York Pizzeria provokes the skeptic in me. Their website repeats the mantra: "Darn good thin crust pizza," and that's exactly what they serve. They aren't dethroning New York, but they are king of New York-style pizza in Koreatown.
The Cheese Slice ($2) is straightforward. The crust is ultra-thin, verging on the edge of overcooked, and the cheese leans towards the heavy-handed side. But together, the 'extra crisp' crust is the kind of foundation needed for the duvet thick blanket of aged mozzarella. The cheese, muddled with saucy swirls, has a habit of sliding over the edge of the slice. It has a minimal amount of chew, but it's a light, non-greasy slice that I can easily put down three of in one sitting.
This particular slice of White Ricotta with Spinach ($2.5) suffered from age. No amount of reheating could loosen the rubbery grip of the mozzarella. But you know what? Under that stale cheese, the splotches of ricotta and knots of spinach were moist and mellow. I'm 85% confident saying this pizza would taste great fresh from of the oven.
I spied a large pile of Stanislaus Full Red Pizza Sauce and Alta Cucina Plum Tomatoes, which presumably go into the house made, dried herb-flecked sauce. The sauce is pulpy, not sweet, but like the crust, a bit overcooked. It's basically a buffer between crust and cheese. Still, after slathering nubs of garlic knots in it, I wish it was more present on the red slices.
King of New York Pizzeria
301 S Western Ave, Ste 104, Los Angeles, CA 90020 (map)
323-663-1178; konypizzeria.com
About the author: After nearly a decade in Brooklyn, Kelly Bone landed back in Los Angeles where she writes The Vegetarian Foodie. She spends the rest of her time designing office cubicles... you might be sitting in one right now! Follow her on Twitter at @TheVegFoodie