Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Mets Slice

Place

City Pizzeria

675 B Street, 4, San Diego




Nuts and twigs. Twigs and nuts. Wabbit fodder. Nyeah -- what's up doc? That's life with Hank, these days. Guy's determined to lose the cholesterol. And weight. Down 30 pounds so far. Me, I'm still swimming in de Nile. Why ask for worries? "What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve," as my ol' grandma used to say.

But now Hank has to have salads or he goes AWOL. That's how come we hop in to this place, here on office workers' Lunch Row. It's an old brown and gold tile-covered building next to the swank Cafe Cerise. Copper sign above the entrance says City Pizzeria. "The City's Finest Pizza." Hey now. Sounds like a challenge to me.

It passes muster with Hank 'cos it's also big on salads. They have a couple of tables outside. Inside's a long barn with green Formica tables, cream walls, and two mirrors in gold frames.

"Salad, salad," Hank says, like we'd just crawled in from the desert.

"No problem," says this cute gal, Vicky. "Garden? Caesar, chicken Caesar, Greek, antipasto?"

Hank asks for the large Caesar chicken ($5.00; small is $3.00), but he wants extra veggies: green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"No problem," Vicky says, which makes me feel kinda pro-salad myself. I end up ordering a large Greek ($5.00). Always had a feta fetish. "But, uh, does this come with chicken?"

"No, but we could add it, no problem."

"How much extra?"

"Nothing extra."

Whoa. I'm definitely warming to this place.

Back in the kitchen guys are grabbing dough, flailing it around, pounding it, jacking big pizza-oven doors open, yakking, joking, clouds of flour dust everywhere, reminds me of someplace...oh, yeah. Bronx Pizza, up in Hillcrest.

But no way is the pizza slice selection here pure East Coast. "Ranch chicken" pie has garlic chicken, basil, and ranch dressing. The BBQ Chicken has chicken, pineapple, red onion, BBQ sauce, and mozzarella. They have eleven "specialty pies" in all ($3.00 a slice), plus cheese or pepperoni ($2.50 per slice).

The best-looking pie I'm seeing right now is on the bottom shelf. And it has only one slice left.

"That's the 'San Diegan,'" says Vicky.

I check the board. "Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, red sauce, and mozzarella cheese." Three bucks a slice.

'Course I'm umming and aahing. "Winter's turning to spring, dude," Hank mumbles. Then a guy with -- wow -- stretched ear lobes and mini dumbbells stabbed through the top of his nose arrives. Looks like he's ogling the San Diegan.

"I'll take the San Diegan," I say. Monkey-in-the-cookie-jar reaction, right?

"And a soda?" says Hank.

"Sure," says Vicky.

Suddenly, I'm panicking. Totting up the bill. Two five-dollar salads, three for the slice, that's thirteen...

Vicky must be a mindreader. "Sodas are free from the fountain."

"Free?"

"If you get two slices, or a slice and a salad."

And to think I've walked past this place a zillion times. So we sit down with our salads in plastic boxes, and Vicky brings my slice on a paper plate. Hank lunges into his salad. "Oh, God," he says. "I've got yours. Greek, right?"

I open my box. Find Hank's extra tomatoes, peppers, croutons, two pots of Caesar dressing.

"That's all right, dude," he says, like he's doing me a favor. "Actually, the Greek's pretty good."

Jeez. By way of compensation, I pick up my pizza slice. Still hot. Open wide...

I'm here to witness, this is the most delicious slice I can remember since, well, Bronx Pizza. Maybe not even them. The two meats, oozy cheesy mozzarella, a sea of olives, mushrooms, cheek-flicking onion. Rich ain't the word. And I'm no crust expert, but this is puffy, not chewy or doughy. The Caesar salad goes great. Hank shares some of the oil-and-vinegar mix he got with mine. Man, what a combo.

The other thing is, everybody talks here. Not just lonely, heads-down chewers. Thomas, the guy who's stretching his earlobes, is scarfing a slice of "Meat Lovers" pizza (with pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, and meatball, $3.00 per slice) and showing everyone his tattooed right arm. Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat, the Mad Hatter, a dream sequence from shoulder to wrist. "You only live once," he says.

Kevin and John, the partners, do all the work. Kevin's from New York, escaped from a pizza place in Queens called Bada-Bing. John is a West Coaster. The recipe for this dough has been a family secret for 75 years. But the East-West battle for ingredients continues. Kevin says, "We're always trying to get the balance."

A guy named Robbie pops his head in. Used to be a cab driver in New York. Now he's a lawyer. Figures. "These guys are up there with Bronx. They're that good," he says. Except today he's got a takeout hamburger from someplace else in his mitts. "Oops," he says.

So what's the difference between these guys and The Bronx guys?

"They're Yankees," says Kevin. "We're Mets."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Will Carlsbad re-open door to drive-thru eateries?

Chick-fil-A now compensates by using curbside mobil ordering
Next Article

Will Carlsbad re-open door to drive-thru eateries?

Chick-fil-A now compensates by using curbside mobil ordering
Place

City Pizzeria

675 B Street, 4, San Diego




Nuts and twigs. Twigs and nuts. Wabbit fodder. Nyeah -- what's up doc? That's life with Hank, these days. Guy's determined to lose the cholesterol. And weight. Down 30 pounds so far. Me, I'm still swimming in de Nile. Why ask for worries? "What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve," as my ol' grandma used to say.

But now Hank has to have salads or he goes AWOL. That's how come we hop in to this place, here on office workers' Lunch Row. It's an old brown and gold tile-covered building next to the swank Cafe Cerise. Copper sign above the entrance says City Pizzeria. "The City's Finest Pizza." Hey now. Sounds like a challenge to me.

It passes muster with Hank 'cos it's also big on salads. They have a couple of tables outside. Inside's a long barn with green Formica tables, cream walls, and two mirrors in gold frames.

"Salad, salad," Hank says, like we'd just crawled in from the desert.

"No problem," says this cute gal, Vicky. "Garden? Caesar, chicken Caesar, Greek, antipasto?"

Hank asks for the large Caesar chicken ($5.00; small is $3.00), but he wants extra veggies: green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"No problem," Vicky says, which makes me feel kinda pro-salad myself. I end up ordering a large Greek ($5.00). Always had a feta fetish. "But, uh, does this come with chicken?"

"No, but we could add it, no problem."

"How much extra?"

"Nothing extra."

Whoa. I'm definitely warming to this place.

Back in the kitchen guys are grabbing dough, flailing it around, pounding it, jacking big pizza-oven doors open, yakking, joking, clouds of flour dust everywhere, reminds me of someplace...oh, yeah. Bronx Pizza, up in Hillcrest.

But no way is the pizza slice selection here pure East Coast. "Ranch chicken" pie has garlic chicken, basil, and ranch dressing. The BBQ Chicken has chicken, pineapple, red onion, BBQ sauce, and mozzarella. They have eleven "specialty pies" in all ($3.00 a slice), plus cheese or pepperoni ($2.50 per slice).

The best-looking pie I'm seeing right now is on the bottom shelf. And it has only one slice left.

"That's the 'San Diegan,'" says Vicky.

I check the board. "Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, red sauce, and mozzarella cheese." Three bucks a slice.

'Course I'm umming and aahing. "Winter's turning to spring, dude," Hank mumbles. Then a guy with -- wow -- stretched ear lobes and mini dumbbells stabbed through the top of his nose arrives. Looks like he's ogling the San Diegan.

"I'll take the San Diegan," I say. Monkey-in-the-cookie-jar reaction, right?

"And a soda?" says Hank.

"Sure," says Vicky.

Suddenly, I'm panicking. Totting up the bill. Two five-dollar salads, three for the slice, that's thirteen...

Vicky must be a mindreader. "Sodas are free from the fountain."

"Free?"

"If you get two slices, or a slice and a salad."

And to think I've walked past this place a zillion times. So we sit down with our salads in plastic boxes, and Vicky brings my slice on a paper plate. Hank lunges into his salad. "Oh, God," he says. "I've got yours. Greek, right?"

I open my box. Find Hank's extra tomatoes, peppers, croutons, two pots of Caesar dressing.

"That's all right, dude," he says, like he's doing me a favor. "Actually, the Greek's pretty good."

Jeez. By way of compensation, I pick up my pizza slice. Still hot. Open wide...

I'm here to witness, this is the most delicious slice I can remember since, well, Bronx Pizza. Maybe not even them. The two meats, oozy cheesy mozzarella, a sea of olives, mushrooms, cheek-flicking onion. Rich ain't the word. And I'm no crust expert, but this is puffy, not chewy or doughy. The Caesar salad goes great. Hank shares some of the oil-and-vinegar mix he got with mine. Man, what a combo.

The other thing is, everybody talks here. Not just lonely, heads-down chewers. Thomas, the guy who's stretching his earlobes, is scarfing a slice of "Meat Lovers" pizza (with pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, and meatball, $3.00 per slice) and showing everyone his tattooed right arm. Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat, the Mad Hatter, a dream sequence from shoulder to wrist. "You only live once," he says.

Kevin and John, the partners, do all the work. Kevin's from New York, escaped from a pizza place in Queens called Bada-Bing. John is a West Coaster. The recipe for this dough has been a family secret for 75 years. But the East-West battle for ingredients continues. Kevin says, "We're always trying to get the balance."

A guy named Robbie pops his head in. Used to be a cab driver in New York. Now he's a lawyer. Figures. "These guys are up there with Bronx. They're that good," he says. Except today he's got a takeout hamburger from someplace else in his mitts. "Oops," he says.

So what's the difference between these guys and The Bronx guys?

"They're Yankees," says Kevin. "We're Mets."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Laurence Juber, Train Song Festival, Ancient Echoes: 10,000 Years of Beer

Events November 8-November 9, 2024
Next Article

Change is constant in our fisheries

Yellowfin still biting well
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader