[Photo Saturday by Steven]
The owners of Artichoke are using the former location of Nicoletta on Second Avenue and 10th Street for the next NYC outpost of their Detroit-style pizza shop Lions & Tigers & Squares.
Here's more about the concept via the EVG inbox:
Lions & Tigers & Squares was conceived in 2018 by Artichoke Basille’s Pizza co-founders and pizza aficionados, Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, who were inspired to open a Detroit-style pizza shop after visiting Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit ... They were impressed by the quality of pizza and wanted to bring a taste of Detroit to New York City, thus deciding to open a shop dedicated to the Motor City’s signature square pan pizza with a crunchy, caramelized cheese crust. While LTS is a Manhattan-located pizzeria, it’s also an ode to all things Detroit: Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, and Detroit-style square pizza.
The new restaurant, expected to open before year’s end, will have indoor and outdoor seating ... with a menu showcasing four-slice Detroit-style square pies featuring pepperoni, baby meatball, black olive and their Mustard Pie with spicy brown mustard and cheddar cheese. (This is the neighborhood's second Detroit-style pizzeria following Emmy Squared's arrival in July 2018.)
The first Lions & Tigers & Squares opened in the spring of 2018 on 23rd Street in Chelsea. Over at Eater, Robert Sietsema noted their "greasy but solid pies." (As for Artichoke, he writes in the same post that they're "a local pizza chain that turns out some awful pies as far as I’m concerned — especially its vaunted artichoke slice, which tastes like someone poured cream of artichoke soup in its canned and concentrated form on the pie.")
The ever-expanding Artichoke started its empire in the East Village in 2008 on 14th Street. They moved to a larger space across the street in June 2017.
Nicoletta closed last December at this address after six-plus years in business. They are still delivering pizzas from an undisclosed location.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza vying for former Nicoletta space on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street
Can you argue with success? I tried LT&S and was not liking it. Maybe what I didn't like was exactly what others do like. I guess the greasiness or oiliness of the crust which I found too thick and doughy also. Gives the crust a little fried flavor. Anyways, just one man's opinion.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love Robert Sietsema!
ReplyDeleteI finally got around to trying a slice from Artichoke to see what all the hype was about. Worst slice I've ever had. Pasty, cardboard crust topped with unseasoned sauce and inexplicably flavorless pepperoni. At $5, I felt scammed.
Sietsema is spot-on about Artichoke pizza; it basically looks like somebody vomited on a pie, sliced it and offered it for sale. I've tried it twice for argument's sake, and still wonder what the fuss is about. But those Detroit pies - hmm, I may be willing to switch my allegiance every now and then from NY-style.
ReplyDeleteArtichoke in my experience is very inconsistent. I've had excellent freshly made slices and lame older slices. They were groundbreaking in their time.
ReplyDeleteTheir pizza is DELICIOUS!
ReplyDeleteIf you're not getting the Sicilian slice at Artichoke, you're doing it wrong. it's the only thing I'll ever get there.
ReplyDeleteI’ll still stick with my grandma slice from Solo Pizza on Ave B... y’all can have Artichoke all all their press
ReplyDeleteArtichoke pizza is nasty.
ReplyDeleteThose Artichoke slices were pretty good at first if only for a change of pace from everyday slices, but then they got more and more wet and gloopy and required a heavy dose of hot red pepper to make them edible. Their Sicilian slices were always the best, followed by the Margarita. But there are way too many other pizza options out there, ones that don't cause you to gain several pounds after each visit.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is Joe’s Pizza in the West Village which has been spectacular of late, although the lines have been out the door. I haven’t tried Prince Street Pizza yet, and they always have ridiculously long lines, because it just seems like it’s all tourists who read about the place on TripAdvisor.
Weren't these the same guys who a few years ago tried to convince us that Staten Island pizza was the best, and now they are opening Detroit style pizzerias?
Some of the best pizza I had as a kid was those little square pizzas in a box at Shea Stadium. The tomato sauce tasted like ketchup, which is about what you get from many of these new pizza places.
Prince Street Pizza isn't even the original
ReplyDeleteAlso note, for those constantly complaining about the rising price of everything in our fair city -- a regular personal pie (the only size they sell) from LT&B is just $5. I couldn't finish the whole thing for lunch, and I pretty much always finish my lunch....
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. I'll stick with Joe's Pizza.
ReplyDeleteThis will make everyone love Artichoke even more...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHeDCm9Ah9c