Monday, May 21, 2007

Amish Market: Best Pizza In Midtown? Bet the Buggy On It

Amish Market West
731 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
(212) 245-2360
www.amishfinefood.com

FOR TWO YEARS I practically lived off the Amish Market. It's that good. And if I didn't eat there absolutely every day, I certainly bought my coffee there every morning without fail. How can you pass up a place that makes "coffee with milk" using steamed milk without you having to ask or pay extra for it? I'm sorry, you didn't know the Amish made excellent coffee? They also make delicious sushi, salads, fresh-sliced sandwiches, and--get ready for this--the best pizza in Midtown.

That said, I've never eaten at Amish Market West, or any of its other locations around the city, only at the 45th St. location stuck between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, where its a beeline from the AETN offices to the Amish's front door. I was nevertheless quick to recommend it when a coworker asked for a not-terrible suggestion for a late-night working meal. My suggestion, specifically: brick oven pizza.

Why assume one store is as good as another? At Amish Market East, there's a guy who works the brick oven counter, serving up pies and hot sandwiches, hundreds of them daily, and chumming it up with the endless stream of customers--he seemingly knows everyone by name. He is as authentically Italian a pizza pie-making guy as you are likely to meet in this city. On his reputation alone I staked my confidence of suggesting Amish Market West, even with it being a different store entirely.

Was the pizza as good as over East? Decidedly not. I doubt my pizza guy would have let the crust stay so soft; there were no crispy, burnt-black spots on the underside of our Western crust to keep the slices stiff. The mushrooms and mozzarella were certainly up to par, as fresh you'll find anywhere. Working late, the best part was not having to pick up the bill.

MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: He'll walk over to E. 45th.

Photo courtesy Bob's Walk, photographing every block of every street in NYC since 1988.

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