As most of us know, getting a reservation at a hot NYC pizza place is close to impossible. Either no reservations are accepted or they are never available so we end up waiting 2+ hours for a table. When I was looking for a restaurant, to have a Sunday family dinner, we wanted quality NYC pizza eats, as that is a staple in our diet. I heard about Nicholas Morgenstern’s GG’s, in the East Village, and loved that it flew under the radar. I called the day we wanted to go and got a reservation for 8 people at 7:00 pm with no issue. Living in Chelsea, you can imagine that I very rarely head over to Avenue A as I had to embarrassingly look at the subway map to figure out how to get there. When we walked into GG’s, the restaurant gave off such an intimate vibe for a New York style pizza restaurant. The hostess sat us immediately upon arriving, at a cozy table in the back, so we could enjoy our dining experience as a big group. In addition to NYC pizza, the menu surprisingly offers several fantastic entrees including: Pennsylvania Trout, Sweet Baked Squash, Cast Iron Chicken and a Pan Seared Burger. One of my favorite parts about dining with a big group is getting to try a variety of different items on a menu. We started off the meal with a few of their Dandelion salads (Walnuts, pleasant ridge cheese with a brown butter vinaigrette) as we didn’t want to fill up too much before the main part of the show. Before you jump to any conclusions about how many entrees and pizzas we ordered, we did have left overs (okay maybe just 1 or 2 slices). The two big guys (they know who they are) ordered the pan seared burger topped with secreto sauce accompanied with crispy french fries. I can’t attest to it, as I don’t eat meat, but when two people say nothing but “mmm,” and continuously nod their heads, you know it’s good! Now for our NYC pizza rundown. GG’s has very unique names for the pizzas offered but the menu does a great job describing each topping to expect. We ordered the Ebony & Ivory, the infamous Grandma’s (square) Pie, Capo the Great, 1986, and two custom pies. One was white mozzarella, with onions and arugula, and the other goat cheese, mushrooms and arugula (yes you assumed right we are pretty health conscious too!) Capo The Great littleneck, cockle, & razor clams, mozzarella, ricotta, mushrooms, garlic confit, rosemary The pies didn’t all come out at the same time which was to our benefit, because trying to fit all of these pizzas at 1 table, plus the burgers, wouldn’t have been an easy feat. For dessert we sang Happy Birthday to my fiancé’s Dad and ordered a couple of brownie and ice cream sundaes to top off the meal. If you’re looking for quality NYC pizza eats, a table waiting for you, and superb service, definitely head out and over to GG’s – even if it will be your first time to Avenue A too! Don’t be afraid – The East Village is your friend. And if you went to Goat Town a few months back, the space may or may not look a little familiar to you. For More Info on GG’s and their Awesome NYC Pizza check out their website OPEN 7 DAYS 11AM – MIDNIGHT 511 E 5TH STREET NY NY 10009 (212) 687-3641
