As a proud native Chicagoan, I don't pretend to know good New York-style pizza from bad. Still, the fact that there are two New York pizza joints vying for business in South Reno — just a few blocks away from one another — presented an intriguing challenge. I wanted to know how they'd stack up against each other — not from the perspective of an "in-the-know" New Yorker, but just a South Reno newbie who enjoys pizza.
My first stop was NuYalk Pizza at 9780 S. Virignia St. http://www.nuyalkpizza.com/
NuYalk Pizza has been in Reno since 1978, although it moved this year from its longtime home on Moana Lane to this brand-new building in front of South Reno's WinCo supermarket.
In the Windy City, if a pizza place has survived more than 25 years, you know it's going to be good. Chicago is a hardcore pizza town and competition is stiff. So I was optimistic that NuYalk Pizza would be decent, if not really good.
Accompanied by my husband, I entered NuYalk Pizza to see that cheese pizza by the slice costs $2.16. If you add one topping, a slice is $2.74. Weirdly, a sign warned, "Only one topping, not even my mom gets two." What's up with that?
I opted for a slice topped with mushrooms and my husband ordered a slice with sausage. Refillable fountain drinks were $1.75 each.
The sausage pizza was unlike any we'd ever seen. "What the heck is that?," I queried, staring at the greyish mystery meat. "It doesn't look like sausage, it looks sort of like gyros."
A close second, in the "What the heck is that?" department, was the sausage pizza from Green Giant Pizza (yes, that was really the name of the place) in West Valley City, Utah. That one was covered with sliced hot dogs.
So now the suspense was killing us. Did NuYalk Pizza's "sausage" taste like sausage or like gyros? It didn't taste like either of those things. It had the consistency of a chew toy. Rawhide Pizza?
As for the mushroom pizza, yes, at least the topping looked and tasted like raw mushrooms. I guess that's why you're only allowed to order one topping on your lunchtime slice at NuYalk Pizza. It would take too much effort to throw TWO handfuls of uncooked vegetables on top of a slice of cheese pizza.
Oh, and I added a bit of parmesan and oregano to the mushroom slice. It made me feel slightly less deprived.
In the case of both slices, the thin crust from the middle of the pie was not bad. The edges of the slices were too thick and dry. The cheese and tomato sauce tasted all right but the portions were sparse.
Would we buy this pizza again? No way.
As for the ambiance at NuYalk Pizza, the large room features lots of natural lighting, which is nice. Banners and photos on the walls (naturally) pay homage to the Big Apple. I half-expected music from New York, as well, but was relieved to hear Night Ranger instead of The Ramones. Just a matter of personal taste, mind you.
In conclusion, I know I don't speak for the legions who've patronized Reno's NuYalk Pizza over the years — or for yesterday's lunch crowd, many of whom appeared to be relishing their slices. If that's their idea of pizza heaven, more power to them, but this was my first and last visit to NuYalk Pizza.
Next up? The competitor — Bronx Pizzeria, 7689 S. Virginia St. in South Reno. Stay tuned.
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