Posto- Because Thin is Always In

Growing up in the Garden State, The Pants were taught many things from a young age: A handbag is a “pockabook;  any special occasion means it’s time to hit the tanning bed; sandwiches on long bread are called “subs;  and of course,  pizza should be thin.  Our parents always took us to their no-frills favorite pizza places on the Jersey shore, where pizzas came out crispy but strong enough to hold up to the sausage and peppers piled on top. The crunch of the crust and firm, not doughy etxture of the pizza was pure perfection, not heavy and brick-like in our stomachs. While NYC offers everything from a greasy corner slice to pizza made in ovens flown in from Naples, the first really good thin crust pizza I have tried was at Posto. I know you can never be too thin or too rich, but between the pizza and desserts at Posto, I don’t think that adage applies there at all…

Anyway, Posto is a really chill spot in the middle of  Gramercy on 2nd ave and 18th street, all dark wood and like the NJ places, decidedly lacking frills except for a jukebox.  I love any menu that offers garlic bread with cheese as an appetizer…how great is that? Just bread and garlic and cheese, BEFORE your pizza?  That to me is just pure decadence, course upon course of carbs.  Anyway, the pizzas are either 9″ personal size or 16” large, and we were torn between getting two or do doing half and half of a large.  Our waitress confided that she actually preferred the way the large pizzas cook, so we went big (then went home, ha ha).  Anyway, the thinness of the pizza greatly increases the amount of pizza that someone is able to consume, even with meatballs on it, so you might be surprised with the amount of goodness going down your gullet.  The meatballs, by the way, are tasty and homemade, and not too heavy for the thin, crispy pizza.  The crust is actually the thinnest that I remember having for a very long time.  If other pizzas are supermodels, Posto is Kate Moss. The Shroomtown pizza is our favorite of the jazzier options, and the plain classica (how we judge pizza) features ample fresh mozzarella properly melted,  sauce that tastes homemade and not too sweet, and basil scattered about.

On the “too rich” side of the equation is the bread pudding, which actually has nothing thin about it. The sauce is pure bourbon and sweetness, and the texture is dense but features my favorite bites of firmness.  Served a la mode it is the perfect way to end your meal…