Slice. Uptown: 5538 Magazine St . 504-897-4800.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 15:38

Restaurants - Pizza (And Basic Pasta)

Slice

Uptown: 5538 Magazine St . 504-897-4800. Map.
Very Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
In a town without a lot in the way of great pizza, Slice is a standout. It makes first-class thin-crust pizzas in the New York style with an array of excellent toppings. The kitchen also makes a surprisingly large list of daily specials, sandwiches, and appetizers.

WHY IT'S GOOD
Even the first step toward convenience in the making of pizza brings it down. Slice uses none of those. They make their own dough, hand-toss it, bake it in a very hot flatbed oven that makes the bottom crisp, and buys top cheeses, excellent meats and fresh vegetables for the toppings. The offbeat daily specials--many of which don't seem they belong in such a utilitarian place--shows that the people in the kitchen aren't just following a formula. They actually know how to cook.

BACKSTORY
Slice is owned by the same people who have the two Juan's Flying Burrito restaurants in the area. Before it was a restaurant, the narrow St. Charles Avenue original location was a dressmaker's shop. The new Magazine Street branch was a tuxedo store that bears a resemblance to the first location.

DINING ROOM
A long, narrow room with a beat-up tile and concrete floor stretches from the sidewalk to what seems like the middle of the next block, interrupted by the entire kitchen, and ending in a bar. Tables run through the entire place. The open kitchen not only allows a good look at the proceedings, but lets the aroma make you hungry while you wait for the pasta or the pie.

ESSENTIAL MENU
Starters
Bruschetta with tomatoes and basil
»Caprese salad
Barbecue shrimp
Mussels in basil and garlci broth
Antipasto or similar, bigger nosh plate
»Greek salad
Arugula salad with tomato and Pecorino
Entrees
»Pizza (all kinds)
»Calzones
Muffuletta panini
Barbecue shrimp poor boy
Pasta aglio olio (NO bordelaise)
»Four cheese ravioli
Lasagna
Salmon pesto pasta
Desserts
Gelato
Tiramisu

FOR BEST RESULTS
Get your order in (at the front counter; they'll find you and bring it when ready), and settle to the rear for a glass of wine or a cocktail. It will be awhile before a pizza appears, but that's a good sign. Ask whether they have a wine dinner going on. If so, ask about it; it's so ambitious that you may be tempted.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The shabbiness may be a bit much for some fastidious people. (No cleanliness problem, though.) There's not really a good place to wait when the restaurant is busy.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

• Dining Environment -2
• Consistency +1
• Service
• Value +1
• Attitude +1
• Wine and Bar +1
• Hipness +1
• Local Color

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

• Sidewalk tables
• Open Sunday lunch and dinner
• Open Monday lunch and dinner
• Open all afternoon
• Good for children
• Easy, nearby parking
• No reservations