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| - Rocco's sure looks like a NYC pizza joint. Partial brick façade, pictures of old-time Italian New Yorkers strewn on walls, abrupt but not necessarily rude employees, and display plates of each dish laid out behind the plexi-glass counter, all work out to a great facsimile of what you find in the City. Huge plus for me, even the New York-style service. I've spent many a months in the city that never sleeps and have eaten my share of New York style pizza, which is one of my favorite dish of all time. I'd have to say that pizza here is basically the same as what you will get in a "typical" pizza joint on any street corner in the City. And that's a good thing.
I ordered a slice of pepperoni and a slice of pepperoni/sausage, with a fountain drink. $9.50 for that, which is NOT like NYC. You can get that for $2-3 cheaper out there, so it's not necessarily a great bargain. First bite into the pepperoni and the bottom is a bit crunchier than I'd like. The end crust is a bit crispier than I'd like also. Pep/Sausage is better on both fronts, but I like the taste of the pep better. The sauce is typical, not great but not bad either. It comes piping hot after they reheat in the pizza oven, so be careful you don't burn your mouth. I did. They also have stromboli and calzone, both of which I'd like to try one day.
Like I said, it's really not any different than the typical street corner pizza joint with solid pies, awesome setting, and take-it-or-leave-it service. So does that deserve a 4 or 5-star rating? Well, the level of pizza is probably a 3.5 based on a 4-star for the actual typical NYC pie, and obviously service is somewhere around 3. But with the authentic setting and the fact that this "real" NYC shop is a mile from my house, I'm upping it to a 4 even with the inflated pricing. But seriously, $3.50 is too much for a slice, Rocco.
Table-for-1 Pizza: One big reason I frequented Manhattan pizza joints often is the fact that you could eat there alone, unnoticed (not a loner, was there for work often). No different here, so it's a perfect spot.
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