The name Ray's is used by over a hundred places in New York. In fact, several NY papers and TV stations have tried over the years to locate the "original" Ray's and as far as I know they've failed. One of the Ray's contenders in NY had a Yelp review that started: "... can be summed up in 4 words "It's better than Sbarro" Tough crowd!
So what exactly is a New York pizza?
Well it has a very thin crust, that when you pick it up, the front flops down. That's why New Yorkers fold it in half. The better tasting ones seem to use San Marzano tomatoes and a better type of mozzarella. A few dust their pizza with oregano or EVOO.
This Ray's is the closest to that New York pizzeria feel and atmosphere. It has those glass counters that you will find up there. It even has what we call Sicilian slices, or "squares". This Ray's tries real hard and for the most part it succeeds in creating a New York pie. So it's "A-OK" in Yelp-ese.
In my previous review, I said that NYPD makes me feel like I'm waiting for an E train to Queens; whereas Ray's feels more upper east side-ish. I still believe that's still a fair assessment, though their crusts have suffered over time.
On some nights, depending on who is making the pies, these two places might only be slightly better than Sbarro. Sadly, the crust can sometimes be as hard as cardboard. So after two and a half years, which one do I believe is closest to tasting like a New York pie?
Well... it may be the nearby Philly steak place Corleone's. Go figure!