Restaurant of the Week: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Brewery

By Erica Cerulo

Most successful pizza joints have Italian-sounding names: DiFara's, Lombardi's, Domino's. But, then again, most slice havens don't specialize in a creamy artichoke-and-spinach pie that has won East Village newcomer Artichoke a following. It's not that the shop -- a literal storefront that's technically called "Artichoke Basille's Pizza and Brewery" -- is a one-hit wonder, though. It has a perfectly crisped classic recipe that's heaped with tomato sauce, basil, and mozzarella, a new clam-dip-based offering that's just as rich as the namesake concoction, and whatever else the two Jersey cousins feel like cooking up. The Pinkberry-esque line outside (20 people deep on a Tuesday!) is your first sign that the stuff's worth waiting for. The next is the no-nonsense setup: Photos of the Kennedy brothers and Muhammad Ali, pizza boxes and a worn-out chandelier are the only décor to speak of. The pies have a similarly haphazard quality, but the oversized slices ($2-3 each) no doubt deliver, with a crust that is equal parts chew and crunch. For the time being, some of the early non-pizza offerings (think cauliflower fritters) are off the table, but the brewery aspect is expected to launch later this month with 32-ounce beers in Styrofoam to-go cups. And one tip for those not interested in unpredictable hours or crowds: Call ahead to make sure it's open -- or to order a whole pizza ($15-20) and skip the line altogether.

Artichoke
328 E. 14th St.,
(212) 228-2004

Photo from The New York Sun

Posted Jun. 25, 2008,

The Pizza Shop: A Marriage of Rock 'n' Roll and Pizza

By Alexis Swerdloff

The East Village rocker boys behind Bowery Electric, Jesse Malin and Johnny T, along with Kevin Cole (of Two Boots fame), have teamed up, all in the name of pizza. The rock 'n' roll trio is the force behind The Pizza Shop, located on Avenue A and 7th Street, which officially has its grand opening tonight. The spot has been serving pizza since the 1960s (yes, we've all drunkenly gotten pizza there at 3 in the morning at some point in our lives), but the new owners decided to gussy up the space a bit (while staying true to its old school roots, of course) adding black and white tiled floors, new black formica countertops and art onto the walls -- a stand-out is a Ginsberg print of Jack Kerouac standing on the corner of A and 7th -- and, of course, new pizza. Here's a cool tidbit about the place: All the pizza boxes are limited edition prints. According to a press release we received: "Around 1500 of each box style is made and then never reproduced. The first one being a photo of The Clash from 1979 taken by world famous rock photographer Bob Gruen. Each box will have a different image created by well known and local artists featuring their particular style and medium and these boxes are free with a purchase of any pizza." As we mentioned earlier, tonight's the opening, so if you're in the hood, stop by for your very own signed Bob Gruen pizza box!

Posted Apr. 3, 2008,

Eight Items or Less: Jay-Z's Making Millions, Caffeine's Blocking Effects of Cholesterol and Pizza.com's Been Sold

By Gary Pini

1. If Jay-Z and Beyonce get married tomorrow, they will be able to afford one unbelievable honeymoon. The advances quoted for his Live Nation deal are staggering: $10 million for each album, $25 million for concerts, $20 million for music publishing, $25 million for new fashion ventures and $50 million in loose change.

2. The University of South Dakota gave some rabbits a cup of coffee every day for 12 weeks and discovered that caffeine blocks some of the harmful effects of cholesterol, including dementia. (via BBC)

3. April is National Soy Month!

4. The New York Public Art Fund is spending $15 million (1 1/2 Jay-Z albums) to build three temporary waterfalls designed by the artist Olafur Eliasson. They will be up along Manhattan's east side waterfront from July to October.

5. The domain name pizza.com sold today for $2,605,000. (via sedo.com)

6. The Chelsea Hotel is 125 years old.

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