Rubirosa

For years now, no one other than tourists with out-of-date guidebooks would dream of going to an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street. Then Torrisi opened, and everyone everywhere stood in line to get in. And now there's Rubirosa, an achingly trendy spot helmed by a scion of the legendary Staten Island pizza joint Joe & Pat's.

The service is spotty, the tables awkwardly placed and spaced. But the pizza is so thin it has to be eaten to be believed. We ordered the classic with tomato sauce and mozzarella, sold by a reference to a fifty-year-old recipe on the menu, and the sausage, broccoli rabe, and pecorino. Somehow, despite the crust's leanness, each pie held its toppings. While we wouldn't go so far as to call it the "best pizza in New York," as New York magazine just did, we discovered that the occasional crunchy pizza can be satisfying.