Alsatians have something called a flammekueche, or tarte flambée. A delicious flatbread topped with…read morefromage blanc, onions and cured pork belly, it's the closest thing France's culinary tradition has to a pizza. It's not a pizza, though. The French simply aren't known for their pizzas. They are quite fond, unfortunately, of the kind you defrost in a microwave (seriously-a visit to any French frozen aisle will confirm this). Pizzaioli, the French most certainly are not; finding a good slice in Paris is no easy task.
I'm also difficult to please when it comes to Pizza. I have eaten hundreds (literally) of slices of Chez Panisse's. I have eaten pizza in the Midwest, and indulged in plenty of slices in New York. Purely for professional purposes, I spent much of a year avidly sampling countless Roman pizzas (sorry, Doc!). I ate plenty more on excursions to Napoli. I've made my fair share of pizzas too. Pizza is far from my favorite thing to eat, but I'd like to think I know a thing or two about it and its consumption.
This is a roundabout way of introducing Nick (and Nick's pizza). Nick is a New Yorker who has spent most of his life in France. About two years ago he decided it was time to give Parisian pizza an upgrade, so he opened his eponymously named pizzeria. Chatting with him is like talking to someone I have known for years. He's one of the most affable people I've ever met. His personality is winning and so is his pizza. I really appreciate how much pride Nick takes in it. His secret is probably the dough, which he lets ferment for three days. His sourdough is delightfully tangy and crisp. The first slice I had was Margherita dotted with pesto. It was daringly garlicky; it was almost dangerously garlicky. I loved it. I've been back to sample a smattering of his slices and none disappoint.
The other thing I'm very fond of are his cheekily named house sodas like "Nick's not-Red Bull," which are good and can be refilled as much as you'd like for 1 Euro (he cheekily explains that he doesn't think sugar-water should cost more than that).