The New York Times reviews a pizza?  
     Even a 4-star restaurant canít bet the taste of a perfect pizza. Hereís what the Timesí reviewer wrote about Patsyís Pizzeria: ìÖone thing is clear: You will never confuse any of the Patsyís pizza with the myriad Rayís pizzas. Those at Patsyís are far superiorÖ
     Patsyís pizzas have a smooth, thin, light crusts, blackened and blistered by the heat and crisp all the way through. Coal ovens impart unmistakable smoky flavor that is characteristic of the classic New York Pizza. With fresh mozzarella, flavorful tomato sauce and toppings like red peppers roasted in the coal oven, the pizzas are superb.î

New York Times (December 22, 1996)
     Upper Crust:  As a connoisseur knows, coal ovens impart an unmistakable smoky flavor to a pizza crust that is characteristic of the classic New York pizza. For a taste of the real thing, here is the uptown sibling of the Murray Hill location. Patsyís pizza have smooth, thin, light crusts blistered by the heat and crisp all the way through. With fresh mozzarella, flavorful tomato sauce and toppings like red peppers roasted in the coal oven, the pizzas are superb.

A Taste of the Top 10 - East, drink & be merry, for hereís the finest in affordable dining.
     This last year had the best crop in a decade of new affordable restaurants, but you wouldnít know it from my Top 10. Rather, the proof is in the eateries that didnít quite make the final cut.
     Indeed, the highest praise you can give my Top 10 selectionsÖis that theyíre superior to the runners-up mentioned. 
     PATSYíS, 509 Third Ave., at 34th St.
     New Yorkís glorious pizza heritage expanded its spiritual rebirth with the opening of a new Patsyís. Itís old-fashioned green glass sign with the distinctive script of the legendary Patsyís in East Harlem is a beacon to 34th St. moviegoers. Gas-fired ovens in the rear of the handsome cherry-wood interior duplicate to a large degree the crisp texture, burned bottoms and puffy surfaces of a classic brick-oven crust. Pies are topped with chunky plum-tomato sauce, pure-white mozzarella, and basil strips. Count on excellent salads and pastas, too.

Friday, February 10, 1995
     Patsyís: New Yorkís Glorious Pizza heritage expands its spiritual rebirth with the opening of a new Patsyís Pizzeria. It old-fashioned green glass sign with the distinctive script of legendary Patsyís in East Harlem is already one of two landmark sites off 34th Street. I saw the sign and the handsome cherry-wood interior and got so giddy I was prepared to rave without stepping inside.
     That would have been premature. The owners of this new retro eatery may have purchased the Patsyís name, but the left the coal that fires it uptown. 
     Their gas-fired, brick-styled ovens successfully duplicate the crisp texture, burned bottoms and puffy surfaces of a classic crust such as the original Patsyís or its namesake in Brooklyn, but they lack the Old World flavor that coal or wood impart.
Still, these pies, when topped with plum tomatoes, pure white mozzarella and basil strips, are superior to 99.99% of the pizzas baked in the U.S. Donít, however, get carried away with extra toppings. Too many dry up the pies and make them too thick.
Patsyís also does some fine pastas and wonderful Italian salads. The individual salads are more elegant, but the family salads serve four people more efficiently and economically. Youíre probably going to share a pizza anyway ñ small pies serve three normal adults.
     The most boring pasta choice, spaghetti with plum tomato sauce, would be my top pick. Linguini Fra Diavolo might also merit another spin around my table, but pappardella with sun-dried tomatoes, wild mushrooms and cream sauce will only weigh us down. Almost everything does with the red 1993 Santa Cristina; itís too good to ignore.

     Patsyís is a legendary name. The original 118th Street location, established back in the 1930s, purveys some of the cityís best pizza, many fans will tell you.
     The first time we went for lunch, the waiter offered bread sticks. Foolish us, we almost said no, wanting to avoid the calories. The bread sticks were a peak experience ñ long, skinny ones, the kind you see in Italy, but fashioned of pizza dough and fresh, still warm from the brick pizza ovens, served with a small bowl of herbed, peppery dipping olive oil. If I could have seconds, those bread sticks alone, with the oil, could be a meal.
     Idyllic right? Well, yes. But when we showed up a few days later and asked to have some while we waited, an owner brusquely said, no, we donít have them now, only rolls! I am willing, however, to forgive almost anything when somebody gives me a pizza this good. The crust is magically light and crisp, the kind of crust that really makes you want to eat even the edges, the part without any filling on it. But such filling! Mozzarella thatís pure and creamy, tomatoes that are voluptuous, red and plump. Then, the pie was topped off with a generous scattering of fragrant fresh basil.
     The basic is such perfection that thereís really no way to top it, but a white pie made with both ricotta and mozzarella came pretty close. Though some aficionados believe that only coal-fired ovens can turn out top-notch pizzas, the pizza jockeys who man the gas-fired ovens here may be proving them wrong.
Of the salads we tried, the Arugula with endives, radicchio, sun-dried tomatoes and generous slices of aged Parmigiano was the best. The lovely mozzarella was served as a salad., too, with fresh-roasted peppers, meaty olives, basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Simple mixed green salad had enough kinds of buttery leaves of Bibb, to be interesting.
     Pasta fagioli, that homey soup of beans and pasta, was soul-satisfying, made of those bright, lush tomatoes, the little ear-shaped pastas known as orecchetti, white beans and garlic. Minestrone was a hearty, nourishing choice, too, when it was zuppa del giorno.
     Salads ñ and pasta, too ñ are available in either family-sized servings big enough for several to share or as individual portions. Top favorite with our crowd was a rich sauce of wild mushrooms, cream, Marsala and sun-dried tomatoes enriched with aged Parmigiano and pecorino (sheepís milk) cheeses and served over fresh pappardelle the wide pasta noodles. An unusual red ìpestoî sauce, flavored with sun-dried tomatoes and basil, as well as the pungent little Gaeta olives, was served over orecchiette.
     Gemelli Arugula and chicken pasta ñ gamelli means twin ñ was a fresh tubulr pasta with an appealingly light tomato sauce. Penne puttanesca was made of beautifully fresh ingredients, but the usually zesty sauce, which contains capers and olives along with tomatoes, was mild here. 
     There are few misses. Meaty Bolinese served over green fettucine was comfort food. Rigatoni alla vodka was perfectly al dente, served in a light tomato sauce sparked with bacon. Best of all, simplest of all, was spaghetti with a wonderful, simple tomato-basil sauce.
     Obviously, lots of other people are happy here, too, which has led to a long dayís night for some of the waiters. Ours was frazzled because of the intense pace, but he was trying, and a little kindness went a long way with him.
     Patsyís is a bright, long room, with ovens at the back. A solid panel of shattered glass, the kind thatís purposely cracked, separates the bar from the dining room area, and double mirrored windows create the feeling that there is more space than there actually is. From the green faux-marble tabletops to the crowd of welcome plants, everything looks spiffy and new.
     But the pizza recipe ñ thatís old and thatís what counts.