Another day, another debate on what to get for lunch. My friend Mary stopped by after a job interview and we decided to hit the town. Westbury, New York has a plethora of restaurants and eateries as far as the eye can see. We decided to try out this new pizza place on Old Country Road called 'Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza.' Located in a large shopping center with a Barnes and Noble and a Guitar Center, the place seemed like a choice lunch destination for local business people on their lunch breaks.
Upon entering we were greeted by a gigantic juice-head of a host, his greasy spiked hair leading us to our table. The place was strangely decorated. There was a lot of movie and music memorabilia on the walls, and several flat screen TVs tuned to ESPN. It was kind of a mish-mosh of decor. I didn't really feel the whole Italian pizzeria vibe. However, the place smelled great.
Our waiter (I think his name was James) was friendly and helpful, guiding us through the menu and explaining the lunch specials. I noticed that the table had a nice condiment holder with a circular metal apparatus on the top. After giving the place a once over, I concluded that this was where the pizza would rest. We decided to split a small pie, half regular and half "Paul and Young Ron." I was a little disappointed when the drinks came and they gave us a cup of ice and a 20 oz plastic bottle. No fountain drinks? WTF.
The bar seemed nice, with large wine racks along the back wall. Would I ever want to come in here for a drink? I highly doubt it. I overheard the guys at the next table talking about how good the chicken wings are. I decided that if I were to come back here again, I'd have to try them.
Our food arrived and was placed onto the metal apparatus by a very nice looking waitress. She asked to serve us our first slice. The meal was on.
The small pie was actually quite large and was cut into 6 slices. My "Paul and Young Ron" consisted of meatballs, sausage, hot Italian peppers and ricotta cheese (Italian pronunciation: [riˈkotta]). My only real complaint about the pizza was not lack of flavor or greasiness, but how the peppers were presented. Anyone who has had or seen spicy Italian peppers know that they are quite large and thick. Instead of chopping up the pepper it was laid to rest atop each slice whole. Taking my first bite resulted in the pepper falling right off onto my plate.
Mary and I opted to trade slices and I tried her regular slice. The sauce was quite delicious and sweet. The cheese also tasted very fresh. I was very full after eating only 3 small slices so I decided to take home my last slice to give to my parents to try. The pizza was actually quite expensive at $16.25. My theory on price is: if I am satisfied after the meal, not too full, and not still hungry, then it was worth it. You know it was a decent meal if you're craving that cigarette after-wards, as we both definitely were.
THE LOVERDICT
Anthony's is definitely worth a shot if your in the Westbury/Carle Place area, a prime destination during this holiday shopping season (Roosevelt Field Mall, one of the East Coast's largest shopping centers, is located here.) Although I have had pizza like this many times before (See my review on Scotto's), it was pretty damn good. I would like to try this place again at least one more time and get the chicken wings, which are also cooked in the coal oven.
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza
137 Old Country Rd.
Carle Place, NY 11514
(516) 877-7750
anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com
