What Up, Home Slice?

(06/24/2010)

Home Slice Pizza

I always loved the concept behind Nobu Next Door in New York. Sushi juggernaut Nobu was always packed, so in 1998, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Myriad Restaurant Group (Robert De Niro, Drew Nieporent, Richard Notar and Meir Teper) opened a satellite restaurant to accommodate the overflow. Easy peasy! What caught folks unawares was that the satellite became more desirable to many. If Nobu was your best girlfriend, Nobu Next Door was her hip, artsy younger sister. It was more casual, and (for anyone who couldn’t call Richie Notar’s office to secure a reservation) provided the same quality of food and service without the absurd wait (albeit, without reservations – except for large parties). What’s more, NND offered a fabulous raw bar, and celebrity sightings were de rigueur (Janet Jackson, the O-Twins, etc…). It offered a hip, local vibe in TriBeCa before TriBeCa had hip locals!

More Home Slice

So, when Jacob and I found ourselves spending the afternoon on South Congress Avenue in Austin’s tragically hip SoCo area, we decided to stop for a nosh at the highly recommended Home Slice Pizza. Surprisingly (to us, anyhow) there was a half-hour wait – at 3pm on a Monday afternoon in the middle of June, mind you… Then the hostess suggested that if we just wanted a slice and a soda, we might check-out More Home Slice, next door. So, we decided to do just that.

Throwing the crust at More Home Slice

Basically a kitchen and a waiting area with a counter running around the perimeter of the room, More Home Slice eliminated the hassle and in very short order we each had a big, foldable slice of New York-style, crispy crusted ‘za, and a pair of refreshing soft drinks. What caught me totally by surprise was the actual pizza, which was closer to New York pizza than I would’ve expected. Also, we noticed a sign saying that wine and beer was available for take-out! Another gold-star for Home Slice! We decided, then and there, to bring Mom back to SoCo on Wednesday, before heading to the airport, and grab lunch at Home Slice Pizza, next door.

White Pizza with Pepperoni, Sausage, and Fresh Tomatoes

Sure enough, we stuck to our plan. Again, there was a wait (although it was only ten minutes) so we put down our name and went to Stag, a new men’s store, nearby. Jake bought some glasses, and I spoke with one of the owners. This time we ordered a large (16”) White Pizza (Olive Oil, Garlic, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Provolone, and Romano) to which we added Pepperoni, Sausage and Fresh Tomatoes. Yum! The crust was crispy and flakey and the toppings were fresh and flavorful. In short, Home Slice Pizza’s moniker of Austin’s “Queen of Pies” is one that is well-deserved.

And if all of this doesn’t have Home Slice swimming in hipster street-cred, the collage installed on the outside wall of More Home Slice by contemporary illustrator and street-artist Shepard Fairey (Obama’s HOPE portrait) should more than do the trick.