★★★1/2
Overall Rating: Very Good to Excellent ($1/2)
Pizza ordered: Margherita
Crust: I generally don't expect to see a crust worthy of being called "Neapolitan inspired" at pizza kitchens using a gas oven; excellent New York style maybe, but in the absence of the high heat of a wood or coal oven, a nicely charred crust is not as common.
Well, Mid City Pizza was a welcomed surprise. The crust on the Mid City pie was every bit worthy of being called Neapolitan inspired. The crust was thin enough and had the requisite crispiness around the edges as well as transitioning into a chewiness in the upper layer; however, most impressively, the Mid City crust displayed and excellent charring on the bottom. Of course, with the lack wood or coal fire, the characteristic flavor of the char is diminished, but the bottom texture is just where it needs to be.
Sauce: I found Mid-City's sauce to be a very well balanced crushed tomato blend with no overwhelming spices or saltiness. The sauce lightly compliments and underpins the whole pie experience, just as it should.
Cheese: Mid-City uses a very good quality mozzarella bufala and distributes it over the margherita pie expertly...just enough to be present without any overpowering, cheesy essence found with over-application of lower quality mozzarella's.
Other Topping(s): The basil was fresh, and placed on the pizza at the right time during cooking; releasing the basil character without drying it out or turning it brown. The basil was certainly adequately applied; however, I could have stood more. I'm a huge basil fan!
Atmosphere: The atmosphere is somewhere between mid-city New Orleans neighborhood cozy and Mid-City hipster. It's bright, comfortable and family-friendly inside, and has some basic seating on a deck outside where you can enjoy a view of the vibrant, off-the-tourist-path neighborhood!
Service: We arrived around 5:00 p.m. and were greeted by very friendly counter-service. The server at the counter answered all our questions patiently and even let me sample their on-tap beer selection. They have a decent wine selection as well. This pizzeria is basically no-frills, but very efficient, as well as laid-back.
Utensils: Basic utensils and adequate paper napkins.
Overall: Mid-City Pizza is definite hit. I would compare it to the Bywater's Pizza Delicious (putting it in good company) in quality, with, I feel, more efficient service in the ordering. If you are a serious fan of Neapolitan-inspired or New York style pies, you should definitely put Mid-City Pizza on your itinerary.
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