Baby Luc's

Riding the coattails of Lucali’s success, this pizzeria is getting a lot of hype cause it’s trendy and hip, trying to gain acclaim by association. Billed as Lucali’s “Slice Shop,” you can actually purchase an entire pie now, but bring your piggy bank cause pies go for over $30 a pop. This joint may share Lucali’s name but they serve a completely different style of pizza. No circles here, just square slices or rectangular pies, which can be considered “Roman style,” but definitely not Sicilian or Detroit style pizza. The dough is thickish but still very light and airy, aside from the crust, which is definitely heavier and more crispy. Portnoy got a reheated slice, which automatically makes it 10 times crispier than a fresh pie from the oven, which is softer and void of crisp in the middle. The other ingredients are very thin with the cheese spread lightly & tightly, still very tasty with nice little charred bubbles and a sharp flavor. The sauce is lacking in both taste and quantity. I expected way more spice & flavor from the sauce but maybe there just wasn’t enough on the pie. The basil leaves dress up the pizza a bit but are more for show than added taste. Overall, it’s good pizza, not great; way overpriced and slightly overrated. Anyone scoring this above 8 is channeling Lucali’s pizza excellence; for the price they’re charging here, you’re better off going around the block and getting the real thing.