It was the Labor Day holiday, and the Snob planned a trip to the sometimes forgotten New York City borough of Staten Island. Always interested in seeing a good baseball game, I took the short trip over the Bayonne Bridge to see the Staten Island Yankees play. This minor league version of my favorite team offered a much more affordable event than seeing the major league version play up in their new castle in the Bronx.

The Island had been a place that I, like most Bayonnites, visited many times in my youth. It was a place to play golf; it had the nearest shopping mall; and it had an 18-year old drinking age long before New Jersey did. I recently received some intel through the blog that there were some worthy pizza joints over there to discover. My plan then was to have a late pizza dinner after catching a few innings of the ball game. However, as a result of the holiday, I could find only one worthy-looking pizza joint that was open. As you will learn, my experience turned out to be a great one.

After an hour of baseball – I had seen two full innings, nine runs and five errors–it was time for me to eat, so I headed further south on the island to Joe and Pat’s, self-described as “Staten Island’s Thin Crispy Crust Pizza.” This place is a walk-up slice joint with an adjoining room that serves as a full-menu restaurant. I walked up to the counter and ordered a pair of $2.00 slices.

At first glance, the thin and crispy slices brought back memories of a “bar pie” from the fine Venice Tavern in Bayonne. After my first crunchy bite I knew that I was in for a treat. Those two fabulous slices went down so fast that I didn’t know what hit me. They were so tasty I immediately had a craving for more. The cheese, light and perfect, looked to have been melted from slices. The spicy sauce was sharp and delicious. But for me, the best part was biting into the great-tasting blackened thin crust. I loved how the crust cracked when you folded it in half to devour. Still hungry, I ordered two more to satisfy my yearning taste buds and eating them was equally as satisfying.

I know several other highly-respected pizza joints exist on Staten Island, but it’s going to be hard for me not revisit Joe and Pats next time I’m there. Their pie is unique and special and deserves to be tried by everyone – at least a few times.

PIZZA SNOB RATING     **** Near Perfection

Joe and Pat’s Pizzeria and Restaurant
1758 Victory Blvd
Staten Island, NY 10314
718-981-0887
www.joeandpatspizzany.com