A pizza slice has three sides and three ingredients
Cheese, sauce and dough
Some say that it is the perfect food
I think that it is delicious
The above attempt at a poem is a tribute to the brilliantly minimal Jim Jarmusch film, Patterson. Set in the overtly urban New Jersey city, it is a touching tale about a young bus driver who shares his name with the city in which he lives. He has a passion for poetry, and his bus passes Broadway Pizza as it rides through Patterson’s downtown. After seeing the film three times, there was no doubt I’d be there soon to visit the water falls, the Lou Costello statue and of course, Broadway pizza.
So, one Saturday afternoon, I took a late winter trip up through North Jersey to Patterson. The falls were quite a remarkable sight to see within the context of the city’s urban blight. (No offense, but I’d like to think that Patterson has seen better days.) The Costello statue was, well, a statue. The weather was quite cold and icy, so my stops were brief. It was now time for a quick slice of pizza before heading home.
Maneuvering somewhat clueless through the maze of downtown, I spotted the big red “Broadway Pizza” sign that I recognized from the film. I finally find a parking spot on the crowded city street and after feeding the parking meter with my credit card, made my way into the corner pizza joint location.
The inside of Broadway looked like it has been here a long time and seen a lot of traffic. It was quite busy despite being in between the lunch and dinner feeding times. I ordered a plain cheese slice ($2.25) from the many that were on display at the long counter. There was ample seating space at several tables inside and I got my slice really quick.
Right off, I knew that this slice would not be a poetic paradise. My hunk of pizza looked to be a fat, cheesy, oily, soggy and sloppy mess. And it was—a two-hander for sure. Taste wise, to use a local phrase, “it wasn’t bad.” However, it was seriously lacking in the crispness department. It was so soggy like it had come out of a microwave rather than a pizza oven.
Nary a spot of char, somehow the end crust managed to produce some decent taste. I concluded this episode leaving a sad-looking jettisoned glob of cheese on my paper plate. It was a major flaw to use more cheese than was humanly necessary.
Sorry, but I expect better pizza than this in Jersey. Go see the incredible water falls, but go somewhere else for pizza.
PIZZA SNOB RATING *** Better Than Dominos
Broadway Pizza
56 Broadway
Patterson, NJ 07505
973-279-3996
[no website]