East Village

Joe Junior makes a fantastic cheeseburger

It’s always good to have an inside scoop on the things that matter, like burgers. Take Joe Junior. The first and only time I’d had it before today, I thought it was overhyped. But I recently learned you have to ask for it cooked with salt and WITHOUT THE PLANCHA. (It doesn’t hurt to order it medium-rare, either.)

Weekly Pizza Lunch: The Calabrese pie at Nicoletta

Like most bar or Midwestern pizzas, this pie is extremely satisfying and wallops you with flavor. The crust is flavorful, though I still think it’s not going to satisfy fans of Neapolitan or New York–style pizza. The crust is almost a vehicle for molten cheese and, in Nicoletta’s case, high-quality toppings. It’s basically Midwestern gut-busting pizza as done by a hot-shit New York City chef (which, by all accounts White, the former Wisconsinite, is).