Hunting for the best dollar-slice joint
By Bill Roundy The buck stops here!
In my time at this newspaper,
I have become an
aficionado of inexpensive cuisine,
scouring the city blocks
around our Downtown office
for a dish that will fill my stomach
without emptying my wallet.
So it felt like a visit from the
gustatory gods when two 99-cent
slice joints opened over the last
few weeks, each within 60 feet of
my favored Jay Street-Metrotech
subway entrance.
With these upstart one-buck
cheese slingers added to an already
existing dollar-slice spot on the
same block, I was faced with a
cornucopia of triangular dining
options. But which pizza purveyor
truly deserved my Washingtons?
I launched a lunching taste test
to be sure.
My first visit was the newest,
Jay Street Fresh 99¢ Pizza,
which opened two weeks ago at
408 Jay St., between Fulton and
Willoughby streets. In exchange for
a single Sacagawea, I received a
single cheese slice, and settled in at
one of its handful of square aluminum
tables. The slice lacked char,
but was stiff enough to hold in a
classic pinch maneuver. It had the
proper balance of cheese and sauce,
and puffed up at the crust, giving it
COURIER L 46 IFE, NOV. 23-29, 2018 24-7
By Julianne McShane Call it his second act.
A Bushwick actor will
revive his one-man, semiautobiographical
show about gentrification
in Kings County this
weekend, three years after it first
debuted . “The Last Hipster in
Brooklyn,” playing at the Bushwick
Starr on Nov. 24, has grown and
changed over the years, adding new
multimedia elements — including
original photos, videos, and music
— that show a wider experience
of people navigating the changing
borough, said its creator.
“It’s about showing things from
different angles — while my experience
of moving to Brooklyn is
the vehicle of the story, the show is
about asking questions beyond your
own experience,” said Nick Finn.
“The show continues to evolve,
along with me.”
The show is based loosely on
Finn’s experience moving from
Seattle to Bushwick in 2011, when
he fell in love with the borough and
his now-wife, a Brooklyn native.
During the course of the play, the
actor plays 13 people, including his
wife, his father-in-law, and his best
friend, along with other people in
the community.
Projected photographs of rapidly
gentrifying neighborhoods —
including Williamsburg and Crown
Heights — and video scenes of
Finn playing other characters will
expand the story beyond his own
and prompt audience members to
think about their own role in changing
their communities, he said.
“It allows me to step out of
myself on stage and explore different
perspectives to ask, ‘What does
my presence mean here, where’s
the connection to the history, how
does my presence have an impact
on others in the community?’ ” said
Finn. “We’re here as artists to start
the conversation — not necessarily
give the answers.”
“The Last Hipster in Brooklyn”
at Bushwick Starr (207 Starr St.
between Wyckoff and Irving avenues
in Bushwick, www.thebushwickstarr.
org). Nov. 24 at 8 pm.
$25.
By Bill Roundy The party has been supersized!
The weekly comedy
show “Butterboy” at Littlefield in
Gownus added a new after party
this week called “Butterboy After
Hours,” at nearby bar Parklife.
The stand-up show, hosted by
comedians Aparna Nancherla,
Maeve Higgins , and Jo Firestone,
has developed a loyal following
over the last year, and owners saw
that the crowd wanted to keep the
party going after the last laugh.
Their neighboring bar Parklife —
which also offers food and hot
drinks — seemed like the perfect
solution, said a rep for the venues.
“We noticed comedians and
fans enjoy hanging out after the
show,” said Caitlin Gillette. “We
wanted to introduce longtime
Littlefield fans to our new space
Parklife, and this seemed like a
good fit.”
Parklife, just one block away,
serves fresh tacos and burritos,
and has a substantial outdoor area,
which has recently been updated so
Butterboy visitors can keep warm.
DJ Donwill, who provides
music for “Butterboy,” will also
spin tunes at the after party, and
the weekly after party will feature
food and drink specials.
“Butterboy” at Littlefield (635
Sackett St. between Third and
Fourth avenues in Gowanus,
www.littlefieldnyc.com). Mondays
at 8 pm. $10 ($8 in advance).
“Butterboy After Hours” at
Parklife (636 Degraw St. between
Third and Fourth avenues in
Gowanus, www.parklifebk.com).
Mondays; 10–11:30 pm. Free.
Here and there: Three years after its debut, “The Last Hipster in Brooklyn” gets
a one-night revival on Nov. 24 at the Bushwick Starr, directed by Modesto Flako
Jimenez, left, and starring Nick E. Finn, right. Photo by Stefano Giovannini
Music man: DJ Donwill provides the music for “Butterboy” at Littlefield and for
the new “Butterboy After Hours” at Parklife.
a light and airy texture. Overall, the
slice was a definite contender.
The second stop on my journey
was 99¢ Supreme Pizza, at
the corner of Jay Street and
Willoughby, open for three
weeks. Housed in a former
“Cricket” phone sales shop,
the oven occupies most of the
space, leaving just enough room
for customers to lean against the
glass counter. The mid-point of
the trip was also its nadir of flavor:
the slice had a too-sweet
sauce, and the dough was flat as a
sheet of cardboard.
Finally, I visited my old stand-by
for penny-pinching pizza: 99¢ Fresh
Hot Pizza, at 51 Willoughby St.,
between Jay and Lawrence streets.
This was the only place where I
encountered a line, which snaked
past a series of classic red booths.
But one minute and one buck later, I
had my final piece of the pie.
This slice had the most grease,
but also the most flavor — dabbing
off the grease with a napkin
somehow diminished its blend of
cheese and sauce, which came on
a crust with just the right amount
of chew. This was the pizza for me,
and I celebrated by devouring every
bite, and then getting back in line
to bring my editor the special: two
slices and a can of soda for $2.75.
In exchange for three dollars,
the proprietors gave me the
required two wedges, a Coke, and
a coin which turned out to be 20
Malaysian Sen. Still, I feel like I
came out ahead.
I’d buy that for a dollar: A pizza slice
with decent bubbling and a proper
cheese-to-sauce ratio. Brianna Kudisch
The life of pie: Arts Editor Bill Roundy prepares to dig into his first slice of the day,
in the name of journalism! Brianna Kudisch
PIZZA MY HEART!
Get the ‘Last’ word
Extra ‘Butter’
Actor reinvents show about gentrification
/www.thebush-wickstarr.org
/www.thebush-wickstarr.org
/www.thebush-wickstarr.org
/www.littlefieldnyc.com
/www.parklifebk.com