A SLICE OF NEW YORK PIZZA IN TULSA

Driving west into the sun, I search to my right for the sign. Mario’s New York Style Pizzeria is the place to go for pizza. One family I heard about has a standing Saturday night date here.

They tell me it doesn’t look like much, just a hole-in-the-wall in a little strip mall.

There it is! Parking is at a premium, so it’s nice to see some reserved spots in front. I open the door and the aromas assail my senses, fresh-baked dough, oregano, tomatoes, and sausage. Um-mmm.

Someone behind the counter is hand-tossing dough, three others are prepping in the back and calling out finished orders. Customers are sitting in the booths and at tables in the front and there’s a steady stream coming in and out the door. A television is tuned to a program about motorcycles.

As I wait for my order I notice the mural of Manhattan that includes the George Washington Bridge and a banner-draped depiction of the Twin Towers. On the opposite wall, next to the soda fountain, are framed covers from the Oklahoma Family Magazine and Oklahoma Magazine that name the restaurant Best of the Best for Pizza in 2000, 2002, and 2005.
Computer prints of a mom and her baby are taped to the side of the soda fountain. I recognize the mom behind the counter.

My order is up, a large supreme pizza that is overlapping the pan and three fountain drinks. Hot, spicy cheesiness, it’s delicious! Three of us, two teenage boys and a hungry college student, were too full to eat the last two slices. Grazi!

Mario's is located at 3323 E. 51 Street, at the corner of 51 and Harvard, in Tulsa. The food is worth the trip.

--Karen Groff

Karen Groff is a TU junior, originally from Upstate New York. She is majoring in communication with a minor in psychology.