Recession Relief: The Original Antonio’s Pizza

I don’t claim to be the ultimate expert on this subject, but the closet thing I’ve found to the kind of pizza you can buy on the streets of New York City are the thin wedges of pie sold at The Original Antonio’s Pizzeria & Walnut Deli at 527 Walnut. The secret, of course, is getting a piece of pizza soon after the pies come out of the oven. If they’ve been in the warmer too long, it’s too chewy.

I have a great fondness for Antonio’s and the $6.40 lunch special: two pieces of pizza and a 20-ounce drink in a styrofoam cup. It’s a pretty good deal, but an even better deal is the sandwich combo: a sandwich, chips, dessert — a chocolate chip cookie or a brownie — and 20-ounce beverage for $8.50. It was this deal that introduced me to Robert DeNiro. No, not the actor — the sandwich. It’s a delicious hunk of breaded, fried Italian steak slathered with marinara, topped with provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato on a soft sesame seed hoagie roll. I’m telling you, the sandwich is sexier than the actor was in his salad days, back when Bananarama was singing about him as if he was as exciting as a hot Italian steak sandwich.