When I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia, "a slice and a Coke" was the ultimate snack: it's what you scarfed down after school, what you ate after the movies and on casual dates, and what dad fed you when mom made him baby-sit.
We didn't blot the oil off the pizza with paper napkins, trying to save a few calories like we do now; we just folded the floppy wedges in half long-ways and gobbled them down, even though we knew from experience that the hot, gooey mozzarella would burn the roofs of our mouths.
It's been a while, but it all came rushing back to me like a wave crashing onto the New Jersey shore when I had a Coke and a slice at NYPD Pizza in downtown Palm Springs.
OK, actually I had two slices (I'm older and hungrier than I was then) and a Dr. Pepper, but you get the point.
Large slices are thin enough to fold, but still sturdy and filling, with a tasty tomato sauce and generous sprinkling of cheese. Pies are made fresh all day long, but slices get popped into a pizza oven when you order, so they emerge hot, bubbly and loaded with flavor.
Best of all, at $2 a slice, you can afford to gobble all you want. The daily special — $5 for two slices and a soda — is a bargain hunter's dream.
NYPD stands for New York Pizza Delivery and delivery is free.
But they also like to capitalize on the police reference. Clever pizza specials include the Misdemeanor, which has black olives, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and artichoke hearts; the Felony is covered with pepperoni, sausage, meatball, bacon bits, onion and black olives; and the Homicide offers Canadian bacon, pineapple, jalapeño, garlic and tomato.
They have other stuff too, including a nice selection of hot (all $7.25) and cold ($6.25) subs; salads, pasta and munchies, but pizza is by far the biggest draw.
The joint also has a distinct New York City-storefront feel. You order from a counter in the tiny front room, then either eat at a counter overlooking the street, or carry your grub to the spacious bar area next door, where you'll find tables and lots of tall, vinyl-covered barstools.
Service is quick and efficient and the staff is friendly, but there's a little bit of New York attitude lurking in the shadows: The front of the take-out menu reads: "I GOT YOUR PIZZA RIGHT HERE."
