There is rich tradition of behind the perfect pizza and the more places which attempt to recreate this classic of Italian cuisine, the rarer the great pizza becomes. This is why there is always a long queue at Grimaldi's Pizzeria. One of those very special New York Restaurants, Grimaldi's is known throughout the city and across the United States as being the place to get your authentic pizza pie. This magical bringing together of the various elements which make for the finest pizza of any New York Restaurant is no accident.

Located under the Brooklyn Bridge, Grimaldi's has a rich legacy of its own. Named for Patsy Grimaldi who spent years perfecting the art of the perfect pie at Patsy's Pizzeria in Harlem, the eatery which paved the way for Grimaldi's, his recipe endures. This is a recipe which can be traced through the generations all the way back to the legendary Lombardi's pizzeria, the first of its kind in America.

The combination of perfectly baked crust with those coal tinged edges, homemade tomato sauce and the best mozzarella, not to forget the finest quality Italian sausage and other ingredients, comes together in the coal-brick oven and results in a pizza which has few global contenders. As these passionate pizza folk might well tell you, all the finest dough and ingredients would make no difference were it not for the coal-brick oven which allows the bases to bake at those high temperatures and crisp all the way through to the centre, leaving a perfect pie with that oven-fired earthiness which is integral to the authentic flavor.

Among New York Restaurants, Grimaldi's is rather modest. But its location under the Brooklyn Bridge has benefits which a branch in Manhattan would not have. Namely, it would be impossible to duplicate these authentic pizzas in most other parts of the city.

Manhattan has specific laws governing the creation of a new coal-brick ovens of the variety vital the creation of perfect pizzas. In order to keep the standard of pies at a level respectful of the generations of those who put their heart and souls into making them, the oven is the first concern. Rather than capitulate to an electric counterpart and compromise on the quality, Grimaldi's has eschewed the commercial potential of a more centrally located pizzeria to maintain the quality for which they are known. Across the river in Hoboken, where the right kind of oven can be built, they opened another branch. In fact it is now run by the man who built both ovens.

A pizza from this almost historic New York Restaurant is one of those staples of Big Apple life, where pie lovers of every description can be found queuing for their pie of choice, whether it's a Wall Street banker with a penchant for sweet Italian sausage or a cab driver who has discovered the delightful combination of home roasted peppers in a sea of blisteringly beautiful mozzarella. And queue you will probably have to, especially during the peak hours.

Rejecting all distractions, Grimaldi's does not make deliveries which is perhaps the way it ought to be, for there is something to be said for spending some time enjoying the classic milieu of this icon among New York Restaurants. With the aromas wafting out of the oven and some old crooner like Dean Martin filling the ears, you'd hardly be surprise to find Tony Soprano standing in front of you.