3 Boys vs. Peppino's- White Plains Road Slice Off 2008

In the first installment of Howfresheats local epicurean jousting, we have Peppino's, the Wakefield legend in the red corner, matched up against the Williams Bridge heavy hitter, 3 Boys From Italy, in the blue. This is strictly a pizza battle, pitting a plain slice from each establishment up against one another.

The tale of the tape:

3 Boys                                       Peppino's
$2.15                     Cost               $2.25
Larger Side of Average   Reach (size)        Average
Light Heavyweight         Weigh In           Middleweight

The size of the 3 Boys slice might give you the impression that this will be an easy contest, but the lightness and quickness of Peppino's causes some problems for 3 Boys.




Peppino's cheese to tomato sauce ratio didn't meet the standard I was looking for. Just by looking at the slice, it's evident how the sauce overpowers the cheese. Not always a bad thing, though I would have preferred more cheese. The sauce is a bit too sweet for me, but not over the top. The crust was thin and crisp, the way a slice should be. It folds well and was easy to eat. Definitely an on the go slice. As a side note, the condiments are chained to the table. Slightly telling about the neighborhood. I didn't mean to put that much hot pepper on the slice, but the holes were a centimeter in diameter and the flakes made a mad dash for it.




3 Boys allotment of cheese and sauce is on point. As you can see in the photo, the cheese covers the entire crust, with tomato sauce permeating at various points throughout. Sauce is more spicy and savory, lacking sweetness. It is thick and chewy, almost too thick. It's a heavy slice, very capable of filling you up. Years ago, a vet in the pizza industry who I will leave nameless- though we all know it's Googs, taught me about the concept of a slice being raw. By this he meant that the cheese was brown and cooked, and the crust had some crisp to it, but what lay between was chewy and uncooked. At times 3 Boys suffered from this problem. This is more of a sit and shoot the shit slice. Not as mobile as Peppino's.

I would like to commend both pizzerias for participating in this fierce competition. They each have the heart of a champion, which was clearly conveyed in each bite. While I preferred the size and bite of the Peppino's slice, 3 Boy's taste was more to my liking. After all, this is about taste, not which is easier to eat, and with that I crown 3 Boys the winner.



Three Boys From Italy
704 Burke Ave. at White Plains Rd.
Bronx, NY 10467
(718) 882-2009
2/5 Train to Burke Ave.



Peppinos Pizza
4701 White Plains Rd. at 241st. St.
Bronx, NY 10470
(718) 994-7543
2/5 Train to last stop Wakefield/241st. St.