2 for $20: Noce's Pizzeria

Noce's Pizzeria co-owner Rich Gober pulls a pie from the oven that has our name on it. (Credit: David Sorcher | Metromix)

Every blue moon, my best friend and I have the strongest urge for some great pizza. My first choice was LaRosa's, but after Amy Schoenfeld suggested a slice of New York-style pizza from the West Side's Noce's Pizzeria, I figured we should give it a go for a quick bite out of the Big Apple right here in Cincinnati.

THE MOOD

To me, a real New York state of mind is very hard to find anywhere near the Queen City, so immediately Noce's had a lot to prove with its signature servings of NYC's beloved pizza. The small pizzeria is perched neatly in a busy little storefront plaza at the corner of Westwood Northern Boulevard and North Bend Road.

Once I got inside, things started looking a little brighter as the servers were very friendly and even suggested what's really worth trying on the menu. The tiny dining room only holds eight back-to-back booths so when the lunch crowd comes through I'd suggest carry-out orders only.

THE FOOD

We took time to skim the double-sided menu which had everything you could imagine a pizza joint to serve. With mozzarella sticks ($5.99 for six), chicken tenders ($6.99 for five) and garlic knots ($4.25 for six) as appetizers, I was sure I'd be full before we ever made it to the pizza. Noce's serves plenty of hot and cold subs, daily lunch specials, pastas and baked dishes, plus rolls and even pizza by the slice.

We chose a combination of our favorites: chicken wings and pizza. Good thing Noce's has a specialty called the chicken wing pizza ($15.95) with very thin crust, breaded chicken and your choice of six wing sauces topped off with mozzarella cheese and served with your choice of ranch dressing or bleu cheese.

After a 15-minute bake time, the only setback is that real New Yorkers would probably say this isn't their kind of pizza because it isn't totally foldable. Most authentic pizzas are 18-inches in NYC. The thin crust and the medium wing sauce made this one worthwhile, though.

THE DRINKS

There are canned sodas ($1), two-liters ($2.25) and Dasani bottled water ($1). We chose a two-liter of Minute Maid Pink Lemonade to quench our thirsts.

THE DAMAGE: $18.20

Chicken wings, pizza and lemonade worked fine to fill two hungry boys on a cold December night.

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