A Slice and a Soda

Boston, Mass - These days, my job basically entails eating my way around the city. Sure, I usually visit at least one museum or historical site per day. And I still have to inspect all the hotel rooms. But I have done all that before - especially since this is the fourth time in six years that I am researching Boston for various guidebooks.
But no matter how many times you write about a city, you can never eat at all of the restaurants. And if you do, you can never sample all of their specialties. So it seems there is an endless array of food in this city. And it is my job to eat it all. Alleluiah.
In Boston, no place is better for this particular job than the North End. With the completion of the Big Dig, the North End has finally rejoined the rest of the city, no longer isolated by the multilane highway or massive construction. Nonetheless, this Old World enclave is still a continent and a century away. Italian immigrants and their descendents have held court in this warren of narrow, winding streets and alleys since the 1920s. Old-timers carry on passionate discussions in Italian and play bocce ball in the parks. Others complete their ritual shopping at specialty stores selling fresh flowers, handmade pasta, cannoli or biscotti, fragrant spices and fresh baked bread.
As you might imagine, the North End is at the center of the city's pizza wars (which I have written about before - click here to read some other pizza reviews). For years, I have been partial to Pizzeria Regina, with its off-the-beaten-track location and tough-talking waittresses. They take no reservations, and there is always a wait for a table. A line forms just before 5pm, and from what I can tell, it stays there all night, until the last customer is seated. Regina's is an institution. It's been around for ages. And even though Regina has opened up outlets in Quincy Market and the Prudential Center and (gasp) the suburbs, the original location in the North End is still the real deal. Cheap beer, thin-crust pizza, no frills.
By the way, those other locations at the mall and in other places.... not the real deal. You have to go to the North End; otherwise you might as well be eating at Sbarros.
Anyway, yesterday was the first time I sampled one of Regina's rivals: Galleria Umberto. I never managed to eat here before because it is open only for lunch. In fact, the place closes when they run out of pizza, so it's usually shuttered tight before 2pm.
Pizza connoiseurs rave about this place. It's right on Hannover Street, the main drag in the North End, surrounded by sweet-smelling bakeries and high-end eateries. But if you're not looking for it, you'll probably miss it, because there is nothing to draw your attention to the plain storefront. Inside, it's even more innocuous, with a few tables scattered about a cavernous room, and the obligatory Italy posters adorning the walls.
One guy stands behind the counter in the back, calling many customers by name, and serving up Sicilian pizza by the slice and sodas in the can. He's been doing this for almost 40 years.
It's Sicilian pizza - those are the square slices on the rectangular tray - but it's not too thick and doughy. Most importantly, it is cooked well done, which means the crust is crispy on the edges (a rarity for Sicilian pizza). The sauce is a spicy and the cheese ratio is perfect, although it's a little oily.
Your choices are presented to you when you order: "Would you like some salt and pepper on that?" Then the slice is shoveled off the tray and plopped onto your paper plate, you're given a plastic fork and you're good to go.
A slice and a soda. Total cost $2.55. Now that's the real deal.

  
Photos courtesy of flckr.