Mike Birbiglia
Joan Marcus
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More Ringing Endorsement
For Ringing Endorsement, Decider asks local characters of note for their recommendation of an event, restaurant, or whatever else strikes their fancy. This week, comedian Mike Birbiglia—star of the hit one-man show Sleepwalk With Me, about Birbiglia's own travails with sleeplessness and jackals (and recently extended through June 7)—talks about a pizza place he likes.
Every time I have a friend in town, I take them Arturo's, which is an old coal oven pizzeria on Houston Street that’s been around since the '50s. The history alone makes it worth the trip, but the real reason to go is the pizza. It might be the best pizza in America. Whenever I bring someone, they say, “I ate too much pizza.” You see, it’s so good, you can’t stop eating it until your stomach hurts. And then you reminisce about the glory-filled minutes when the coal-oven pizza was entering your mouth. Your only hope is to stuff yourself with the baby arugula salad (which is very fresh) before the pizza arrives so that you don’t completely gorge yourself. Also, David Byrne shows up there sometimes, and he’s inherently cool and correct about things. Also, they have a full-size piano and regular jazz musicians who come in and are so good they’re not annoying. Sold? One more thing: There’s a signed photo of Jon Favreau on the wall.
Gina Stellabotte
