Day 3: North End -- Earnest for Ernesto's

Ernesto's.

Tread down the cobblestone path from Maria's and you'll pass by Ernesto's Pizzeria. My friend Joe suggested the place, as it's known for its thick, meaty slices for just $3.75 each. One slice is equivalent to two New York-style slices (if you know what I'm talking about, that's huge).

There's retro appeal aplenty. On the walls you'll find black-and-white Frank Sinatra portraits, including my personal fave, Sinatra's mugshot. Green and red Christmas lights blink next to green, wine and white frescoes, which add an old-world flair to this pizza parlor.

Sausage slice.

Joe eyes the sausage slice in a face-off before he swoops in for the kill...

While we were waiting for our slices, Joe recounted the story of how he was hit on by a homeless guy on the T earlier that day. The homeless guy, who introduced himself as Tommy, took Joe's hand and kissed it, saying, "I lahhhve you."

Followed by: "Do you have blue eyes?"

Joe: "No...."

Tomato-basil slice.

The tomato-basil combination was a little too tomato-heavy, adding to the "droop" factor. When I bit into the slice, the watery tomatoes slid down onto my paper plate, creating a puddle of soup. Otherwise, the basil was right on the money. I personally prefer more cheese, but this was great for the lactose-intolerant or people who aren't too keen on dairy.

Chicken-bacon-onion slice.

Yes, that's all one slice. Almost resembles butt buddies, no? Missy ordered this one and we split it three ways. Love the bacon, could do without the grease. This was very oily, but for a non-onion fan, I have to say that the ingredients worked well together.

Two children, a girl and a boy around 2 or 3 years of age, sat behind us and kept me on my toes. The girl shouted to the boy: "Let's PLAY!!! Understand??" The little boy (bless his heart) bobbed his head noncommittally. The girl then proceeded to scream hysterically.

At the counter, Grandma raised her head in alarm and her eyes dilated into fierce mode as her retina zeroed in on the little girl. No auditory command was necessary to shut her up. Finally, Grandma came back with two plain slices. The girl munched on her pizza happily, and all was well with the world again.

Skull Candy.

As we were wandering the pebbly steps of the North End, we ran into a skull.

Well, let me explain.

Someone dropped their cell phone on the ground and the skull decal is what I saw first. I snapped this shot before Missy called the owner and tried to arrange a meet-up to give it back to her. We later dropped it off with the waitstaff at the restaurant she was last seen with it in. My friends joked that I was more excited about taking the picture than returning the phone. Ermm, typical photojournalist behavior.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. I love cheese. I love big slices. Thus, I love Ernesto's.


Location:
Ernesto's
69 Salem St
Boston, MA 02113
617.523.1373
www.ernestosnorthend.com