Mad Greek goes from the ridiculous to the sublime. Back in the friendly confines of New York City and Artichoke Basille's Pizza. And by the looks of things early on about the only thing funny about this place is it's name.

Knock-knock... Who's there?... Artichoke... Artichoke who?... Arti choke his chicken last night after his wife threw him out the house. Anyways you can see why I am a pizza reviewer and not a comedian

I guarantee you that if you bring home an Artichoke Pizza for your better half and a bottle of Tuscany region chianti, you'll be getting one heck of an evening if you know what I mean. Artichoke Basille's pizza in New York City is worth every bit the hefty $5.00 per slice and $30.00 per pie price tag.

Open late 7 nights a week and lines around the corner, it's no wonder this brand has multiple locations throughout the Big Apple.

Being that today is Columbus Day in America, today's discovery proves valuable to say the least. The service in mid afternoon seems a bit off and the open kitchen a bit small, leading me to conclude that this mini-bistro sized locale can easily drum up very lengthy waiting times, both out the door and at the table.

Today's faire included Artichoke and Sicilian deck slices for starters and one order of freshly ground meatballs drowned in fresh Italian purée (arguably the best sauce in NYC) with a healthy topping of ricotta.

For the wind up, a freshly twice baked Sicilian pie smothered in sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella. The twice baked, toasted bottom and amorphously constructed pie rivals anything I've ever seen or eaten. An extremely odd experience to say the least, I've never been forced to eat pizza with a knife and fork, except Chicago. This is not supposed to happen in New York City!

One thing is for certain, this is artisanal pizza with a twist and a sauce lovers delight that The Pizza Expert himself could not deny the illusive 8 of 8. One thing that gives me cause for pause and that is the constructive illusion that the sauce, mozzi, and double baking did... made me feel like I was feasting on a thinly sliced chicken parm. No perfecto or chicken choking here, but a solid 7 out of 8 on the New York Pizza Richter scale for an eruption of taste and a good time.