Learned about Agnello's Authentic Coal Burning Brick Oven Pizza place from the show “Restaurant Stakeout” on the Food Network. The host was there to critique the servers and one of the owners. During the show, he said that the pizza was pretty good. Also, the owners claim to be related to Patsy Lancieri of the famed Patsy’s in Harlem, so I thought it worth a try.

A couple of preliminaries. First, no free refills on the drinks, but there is a sign clearly stating the policy as you walk in, so you at least have fair notice. The décor is nicely done, warm and inviting. I was looking forward to seeing the owners, having watched them on TV. In particular, Steve Agnello seemed like an interesting character. I did not get a chance to speak with him, but even from a distance you can tell he is a pretty intense guy. He seems to bring that intensity and passion to his pizza.

Now to the good stuff. I ordered my usual, mushrooms with no greens (meaning no basil or oregano). The pizza at Agnello's was as advertised. Authentic coal burning brick oven style. Thin crust, nicely cooked, sweet sauce, with fresh mozzarella and fresh mushrooms. A little difficult to handle, but what thin crust pizza isn’t. In short, excellent tasting pizza.

Service is still lacking. Ordered an appetizer, which took way too long, and they got the order wrong on top of that. Give Agnello’s a mulligan on the service because the server was new to the job, and they did get the pizza order correct.

Overall, I give Agnello’s Pizza in New City a very impressive 6 out of 8. It’s not as good as say John's in NYC, but it’s right up there with the group that comes after the best of the best. If you are in Rockland County, NY, it’s definitely worth the trip there.