The third and final place Mr P and I had pizza at while in NYC was at Jim Lahey’s simply named, Co. Let me start by saying that it’s very likely, when passing this place, that you just might miss it. It is not well sign posted, and it doesn’t look like your typical New York pizza place. It’s a bit on the stark side with its concrete flooring and simple tables. No bells and whistles here. In that way, Lahey and I think alike. Nothing shows off good food better, in my opinion, than white plates and clean spaces. This place means business, and you know what? It really can walk the walk.
We sat at our table and placed our orders. The waitress informed us, that for our mains, not all the pizzas get served at the same time. Rather, they get served when they are ready. I actually thought that was a really cool concept. Another thing I really liked (and I found this to be true at all of our NYC restaurants that we visited), is that unlike in England, nobody pushes bottled water on you. They always seem to ask you if you want tap water. In the UK, it’s like they try to embarrass you into getting bottled water. I hate that. I found this a welcome change, because personally, I don’t like to spend money on water. Water is water in my book. I like to spend money where it counts: on food… and designer bags (know what I’m sayin’ daaaahlings?).
We started with some olives and some simple pizza bianca. The olives, in all honesty, were not to my taste. They were on the small side, and they were extremely pungent. They had rosemary in them, but I couldn’t taste it since the other flavours were so powerful. I had a couple, and left the rest to Mr P, who really appreciated their strong flavour. Next was the pizza bianca. It was a lot like a yummy crispy naan bread. Just instead of a healthy slathering of butter on top, it was topped in sea salt and olive oil and a sprinkling of rosemary. Though I wasn’t bowled of my chair or anything, there was nothing not to like. Oh, and we got it with a teeny bowl of ricotta… cause ya’ know, it all tastes better when you add some more fat, and perhaps you can tell that this vacation was not about being on a diet 
(how much would that have sucked ?!?). It made for a nice starter indeed.
The first pizza to come to our table was Mr. P’s choice, the Margherita. And do you know what? It was amazing. Way better than the Lombardi’s Margherita. First of all, when it comes to the table, there is a very definite and delectable whiff of pizza. You just kind of know its going to be good. The base is cooked to perfection. The sauce is distinctly light and fresh. The sauce is very atypical of the sauces used on every other pizza I’ve ever tasted. It is much more subtle. I think there might be some people who might not appreciate it’s delicate flavour, but I found it completely wonderful. It makes other pizzas of this type seem heavy-handed in comparison.
This pizza brought back a childhood memory of mine, a memory of a giant veggie garden which my father planted. One year, we had so many tomatoes, that even after giving loads to the neighbours, there were still more than my parents knew what to do with. Not ones to encourage waste, they spent a whole day blending those tomatoes up and storing it in a big chest freezer that we had in our basement. Our house was perfumed by the most deliciously sweet, earthy scent. The pizza sauce smelled exactly like that. Pure unadulterated summer tomatoes. Along with that comes everything you expect in a Margherita pizza: basil, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
As far is Goldilocks the Heavenly Housewife is concerned, after tasting three different pizzas, she has finally found the Margherita pizza that was “just right.” If you too are looking for the perfect Margherita pizza, do come to Co., and if you know of one that you think is better than this, do tell. I’m definitely going to be back in NY after I loose all the weight I’ve gained LOL. I’ve already gotten some great suggestions from you guys which I’m looking forward to trying in the future.
As soon as that first pizza was gobbled up, the second pizza arrived, fresh from the wood burning oven. This one was my choice, the Popeye pizza. Again, the pizza which came to our table had a wonderful aroma, and again, the pizza had that beautifully charred crust. This time toppings included pecorino, gruyère, mozzarella, spinach, black pepper, and garlic. Personally I found the pizza delicious, but Mr P. was not a fan. I agree with Mr P’s assessment that there was just waaaaaaaaay to much spinach on here. I think eating it like this, all of that spinach would overpower all those delicious cheeses. While I do love spinach on a pizza, this amount of spinach, however fresh and tasty, becomes to bitter and vegetable-y (if that’s a word). However, once I removed a good portion of the spinach (and I’m talking about at least half of it), it was excellent. I would order this again, but I would just tell the waitress to go easy on the greens. That was kinda overkill.
For desert I had a banana split. I know you can’t see them in the picture, but there are sliced bananas underneath the vanilla ice cream, some nice whipped cream, a bit of chocolate sauce (not too much– I hate too much sauce on ice cream, it makes everything all soupy), and some hazelnuts. It was good, but I wouldn’t order it again. Although all the ingredients were perfectly lovely, there was no wow factor. I couldn’t recommend this to you when there are so many other delicious deserts to be had in this wonderful city. It was just a bit to ordinary for my liking.
As usual, Mr P made picked the winner 
. Hubbykins, you must stop trying to show me up like this. I love you and all, but this is MY blog. I am the star daaaaahling *kisses*
Mr P actually made quite a spectacular choice. This was a sweet corn gelato with whipped cream, berries, hazelnuts and chili flakes. This was so much fun to eat. It was sweet, spicy, hot, and chilly all at the same time. One minute your mouth would tingle from the chili, and the next it would be soothed by the cool sweet ice cream. Divine. I don’t think this is a regular item on there desert menu, but if you do see it, get it! It will definitely bring a smile to your face and wake up your taste buds.
I loved my dinner at Co, and definitely plan on returning. Unlike the more touristy Lombardi’s, Co. is more of a foodie’s pizza place (though I still think the Lombardi’s white pizza is a 10/10). There is a real emphasis on fresh, high quality ingredients. Biting into one of these gorgeous little pies, you just sense that it was made with love, by someone who put a lot of thought and care into the product they were turning out. To compare these two great pizza places, I’d say Lombardi’s is more about tradition: making the classic NY pizza and serving it in a fun and friendly atmosphere. It’s comfort pizza with a big old smiley face on it. Co., on the other hand, is more about the future of pizza. Everything is much more artisanal. Here things seem to be taken a bit more seriously than at Lombardi’s. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but the result is a great pizza.
While Co’s Margherita pizza was better than the Lombardi’s version, the Lombardi white pizza kicked arse (as we say in the UK). Plus, who could forget the marvellous Italian sodas? So, if I had to choose which one I’d go to if I could only pick one, I’d have a bit of a dilemma. I’d say it would be up to my mood. If I wanted something more fun and fatty I’d go to Lombardi’s, and if I wanted something more imaginative and polished I’d go to Co. Both are worth the visit (and the calories).
Overall score for Co.: 9/10
I’ve been meaning to try this place forever … so thanks for the reminder! The margarita pizza does look amazing! Yum! I’m totally having that when I remember to go. LOL
I’ll pass on the spinach though, because I agree, that looks like WAY too much spinach.
Have a great weekend!
xoxoxoxoxo
Loving the NYC posts HH – particularly since I am planning a trip there in around March for a friends wedding – looks like I will have lots of eating to do
Oooo… cool place! You know what, I think the spinach pizza looks like a mess and not professional at all but they balance it with the dessert and gained an extra point on that. Hmm…mm…. salivating! Thanks for sharing & enjoy your weekend, daaaahling.
Sweet dream, kristy
Fabulous post, daaaahling. This place has been on my radar for a while. The way you described that margherita pizza is making my mouth water! I can almost smell the tomatoes. And I love all the charred little bits on the crust, looks perfect. But the amount of spinach on that pizza is really overkill, but at least they are giving you your money’s worth. And sweet corn gelato sounds absolutely divine. I can’t wait to try it.
ps. you know why they don’t push bottled water on you in NYC? Because New York tap water is the best in the world, that why the pizza crusts are so amazing!
Oh my goodness, you have taught me something about NYC. I must head there soon! Those pizzas looks amazing!
Daaaaaaahling HH, you are the world’s (or at least the blogosphere’s) official Pizza Szar! You have a head start (literally!) on everyone else!
*Pizza Szar to the Stars* – got a nice ring to it, no?!
*Kisses*
XOXO LOLA;)
Yummy pizzas! And that corn gelato looks spectacular!
great pizzas, and yes overkill on the spinach, b ut they do look tasty…oh mr p, please let the star..be the star…lol hugs
sweetlife
Too much greens? usually I have the opposite problem with pizzas. The crusts look fantastic. It almost looks like naan.
Haha no-one could show you up darling!
Wow, I’ve never seen so much greens on a pizza!
I am going to try to make some pizza with plenty of greens atop too…it looks really great!
I love your review of Co. I have never been there. Everything you ordered looks divine. So cool that you got to taste so much. Good thing miss Goldilocks found the perfect Magherita. I too LOVE perfection and yes~a little fat is essential & goes a long way. xo
Spinach topped pizza is something I would love to try! But what take my heart away is your sweet corn gelato with whipped cream, berries, hazelnuts and chili flakes.
Amazing!
A gift is waiting for you in my blog do take some time to visit!
Love always!
Oooo…I’m loving the greens on the pizza. I think this is one of those places I’d love to eat at.
I guess I have a few pizza joints to go to when I make my trip to New York. Besides…there’s just something about the water in the city that makes their pizzas taste so darn good!!
Love that deep char on the crusts. And chili flakes on ice cream? Sign me up.
OK, you’ve done it. I’m completely hungry. I’m making my list for my next trip, but it’s getting too long . . . Loved the gelato as well
I want to try all the pizza HH and it’s your fault haha.. another reason to visit my favorite city!
enjoy New York!
malou
Oh Noooo, look what you’ve done to me. I have now penciled out (not not scrubbed out) Lombardi’s and inserted Co, NYC
I just have to taste some of that Sweet Corn Gelato – I love the chilly twang in sweets, I’ve only recently discovered it and its hit the Anna’s favourite tastes list (yep…., there’s a list for all seasons 
I’m loving the eatery tips which I’m bookmaarking for later.
Just FYI…I don’t think I would have walked by this place only because…I’m sure the aroma coming out of there must be amazing! The pizza looks incredibly different and more like my homemade kind. I’ll certainly have to try it out next time ;0)
Thanks for your dedicated sharing.
Have a wonderful time,
Claudia
I agree with you that nothing shows off food better than white plates and clean spaces. Simple elegance.
I’ve heard that bottled water is recommended in Europe but didn’t realize that they push it onto you. I’d be annoyed too.
I always think that Magherita is the best way to judge the quality of pizza, because it’s without distractions of too many toppings, and must stand on the quality of the base.
I like that Co. serve the pizza when it is ready and at its prime. The pizza can’t wait for you, so you must wait for the pizza.
I am so with you on the water thing…in Europe I feel like people get angry when I ask for regular water. So I end up just paying the premium to “fit in.”
I figure who cares? At least I’m in Europe and on vacation, right?
I hate the water questions! I think instead of calling it “tap” they should put a filter on the faucet and call it filtered. Sounds much more refined, lol. But I guess what they’re hoping for is that people spend the extra money and if tap sounded refined, who would spend extra on bottled?
The pizza looks divine and I would love to try that sweet corn gelato!
XO
omg, you were in NYC? If only I was in DC during that time, I totally would have taken the train and met up with you, but I was in Seattle.
and now I crave pizza
The pizzas look fabulous – and wow! that is a lot of spinach! I’ve been hearing how good corn gelato is. Hope I get a chance to try it. I love that you ate pizza three times on your trip, shows what a dedicated pizza lover you are.
I have had so much fun reading your NYC foodie Pizza tours, I enjoyed it very much!! I love everything about NY, I want one of those sodas.
So glad you had such a great time.
Wow – All of the pizzas look amazing. I’m loving the way the pizza dough looks on the pizza bianca. I love all the bubbly and charred bits:)
I’m so glad you bought Mario’s book. I think the photography is gorgeous and there are so many tasty recipes in there. The pizza dough was pretty easy to put together and I think it’s about as good as it gets when it comes to pizza at home.
Funny you mentioned having a food processor and not a blender. I have a blender but not a food processor. Although I’ve never tried it, I would think you could make a smoothie in a food processor. Maybe you could hold the lid down and cover it up with a kitchen towel? It’s definitely not fashionable for us ladies to be cleaning up a big kitchen mess
Pizza looks absolutely delightful and tempting!
I’ll take your word on the spinach pizza, but being a BIG fan of spinach I can’t seem to imagine “too much” being connected in any way with spinach!
Hellloooo HH; i’ve been a bad..bad blogger trying to keep up with summer & here you’ve been on American soil! I hope us Americans have been gracious & kind to you both? Your foodie experience at Co. sounded good. Mr. P was most definitely showing you up on this outing. I’d be almost skipping the pizza to eat double of that lovely looking dessert.
Safe travels gorgeous and so glad you two are having fun! xo xo deb
They don’t look at all like pizza to me. I thought they were crispy charred Indian rotis! ;p ..
HH, I love NY pizza, thin crust and SO tasty…they look so good! And I cannot resit the ice cream…so inviting
I really want pizza. I just have to wait until it’s not 105.
Waaah – I want some of all of it! The pizza bianco and the gelato especially appeal to me. Worth every calorie.
Mmmargherita pizza
It’s been a while since I’ve had some, but I remember it’s simplicity and amazing taste.
I’m curious about the sweet corn gelato. It looks great, but can you taste the corn? Does it really work with all those berries? I guess I’ll have to try it one day
We have a zillion tomatoes this year! I am going to try and make some killer pizza. Cheers!
Oooh, love the look of the building, I’m a sucker for steel, glass and wood together. And the pizzas look fantastic, I can tell by looking at the charry crust
Mr. P’s dessert looks so exciting too, I definitely hear you loud and clear HH, if I’m going to invest calories in a dessert, it had better be exciting!
Now, I’m craving pizza again! I really like spinach pizza, but that does look like a lot of spinach. The crust looks fantastic, and the desserts sound great too.
I have been on vacation for awhile and totally missed that you were going to NYC! How awesome
This pizza looks great. I will have to admit I have never been to this restaurant…I guess it’s time for Mr.NN and I to take a field trip 
I want one of those splits NOW!
I’m all about pizza and designer handbags… but nothing tops ice cream.. nothing! So that sweet corn gelato looks amazing to me! It sounds like your NY trip was full of fun and fantastic food.
Oh my, that looks delish!
Wish I had known you were going to NYC. I’m there all the time and could have given you some super places to eat. Helps to have a foodie daughter who lives there.
Loving the NYC posts and I can’t stop drooling on the crust – just that wood fired crust, the scent in the air…I have my nose stuck on the screen and taking in deep breaths as we speak….yah! like that’s going to do it!
Fantastic – thanks HH for bringing us a restaurant I knew nothing about!
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
A really fabulous review HH, so interesting and thoughtful. Loved the pic’s …though I always get hungry when I see them. I really love pizza and well made ones at that. xoxoxo DJ
wow, I really need to get into the city more…this is going straight to the top of my list…thanks!
My daughter goes there often – New York, I mean – nut has never been here. It will now be on her list. What a fun time! And sweet corn gelato – unbelievable – I was surprised you didn’t order that one!
valerie
what a great pizza tasting/sampling/indulging
corn gelato sound very interesting, so far olive oil and sea salt gelato has been my favorite
We went to NYC this May and we had some fabulous pizza…and now I want to go back just to try this place out. It looks just delicious!
omg, you were in NYC? If only I was in DC during that time, I totally would have taken the train and met up with you, but I was in Seattle.
and now I crave pizza