Sometimes the tourists get it right. Case in point: the historic Lombardi’s Original Pizza of New York. Billed as “America’s first pizzeria,” it occupies a top spot in the pizza-snobbish Big Apple, its praises sung by Zagat’s and every tourist rag from Travel + Leisure to Lonely Planet . As a result, it’s crawling with out-of-towners, which normally would make me flee, flee, flee. If you share that instinct, though, ignore it and brave the tourist hordes for a damn good pizza pie.

The secret is Lombardi’s thin hand-tossed crust, baked to crispy perfection in white-tiled charcoal ovens. These antiquated ovens are no longer allowed in NYC — one great excuse to visit this throwback to 1905. The crust is a testament to the difference a pizza oven can make: thin enough to render a satisfying crunch, strong enough to support fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, charred pepperoni rounds cupping hot little pools of oil, or whatever other classic toppings you pick. The outer rim is crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and just dense enough to soak up all the pizza’s juices and oils. Get the original “margherita” (mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil and romano), add your toppings, and wash it down with a pitcher of cold Brooklyn Lager.

Large margherita with tomatoes, spinach & wild mushrooms

At the edge of Little Italy in the fun Nolita neighborhood, Lombardi’s has an old-school Italian ambiance with checkered tablecloths, vintage Italian movie posters, and Sinatra crooning over the speakers. The restaurant is a labyrinth of small dining rooms upstairs and down, some of which require a trip through the busy kitchen to get to your table. Expect to drop between $25 and $35 per person if you order beer or wine.

Leave room for dessert, because when you stagger through the front doors of Lombardi’s and across narrow Spring Street, you’ll run into Rice to Riches, a flamboyant rice-pudding bar with a 1960s futuristic go-go flair and unapologetic pro-dessert stance. With at least a dozen daily flavors of rice pudding (try Butterscotch Boulevard, Almond Shmalmond, or Panna Cotta) and toppings (like espresso crumble, toasted coconut, or jelly), it’s classic comfort food disguised as an über-hip dish. This is the treat that appeals to my inner 6-year-old: sweet, creamy, compellingly lumpy and able to be eaten at the Jetsons’ kitchen table. Portions range from $6.50 per solo portion to $35 for the Moby (serves 10).

Long counter for puddings and toppings to the right,

futuristic seating all around.

Hee!

Click below for more reviews of Lombardi’s Pizza and Rice to Riches: