Ray's Original New York

This is another installment of our exploration of Atlanta pizza.  Ray's Original New York is a local chain that targets the steady stream of refugees from the Tri-State Area who now inhabit Atlanta.  Ray's is one of the most widely known names in New York pizza, but not for the reasons that a non-resident might suspect.  New York City is home to perhaps a dozen variations of the Ray's name---Original Ray's, Famous Ray's, Famous Original Ray's, etc.---all of them unrelated.  This drama has played itself out in Atlanta.  The Ray's in Tech Square, for example, seems to have no relationship to the Ray's in the northern suburbs.

As with my review of Nancy's, I caution you that the slice is not the most accurate judge of the pizza.  I considered my slice to be quite presentable:  good crust, not too thick; pepperoni was not the most uniquely spiced I've had but quite fine; mushrooms were fresh, not canned.  My salad was OK but pretty generic and not very Italian.  Overall, I consider the experience to be a good substitute for jumping on a plane.

I must say, however, that Atlanta restaurants still fail to understand the slice concept.  In both Italy and New York, pizza restaurants display their pizzas.  You look, you point, you take.  In Atlanta, the slice seems to be more of an abstract concept.  This mindset was exemplified by a now-defunct restaurant named Slices.  I walked in to see a hip, trendy space with absolutely no trace of a slice of pizza.  I asked the young lady at the counter whether they in fact served slices without any irony.  She looked at me as if I had asked a very dumb question.  After I specified my slice, she disappeared and a few minutes later came back with it.  It seems that toppings had been added on to my request, keiretsu style.