A Slice of New York Squared pizza truck debuts in Franklin Square

It's not surprising that one of Pittsburgh's top pizza shops is called ... A Slice of New York. And it's rolled into Franklin Square.

Brothers Richard and Sean Jefairjian grew up in the Bronx on a steady diet of Louie & Ernie's Pizza. Their family moved to New Jersey when they were teens and Sean ended up in Pittsburgh, where he started obsessing about pizza during the pandemic. He opened his pizza joint in 2020, with a 72-hour-sourdough fermented crust perfected by his scientist son. It was relatively under the radar until Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy showed up last year and gave it an 8.2 rating. "It's a legit great pizza," Portnoy exclaimed in a video to his nearly 1.5 million YouTube subscribers. 

That put A Slice of New York on the map, and now it's a franchise. The other brother, Richard, lives on Long Island and recently opened the second franchise operation, in Franklin Square. A Slice of New York Squared is a pizza food truck that focuses on sourdough Sicilian pizzas, because Sicilian is easier for franchisees to master than a typical round New York pizza, Richard said. The ingredients they use seem to be top-notch, like Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes and cheeses made from natural starters.

He gets all his dough from the Pittsburgh store, but once it comes in, he stretches the dough himself and forms it into a pan, letting it ferment and rise for 24 hours before it's ready to be baked. When you order at the food truck, the pizza is baked in an electric Moretti Forni oven for about five minutes and comes out piping hot. Richard personally delivers the pizza to your car. 

On a recent visit, the pizza more than lived up to expectations. The thick crust was slightly spongy, like a good sourdough, and delightful on its own. Technically an upside-down-Sicilian, the pizza has the sauce on top of the melty mozzarella cheese, which highlights the beautiful Bianco tomatoes. And then there's the addictive Ezzo pepperoni cups, which curl up from the edges, all charred and crispy.

The pepperoni pizza ($25.50) is so decadent it's hard to imagine ordering anything else here, but A Slice of New York Squared has five varieties on the menu including a vodka pie, ricotta cheese pie with hot honey, and a sausage and peppers. The pizzas are 12-by-12 inches with four slices, so every slice is a corner. They range in price from $21.50 to $27.50. Depending on when you come, it also might be available by the slice. The sourdough adds a layer of flavor to the affair.

"We wanted a sourdough crust with the best cheese we can find on the market and the best sauce we can find on the market," Richard said. "To be as earthy as possible and as healthy as possible without sacrificing flavor. We did that and did it well." 

A Slice of New York Squared, 719 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square, 516-214-6709, instagram.com/asliceofny2li. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, although hours subject to change.