I went to Staten Island...

(Photo of an SI resident from the New York Times)

... and I didn't take any pictures. Trust me, there's not much to see on the island. Sure, Richmond Terrace is a lovely coastal ramble, but once you get to the old salt mines and a long stretch of nothing, it gets a little old, not to mention scary. So you will have to make do with pictures I have ripped from other people's Web sites and some handy links. And take my word for it.

Getting there
Of course we took the ferry, and it was filthy with tourists. It was a cold spring Sunday afternoon, but they were out in droves. The ride is nice. I got as close to the Statue of Liberty as I've ever been, and they sell beer on board. This is about all I would need or want to know before I took the trip.

You're there!
Once you step off the ferry, most people turn around and go home. My intrepid friend and I decided to take a walk. Outside of the terminal, you have a choice to go left or right. We went to the right, knowing the S44 bus to Denino's was in that direction (you can also take it right at the terminal.)

The whole point
So, as any lapsed Catholic would, I gave up something for Lent. I gave up pizza. This is a completely self-indulgent move, having nothing to do with suffering for Jesus (though I would have suffered going 40 days without a slice).
I have been hearing about Denino's since my cousin started dating an Italian guy from Bensonhurst, and I am on my own personal mission to have what is commonly known as the ten best pizzas in NYC. (Note: I will likely never make it to Di Fara's because I cannot wait for two hours on a line with tourists.)
The bus drops you right there, at 524 Port Richmond Avenue. My co-conspirator pointed out that it doesn't look like an old-school pizza place, with murals of Venice on the walls and such. It feels more like a country pizza place, a specimen found upstate N.Y. or out in the wilds of Jersey. It has a bar in front with $1 glasses of Bud or $2.25 pints (yes, please!) and the tables in the back. Children everywhere, lots of women in sweatpants, albeit the tight, velvet kind, and good service. It looks more like a rec room, very beige in color and even a generic sports bar feel up front.
The pizza itself? Really, really good. A smaller pie, but as pointed out in other reviews, not soggy, holds a pile of toppings well, and the crust is very chewy and softer than on a typical pie, if you're into that. My companion was, which sucked for me because I can usually count on eating his discarded crusts.
We got our pie (only pies) half "M.O.R." (meatball, onion and ricotta) and half plain. I hate foods that look like ricotta cheese but the melding of all three ingredients was really good.
While it looks like a saucy pie, the red stuff is a little bland for my tastes. Then again, I like it acidic enough to induce heartburn before you even get up from the table. It also had that cornmeal dusting on the bottom that I could live without. But it all went really well with cheap beer and the fact that I was on Staten Island.

In the end, Lazarra's is still unbeaten in the "best of NYC" pizza category. Surprising, because it is a very thin-crust square pie, but it really is the sauce that does it. And for the record, my still-unbeaten favorite dirty pizza joint slice is in Polito's on Broadway in Astoria. Just make sure it is a fresh pie.

Of SI Note:

This story from the New York Times is a very good indicator of what you will find. It was pretty informative and I wish I had read it before we went. I would have tried to make it to Linoleumville.

The Staten Island Advance goes above and beyond the call of duty. It is truly a great newspaper and they have a sense of humor about the whole Staten Island thing.