Artichoke Basille's Pizza - Astoria, NY. A long-time darling of Manhattan foodies, Artichoke Basille's is now strutting its stuff for Astoria residents who are looking for something a little different than your tastes okay average pizza. In the trendy and vibrant neighborhood of Ditmars, Astoria, there is certainly no shortage of pizzerias. Whether you are going for just a slice or a whole taste-tempting pie, the odds are that you'll find exactly what you're looking for in Ditmars. The one issue for foodies, though, is that most of the pizza available in this neighborhood tends to follow the same pattern, plain cheese, pepperoni or Sicilian square. That all changed however, with the opening of Artichoke Basille's Pizza on 31st Street, just steps away from the N and Q Train Station. At first, Ditmars's pizza fanatics didn't quite know what to make of Basille's gourmet slices, laden with a mound of out-of-the-box toppings and a creamy cheese blend that resembles an Alfredo sauce in both taste and texture. But once you get used to the slightly unorthodox appearance of your pizza, the succulent taste adventure that you're experiencing starts to grow on you. Yes, Artichoke Basille's Pizza is both different and tasty. Founded by cousins and best friends, Sal Basille and Francis Garcia, the first Artichoke Basille's opened on 14th Street in 2008. Their devoted fan base includes guitarist Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones and Momofuku's legendary chef and founder David Chang. Their signature slice is topped with artichoke hearts, spinach, mozzarella ,pecorino romano and cream sauce. It is to die for. You'll also go ga-ga for their crab slice, which is generously topped with surimi crab meat, crab sauce, fresh mozzarella and panko bread crumbs. If you're a traditionalist when it comes to pizza, then go for the pepperoni. You couldn't ask for anything more satisfying than this red sauce classic. The Staten Island pie (named after the home borough of the Basille family), consists of home-made meatballs, house blend tomato sauce, red onions ricotta and Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella. As good as the pizza may be, there are a couple of issues that need to be worked out. The large amounts of toppings per pie and the creamy vodka and alfredo sauces don't really translate well to delivery. You might just find your toppings slopped all over the box. Sure you can re-heat the pie but it's not the same. This kind of pizza is meant to be enjoyed straight out of the oven, fresh and hot. So do yourself a favor and make plans to enjoy your pizza in house. They have more than enough seating and the atmosphere is kind of cool. Another issue are the prices. $27 to 29 dollars for a pizza is a little high, no matter how good it is. But the owners are listening to customer feedback. Now, Artichoke Basille's is featuring several nice deals for you to take advantage of. From 11 AM to 5 PM, they now have a $3 daily special which includes one plain cheese slice along with a small soda or water. During Happy Hour ( 4 to 8 PM weekdays), select beer and wine is available for only $4. Sunday is pizza play day. Eight bucks gets you any two slices plus a 16oz. soda or large water. You can also score any pie on the menu for just $25, dine-in and take-out only.

Pizzaiolos, cousins and best friends, Francis Garcia and Sal Basille opened Artichoke Basille's® on 14th St. in 2008.

Having gotten their hands into the business early working at their family's restaurant, Basille's in Staten Island, the boys and their pizza shop have made more than a name for themselves in Manhattan.

Since launching Artichoke Basille's®, they have scored articles in The New York Times, The New York Post, and numerous other food blogs, websites and publications. Their never-ending line of devoted Artichoke Basille's® fans includes the likes of Keith Richards and Momofuku's David Chang.