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E. B. White once commented on how tourists in the New York often find themselves overwhelmed, hanging out in Times Square and the environs and eating in inferior restaurants because they don't know any better. Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza, located in the Ed Sullivan Theater (where David Letterman hosts CBS's "Late Show"), could easily be one of those places. It has a guaranteed clientele of lost Nebraskans wearing foam Statue of Libery headbands and happy to eat inferior food simply to get out of the dizzying tumult of the Theater District. So, it's a pleasant surprise that Angelo's takes so much pride in its product. Sporting two levels connected by an elegant spiral stair case, the restaurant bakes its pizzas in 900-degree coal ovens, ensuring that the thin crust of their pies are crispy and blackened, with a smoky taste that lingers in the mouth and on the mind. Decorated with touches of burnished wood and modern lighting, Angelo's take on the classic pizza place is more formal—most patrons opt to stay and eat. Portions of most dishes can be ordered family-style, to accommodate three people, and large tables ensure that everyone fit. Angelo's gives those tourists a good meal to remember, a cut above E.B. White's denigrated "Schraft's." — David S. Hirschman

Individual pizza pie $14 (toppings $2.50 each)