TV host Yanee is married to the former owner of Scoozi’s, so it’s not surprising that the moniker “Pizza Pizza by Yanee” alone is enough to pack in diners who come for friendly, cheerful service and reasonably-priced, yummy pizzas. While the neighboring eateries in this quiet corner of the Food Hall are virtually empty, the pizza parlor is bustling with office workers and families. The atmosphere is food court-like, with crowded tables of shopping bags and an “open” pizza station surrounded by enthusiastic, if not noisy, kids. The menu is similar to Scoozi’s, with pizzas, of course, as the main attractions. There are three sizes: Regular (8 pieces), Family (16 giant slices) and Large (a slice from a Family plate). If you prefer, you can mix and match two sets of toppings on the Regular platter and four on the Family. Choose from 25 kinds available. Signature pies are named after the celebrity owner herself, her husband and her son: Yanee’s Vegetarian Lover (wood oven-roasted mixed veggies), Frankie’s Cheese Lover (Parmesan, gorgonzola, mozzarella, asiago, mushrooms and truffle oil) and the brilliant Sam’s Special (fresh mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, shrimps and salami). The pies here, though sometimes on the mushy side, are usually up to standards: thin, crisp smoky crusts, top-quality toppings and a nice balance between cheese and tomato sauce. The pizza parlor also offers a dozen or so appetizers, salads and pastas. The salads are rather pedestrian: The Frankie salad (mixed salad with smoked salmon and spicy dressing) came with only three slices of salmon and a handful of mixed greens. Better were the thin slices of Australian beef carpaccio drizzled with lemon, extra virgin olive oil and shaved parmesan. Pastas were textbook al dente and you can try creative recipes such as angel hair with firm crab meat in black pepper sauce or ravioli foie gras with fragrant truffle cream sauce. Wines by the glass and a bottle of sparkling Prosecco are on offer. Despite its food court setting and run-of-the-mill salads, the reasonably-priced thin-crust pies more than make up for any drawbacks.
