TASTY TIDBITS: Mimi's Pizza - the best in Manhattan!!!!!

If you have not been to Mimi's Pizza, you are missing out on life! In a city where the competition in the restaurant business is as tough as it gets, Mimi's has endured for decades. When I lived in London, I would have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean for a slice of their pizza to die for. But don't take my word for it-it is clearly popular opinion.

Today Mimi's Pizza is at 1248 Lexington Ave. at 84th Street where it has been since 1965, but it was founded in 1959 on the west side: the original location was on 50th street and 10th avenue, and it was founded by Mimi himself: Dominic "Mimi" Vanacore.

Whom You Know spoke with Stephen Vanacore today, who is "Mimi Junior." Mimi's is dedicated to quality Italian food, and in 1985 the restaurant menu was significantly expanded. All pizza here is worth dreaming about, as well as the entrees: particularly the chicken parmesan. The original Mimi learned how to bake bread in a brick oven in Sorrento, Italy and all bread today is made right at Mimi's.

In the movie Sleepers, Mimi's is referenced in a jail scene where Brad Pitt's character was dreaming about it. In the mid-1980's, Paul McCartney ordered pizza for his wife Linda's birthday and Mimi's drove it to his private plane, where the pizza was then flown to London. Bobby Flay was a delivery boy at Mimi's in 1983, and in recent times customers have included Brendan Shanahan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Willie Nelson, and yours truly.

Mimi's is at 212 861 3363 and does not yet have a website but when you walk in, Dylan will regale you with superb service. A word of caution, however: once you go, you won't be able to stop!