by Eric Ginsburg

I learned about this tiny hole in the wall in east Winston-Salem by chance, driving near it every week on my Triad City Beat distribution route but never seeing it until I tried to find a shortcut one day.

Turning onto New Walkertown Road from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive just east of downtown, I spotted the New Yorker Pizza & Fried Chicken, a small joint at the edge of a shopping-center strip mall. I often hit this area of my circuit around lunchtime, and there is no food to speak of, save a few fast-food chains.

The slices are likely the most popular item, and given the sporadic service and longer wait time on other menu options, it’s easy to understand why. But the grilled chicken supreme sub is worth the wait.

So. Much. Cheese. The onions, peppers, lettuce and mushrooms bolster the chicken nicely, but the thick coating of gooey provolone cheese is what helps define this sandwich. The 8-inch is more than enough for even a hungry beast, even with the approximate 15-minute wait time.

The shopping center is an artery for the surrounding community. There’s always something of at least minor noteworthiness, adding life to an otherwise unremarkable strip of stores.

I once strayed from my staple menu item, and while I don’t have anything negative to say about it, the glowing reviews are reserved for my go-to. One of the employees once told me it’s his favorite thing on the menu, too. The fries, which are better than most, are still excessive even with the smaller size of the sub.

I didn’t even know what this place was called until my third time through the doors, as I zoned out briefly while waiting for my lunch to be prepared. It’s nothing like the similarly-named New York Pizza in Greensboro, I thought, and I don’t know if there’s anything particularly New York-y about it. But hell if I cared once I bit into the grilled-chicken supreme.

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