Way back in October, I made my way over to Cuts & Slices pushing a baby stroller a little more than 2 miles through Brooklyn. This trip wasn’t an accident. I had been looking to visit for a while after having heard some things about the pies, and I had read about the unique toppings inspired by Caribbean flavors.

I knew the restaurant served oxtail pizza. Back in March, I had read about some of the toppings at Eater The photos looked great and I wanted to give it a try. However, with a toddler in tow, it was proving harder to find time for food adventures around the city.

A week after the Eater article, my book about Italian American food was published. “Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American” obviously has a chapter on pizza, and in the book I outline how this Neapolitan food was reinvented by immigrants in America. During publicity interviews, I was often asked what I thought about different kinds of pizza, and usually Cuts & Slices was at the forefront of my mind.

In October, the weather remained warm enough I could take the toddler on an epic stroll. He actually slept through most of the trip. I had considered making it a double stop, first eating at Saraghina Pizzeria, another recommendation I had gleaned from the internet. It was a bit more formal of a dining experience than I was ready to tackle with a toddler, especially while solo parenting.

The shop was small, even smaller than I expected. I was surprised, too, that there was no line. I had heard rumors of long waits. The two people ahead of me ordered slices but there was no fear of running out. Since then, I get the impression the hype has been building even more. I doubt I would be so lucky on a Saturday afternoon today, especially since the New York Times dropped a video on YouTube.

Randy Mclaren started out in the sneak business selling sneakers to celebrities. The limited release shoes could command high prices, and he would connect celebrity customers with the product. He explained to the New York Times that the limited release pizzas are like those sneakers, and the line of patrons helps create buzz. While initially apps like DoorDash and Slice connected customers to the pizza, he now sees them as a interfering with the competitiveness natural of waiting on line since they led to the pies selling out.

I wanted to order the oxtail. It was, after all, the only pizza I knew they made. But as it turns out, the shop offers three different oxtail slices. The guy behind the counter recommended the sweet chili oxtail, so I ran with that one, but the curry and brown stew oxtail both sound great as well.

I didn’t expect the shop to offer what might be considered more traditional pizza toppings like chicken parmigiana slices. Deconstructing typical pizzeria foods and spreading them on pizzas are common in the city’s pizzerias. However, Cuts & Slices appears to have taken this a step further. This is not merely a pizza topping, but a pizza constructed with the intention of becoming a chicken parm.

While most New York slice choices will added chopped up chicken culet and some extra cheese to the top of a regular slice, here the chicken parm looked a lot more filling. I decided to skip it though in favor of what the slice was known for – flavors of the Caribbean.

The display had a lot of seafood pizzas. Shrimp, crab, and salmon in various combinations, prepared with spices like curry, jerk, and garlic, as well as sauces like alfredo and diavolo. I had some concerns with feeding shellfish to the baby as he was then untested for allergies. I went with the jerk chicken alfredo slice.

I was pretty confident two slices would be enough, even sharing some with the baby. The toppings are bountiful, thick and chunky. But just as I was ordering, a beef and plantain pie came out. Sure, I’ll have one of those too.

As I waited for my slices, the local postal letter carrier came in for lunch. Another guy and his kids followed looping around the black polyester stanchion designed to control crowds. It was still more neighborhood vibes rather than a tourist destination back in October.

The slices came in a box. There wasn’t much room to eat inside, so I took the pizza across the street to Saratoga Park. I found a table thinking how in the summer or a warmer day it would probably be crowded, but there was plenty of room in October. Baby had finally woken from his nap.

The chili oxtail was spectacular. The flavors were rich, but too strong for baby. He preferred the plain but of crust. The guy at the counter was right: this was clearly my favorite slice

The beef and plantain was good too. Sweet, salty, and spicy. If anything, I could have gone for more heat in the beef. By now I was already starting to fill up.

The Jerk chicken alfredo was fine, but easily the slice I would skip to try something new.

Eater’s review last year compared the pizza to “a slice shop answer to California Pizza Kitchen’s underrated global creations.” The comparison though falls short of what is happening here. For one, Cuts & Slices has a solid New York Style crust as a foundation. It’s sturdy enough to hold the pile of toppings, but thin enough to fold.all But to this crust is added a combination of the city’s cultural influences: Italian culture, black culture, Caribbean culture.

A few weeks ago, my friend who lives a few blocks east of the shop tried grabbing a slice. He walked over on my recommendation, but when he got there, found the line an intimidating length. The shop has been attracting regional food tourists from Philadelphia and Connecticut — and to promote the shop, the owners encourage people to post to social media.

Not to worry, Cuts & Slices is expanding with a new location in Queens at Linden Blvd & 205th Street. This new location isn’t exactly subway accessible — the nearest station is the LIRR — but hopefully it will help ease the crowds in Brooklyn.

And when it comes to sneakers, Mclaren now has designed a limited edition shoe with Adidas.

For now, check them out at 93 Howard Avenue in Brooklyn, online at www.cutsandslicesnyc.com, or Instagram.

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