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Today's deal treats you to pizza made the way the 19th-century gangs of New York used to make it (before getting into vicious street brawls over the proper way to cook a pizza). For $20, you get $40 worth of coal-fired pizza, pasta, and Italian subs at Tony C's in the Hill Country Galleria. This cozy bare-brick eatery's pizza is "easily one of the top five in Austin," according to My Fox.

Tony C's top-notch pies are cooked in a coal-fired, 1,000-degree hearthstone oven – 1,000 times hotter than the sun, approximately. The coal burns twice as hot as wood, so the crust comes out crisp with Tony C's fresh ingredients and authentic sauce simmering on top. The menu offers New York-style pizzas as well as classic Neapolitan-style pizzas, such as margarita (ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella; $15 for the medium), marinara (sauce and cheese; $11 for the medium), and bianco (cream, ricotta, roasted garlic, and caramelized onions; $15 for the medium). Try specialty pies, such as primopesto ($17 for the medium) or prosciutto and goat cheese ($18 for the medium). Tony's also serves salad, classic Italian lasagna ($14), and spaghetti and meatballs ($12), as well as subs (meatball, chicken parmesan, caprese, and more) that come with garlic fries and none of that famous "New York attitude" that so often manifests itself in the form of dirty limericks.

Unlike New York, Tony C's staff is always friendly and service is always fast. The restaurant is intimate and comfortable, especially during live jazz sessions on Friday nights. Anthracite coal is also more eco-friendly than traditional pizza cooking methods, such as placing them inside conventional ovens or running Hummer engines. Bring a green-leaning date along and you can look forward to a night of carbon-neutral necking.

Reviews

My Fox Austin reviewed Tony C's:

• Tony C's was the first coal-fired pizzeria in the area to open and it raised the bar considerably for local owner-operated pizza joints. . . . It has steadily improved since the opening and is now easily one of the top five in Austin. . . . The key: the pizza crust is eminently edible for half an hour after the pie hits the table! We also really enjoy The Bianco. This creative pie features an intriguing blend of cream, ricotta cheese and caramalized onions. This pie could easily be burned, but Tony C's pulls it off. – My Fox Austin

Citysearchers give Tony C’s 3.5 stars, and 81% of Urbanspooners like it:

• The best New York style pizza I have had in Austin. – grubgeek, Citysearch
• . . . the pizza was up to par with NY pizza. The crust was perfect along with the tasty sauce and cheese. – carol, Urbanspoon
• I hadn't been a big fan of the thin-crust New York-style pizzas before, but a trip to Tony C's changed my opinion in no uncertain terms. The crust, crispy and well-textured, is alone worth the price – BW, Urbanspoon