After two years of preparation, Carroll Gardens newcomer Lucali opened, somewhat fittingly, on Columbus Day. Not long after, the Chowhounders started yapping about it, with most barking their approval. At the urging of Slice reader Mark H., I headed over last night to see what all the fuss was about.
The joint is the creation of Mark Iacono and takes the place of a soda fountain once known for making some of the last real egg creams in Brooklyn. Locals can take comfort, however, in the fact that Mr. Iacono was raised in the neighborhood and still lives around the corner. Not only that, but much of the equipment—including the espresso machine—comes from Leonardo's Pizza, which was sadly replaced by a Dunkin' Donuts around this time last year. The recipes, too, are from the neighborhood, having come from Mr. Iacono's grandma and aunts.
The space, much of it built out by Mr. Iacono himself, feels like a large homey kitchen that, oh, just happens to have a pizza oven in it. Mr. Iacono prepares his pies in full view of the dining room on a marble-top work table. He tops them with a fresh-tasting sauce made from canned San Marzano tomatoes; a cheese combo of regular fresh and imported buffalo mozzarellas and a generous dusting of just-grated grana padano. He adds to that a judicious bit of garlic and basil before sliding his pies into his self-built gas-assisted wood-fired oven. The oven, he estimates, hovers around 800 degrees, and it cooks the pies in somewhere between two to four minutes, depending on the heat. "I've got a friend coming in with a thermometer gun to take readings," Mr. Iacono said.
Above, from left: An upskirt from the first burned pie and one from the well-executed second pie. Note the beautiful charring on the latter.
Given the fact that my first pie of the evening came out badly burned, such a step might be necessary—that or a bit more time mapping the oven's hotspots through trial and error. Still, the 1.5 slices of pie No. 1, that were edible showed great potential, and, after I pointed out the burned crust (above left), Mr. Iacono was more than happy to make a replacement.
Pie No. 2 was excellent, exhibiting a knowing balance among crust, sauce, and cheese. Garlic and basil were present but not overpowering. The crust was moderately charred here and there, looking for all the world like it had come out of one of the city's hallowed coal-oven places; it had an airy hole structure, nice crispness, and a pleasant just-right level of chewiness.
The buffalo mozz and grana padano are imported from Italy through cheesemakers Lioni Latticini, also the source for the domestic regular fresh mozz. If this cheese combination sounds like that used by Dom DeMarco at Di Fara, the similarity is intentional. "He's my pizza inspiration," Mr. Iacono said. "I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for him." The one major difference in the blend is that Lucali uses fresh regular mozzarella instead of Grande's aged mozz. "The Grande cheese that Dom uses is a pizza cheese. My oven's too hot; it would burn it, so I have to use fresh mozzarella," he said.
Also like Di Fara, the pies get a nice pour of olive oil—but after they exit the oven. Other than that, not much else dresses the pizza here. Topping choices are few and last night included fresh mushrooms, anchovies, bell peppers, and beef pepperoni (from Esposito & Sons Pork Store).
All that said, the pizza at Lucali does not taste as much like Di Fara as it does one of the coal-oven biggies, despite Mr. Iacono's clear veneration of the Dominator. The crust is much thinner than Mr. Demarco's and is not as chewy, and the grana padano does not play as prominent a role in the mixture of flavors. It is more an homage to the master than a slavish attempt to copy him. Where Mr. Iacono does strive to emulate Mr. Demarco is in his pizzamaking philosophy and in his clear love for the dish—he will be the sole pizzaiolo at Lucali, and the place will sink or swim based on his skill alone.
Based on the quality of my second pie, I'm betting the joint will thrive, and I strongly recommend it. Keep in mind if you go, however, that the restaurant is in its "soft opening" stage as of this writing (grand opening is slated for November 1) and that Mr. Iacono is still testing dough mixtures and getting a feel for the oven. Last night was a slow one for Lucali. Iacono should savor it, as I think he'll be very busy very soon.
Lucali
Address: 575 Henry Street, Brooklyn NY 11231; Carroll Gardens, b/n Carroll Street and First Place [map] Getting There: F train to Carroll Street Station; walk west to Henry; Lucali is on east side of street, about one-fourth block south of Carroll Cost: Plain pies (14-inch), $17; calzones, $7; cash only The Skinny: Using a gas-assisted wood-fired oven that he built himself, owner-pizzaiolo Mark Iacono lovingly crafts pies inspired by legendary Di Fara proprietor Dom DeMarco—with a similar high-quality three-cheese blend and the signature pour of olive oil.
Adam: Agree with your caveat that one should never judge a newly-opened restaurant (see Chowhound for many variations on this theme). One question, however: to what extent (specifically pizza preparation time) does Mr. Iacono emulate the Dominator? Certainly, Carroll Gardens pizza lovers won't tolerate 45 minute waits for their pies. How long was it from order to table? I've read that the joint is BYO at this time...is that true? If so, I've got my Planeta 2002 Cabernet all ready to go.
Famdoc: I realized on the way home from work yesterday that I neglected to mention the BYO, hours, etc. I can confirm: It's BYO for now, until they get their beer/wine license. That should be coming early November, Iacono said. When I was there on Tuesday, it was pretty slow, but from what Iacono said, and what I read on Chowhound, that's been an anomaly lately. The first pie took, oh, about 12 minutes from order to table. The oven there is fast. Two to four minutes, Iacono was saying. I guess he takes after Dom more in pizzamaking philosophy, love of the dish, and in his attempt to make a Di Fara-like pie. Like I said, I don't think he's slavishly trying to clone the Dominator's product. And I don't think he really wants people to wait 60 to 90 minutes for a pie. That said, New York magazine just did a little write-up, too. The word is out. The place could get real crowded, real soon.
My fiance and I had a pie (pepperoni & mushroom) from here this weekend. When i arrived at around 7:45pm on a rainy friday night, the place was winding down from what looked like a family-crowd rush. Word is definitely out in surrounding areas. It took about 1/2 hour from start to finish to get my pie, but that had mainly to do with the numbers of pies before me. Once he started on my order, I was out the door with a cardboard box 10 minutes later. The pie was really good. Nice char on one side, nothing really burned anywhere though. Much more like a Grimaldi's pie in taste and texture than DiFara's. My fiance prolaimed it better than Grimaldi's. The folks there are really nice. Seemed like a family run enterprise, with everyone pitching in a having a decent enough time. Since my wait was "so long" they offered me an espresso, which was nicely pulled with a decent crema and a rich taste. They said it was D'Amico's coffee, but it tasted even better than usual. I would definitely come back here regularly. And given that pies actually make it home still warm, i can see it becoming a regular desitnation.
First visit last PM. Arrived at 6 PM opening. Mark and family still getting prepped, but we enjoyed our wine while waiting and taking in the decor. By 6:15, several tables were seated and our pie was out of the oven in five minutes. I can confirm a crispy crust, with a 5-10% char surface area. The cheese blend was magnificent. Cheerful service, loving preparation. By 6:45, patrons were waiting for seats at (and outside) the door.
canonizer, it's still BYO. You can expect to wait 15-60 minutes for a table, but the service is pretty fast once you're in. The bottleneck is at the door, not in the kitchen.
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The space, much of it built out by Mr. Iacono himself, feels like a large homey kitchen that, oh, just happens to have a pizza oven in it. Mr. Iacono prepares his pies in full view of the dining room on a marble-top work table. He tops them with a fresh-tasting sauce made from canned San Marzano tomatoes; a cheese combo of regular fresh and imported buffalo mozzarellas and a generous dusting of just-grated grana padano. He adds to that a judicious bit of garlic and basil before sliding his pies into his self-built gas-assisted wood-fired oven. The oven, he estimates, hovers around 800 degrees, and it cooks the pies in somewhere between two to four minutes, depending on the heat. "I've got a friend coming in with a thermometer gun to take readings," Mr. Iacono said.
The buffalo mozz and grana padano are imported from Italy through cheesemakers Lioni Latticini, also the source for the domestic regular fresh mozz. If this cheese combination sounds like that used by Dom DeMarco at Di Fara, the similarity is intentional. "He's my pizza inspiration," Mr. Iacono said. "I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for him." The one major difference in the blend is that Lucali uses fresh regular mozzarella instead of Grande's aged mozz. "The Grande cheese that Dom uses is a pizza cheese. My oven's too hot; it would burn it, so I have to use fresh mozzarella," he said.
Based on the quality of my second pie, I'm betting the joint will thrive, and I strongly recommend it. Keep in mind if you go, however, that the restaurant is in its "soft opening" stage as of this writing (grand opening is slated for November 1) and that Mr. Iacono is still testing dough mixtures and getting a feel for the oven. Last night was a slow one for Lucali. Iacono should savor it, as I think he'll be very busy very soon.
9 Comments:
Adam: Agree with your caveat that one should never judge a newly-opened restaurant (see Chowhound for many variations on this theme). One question, however: to what extent (specifically pizza preparation time) does Mr. Iacono emulate the Dominator? Certainly, Carroll Gardens pizza lovers won't tolerate 45 minute waits for their pies. How long was it from order to table? I've read that the joint is BYO at this time...is that true? If so, I've got my Planeta 2002 Cabernet all ready to go.
Slice famdoc at 6:05AM on 10/26/06
Famdoc: I realized on the way home from work yesterday that I neglected to mention the BYO, hours, etc. I can confirm: It's BYO for now, until they get their beer/wine license. That should be coming early November, Iacono said. When I was there on Tuesday, it was pretty slow, but from what Iacono said, and what I read on Chowhound, that's been an anomaly lately. The first pie took, oh, about 12 minutes from order to table. The oven there is fast. Two to four minutes, Iacono was saying. I guess he takes after Dom more in pizzamaking philosophy, love of the dish, and in his attempt to make a Di Fara-like pie. Like I said, I don't think he's slavishly trying to clone the Dominator's product. And I don't think he really wants people to wait 60 to 90 minutes for a pie. That said, New York magazine just did a little write-up, too. The word is out. The place could get real crowded, real soon.
Adam Kuban at 2:21PM on 10/26/06
My fiance and I had a pie (pepperoni & mushroom) from here this weekend. When i arrived at around 7:45pm on a rainy friday night, the place was winding down from what looked like a family-crowd rush. Word is definitely out in surrounding areas. It took about 1/2 hour from start to finish to get my pie, but that had mainly to do with the numbers of pies before me. Once he started on my order, I was out the door with a cardboard box 10 minutes later. The pie was really good. Nice char on one side, nothing really burned anywhere though. Much more like a Grimaldi's pie in taste and texture than DiFara's. My fiance prolaimed it better than Grimaldi's. The folks there are really nice. Seemed like a family run enterprise, with everyone pitching in a having a decent enough time. Since my wait was "so long" they offered me an espresso, which was nicely pulled with a decent crema and a rich taste. They said it was D'Amico's coffee, but it tasted even better than usual. I would definitely come back here regularly. And given that pies actually make it home still warm, i can see it becoming a regular desitnation.
Slice Prackin at 4:48PM on 10/29/06
First visit last PM. Arrived at 6 PM opening. Mark and family still getting prepped, but we enjoyed our wine while waiting and taking in the decor. By 6:15, several tables were seated and our pie was out of the oven in five minutes. I can confirm a crispy crust, with a 5-10% char surface area. The cheese blend was magnificent. Cheerful service, loving preparation. By 6:45, patrons were waiting for seats at (and outside) the door.
Slice famdoc at 4:52PM on 11/06/06
FYI, when I went there this past Sunday (it was closed, unfortunately), a sign near the front door used the spelling Lucali (or Lucali's), not Loucallie. Also see this: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2006/10/brickoven_pizza_perfection_com.html
Slice Andrea at 10:54PM on 11/13/06
Pizza Theater... Pizza f'ing theater....
andruw at 9:42PM on 12/05/07
hmm...anyone know if it's still byo? any update on this 2 year review?
many thanks, slicers.
canonizer at 12:30PM on 07/14/08
canonizer, it's still BYO. You can expect to wait 15-60 minutes for a table, but the service is pretty fast once you're in. The bottleneck is at the door, not in the kitchen.
clconway at 4:07PM on 08/25/08
Very good pizza, definitely not among the best in NYC, but very good
Coccodimamma at 9:17AM on 06/07/09