We were speechless reading Gothamist's post about a blogger who attacked Di Fara for being a filthy tourist trap. Luckily Grub Street put our thoughts into words: "Some anonymous writer is going to lecture Dom DeMarco on what constitutes Brooklyn culture? Maybe if the writer had actually bothered to eat the pizza, he would feel differently." We agree entirely. Although we wouldn't have included a link to the blog.
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter . . . and arguably the best pizza in the city for a tourist trap. Isiah 5:20.
Maybe Gothamist should just stick to reblogging the NY Post and NYT instead of blockquoting someone who knows nothing about pizza and raising everyone's ire, sullying the name of a good man in the process.
It is sad that this i getting so much coverage. It will enrage fans of DiFara as well as restaurant owners reducing legitimacy of bloggers. It is a unique and unfortunate situation that the work of many of us who just want to talk about what we love, food, get brought down by someone more interested in trash talking than anything else.
With that said, we all know that as a blogger you can speak your mind and say what you want, I just wish the site had not been included drawing more attention than needed.
@Zach: I excerpt one of the most unfair passages here, but only because I don't want to engage this figlio di puttana on his own site:
"Then u get there and its a dude making a boboli in a hot smokey old gym locker room."
I can't believe this idiot didn't even eat any. Like many folks I've eaten Dom's pizza on numerous occasions and have always thought of it as New York pizza taken to a higher level.
There's only one reason to go all the way out to Midwood and not have any 'za: To stand in awe as Dom crafts each pie with zenlike calm despite how many "hipsters" and people of all stripes are waiting eagerly for their pies and slices. And, yes I have done that.
I've never been. Now, there have been SO MANY ACCOLADES about the pizza there, that I MUST BELIEVE, that the pizza is world class. There are JUST TOO MANY FANS. HOWEVER, and this is a big HOWEVER, there ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND PUT UP WITH, to get the said acclaimed pizza, that THIS ALSO, I take to be valid.
I look at it this way. I'm going there next time I am in NY. And I will be prepared to unruliness, filth, and chaos. The way I look at it, ANYBODY who goes there in order to try this classic pizza ALREADY knows the cons involved, and HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN. Its like a parent sending his or her son to play for Bobby Knight and then complaining that Knight is a nutjob....DUHHH!!!!! Ya think?
That said.....I MUST hold the owners at DIfara's accountable for being aware of customers concerns and NOT addressing them. ANd I don't mean the stupid open windows, or the unswept floors or the lack of a hat or any other of the ridiculous health department concerns. I find the fact that customers complain about RUDENESS (NO FARKING EXCUSE, PERIOD!!) AND PIZZAS GIVEN TO THE WRONG CUSTOMER AFTER LONG LONG WAITS. These two really stood out for me. ANd by owner I really don't mean the pizza maker,Dom. Another poster posted that they think the offspring really don't want to be there and are unhappy being there. I can't prove this, but it seems a reasonable assumption. Dom does ALL the pizzas, all the cutting, all the garnishing, all the grinding, all the EVERTHING, apparently. It seems to me, the the cleaning, the organizing and the greeting of customers would NATURALLY fall on the kids laps.............and they seem to have let these fall to the floor.
I think DOm set up his biz to serve a nice steady stream of loyal customers who would put up with the eccentricities in order to enjoy his creations. WHen word got out, his biz SUDDENLY surpassed the abilities of his production, AND NO ONE STEPPED UP TO HELP HIM ADAPT.
All this, MHO. BUt, I gotta try it.....to see if the pizza is as great and if the other aspects are as horrible.
Don't waste your time getting upset about what this person thinks about DiFara, but get as mad as you want about their decision to omit apostrophes from "its" in the post.
The Red Hook vendors have also been ruined by too much buzz attention and publicity. As far as gabagool's post, you seem more right than wrong. No way do I wait on line two hours for any pizza, but that's just me
Oh, if DiFara's pizza was free I would.... maybe once
The blog's name was Gotham City Insider; not the Gothamist.
My only bone of contention with his post is that he deposits Mr Demarco into the asshole category for refusing to acknowledge his existence. His single minded focus is the quality of his product he isn't trying to be rude.
When held to every other standard other than making exceptional pizza Mr. DeMarco falls short and I do not think it is blaphemous as Cutlets words it at Grub Street to point out these facts.
If Dom wants to handle every pizza himself and and charge $20.00 a pie for the public to watch him handcraft his pizzas then good for him. Just use some of that money to hire a porter to keep the place tidy or ride his daughter and son a little bit harder so the Department of Health doesn't shut the place down again.
Zach, Gothamist, and Grub Streets played right into this person's gambit. I suspect the post was done purposely to get traffic. And you all gave GCI just what it wanted.
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11 Comments:
Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter . . . and arguably the best pizza in the city for a tourist trap. Isiah 5:20.
dj_anchovy at 6:04PM on 07/28/08
Maybe Gothamist should just stick to reblogging the NY Post and NYT instead of blockquoting someone who knows nothing about pizza and raising everyone's ire, sullying the name of a good man in the process.
Raphael at 6:15PM on 07/28/08
Hear Hear!
simon at 6:41PM on 07/28/08
It is sad that this i getting so much coverage. It will enrage fans of DiFara as well as restaurant owners reducing legitimacy of bloggers. It is a unique and unfortunate situation that the work of many of us who just want to talk about what we love, food, get brought down by someone more interested in trash talking than anything else.
With that said, we all know that as a blogger you can speak your mind and say what you want, I just wish the site had not been included drawing more attention than needed.
Oh well, more for us DiFara lovers.
ginsbera at 6:48PM on 07/28/08
@Zach: I excerpt one of the most unfair passages here, but only because I don't want to engage this figlio di puttana on his own site:
"Then u get there and its a dude making a boboli in a hot smokey old gym locker room."
I can't believe this idiot didn't even eat any. Like many folks I've eaten Dom's pizza on numerous occasions and have always thought of it as New York pizza taken to a higher level.
There's only one reason to go all the way out to Midwood and not have any 'za: To stand in awe as Dom crafts each pie with zenlike calm despite how many "hipsters" and people of all stripes are waiting eagerly for their pies and slices. And, yes I have done that.
Joe DiStefano at 4:28AM on 07/29/08
the world would be a better place if there were no talk of difara on the internets...take that to mean whatever you want.
sloppy at 11:21AM on 07/29/08
I've never been. Now, there have been SO MANY ACCOLADES about the pizza there, that I MUST BELIEVE, that the pizza is world class. There are JUST TOO MANY FANS. HOWEVER, and this is a big HOWEVER, there ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND PUT UP WITH, to get the said acclaimed pizza, that THIS ALSO, I take to be valid.
I look at it this way. I'm going there next time I am in NY. And I will be prepared to unruliness, filth, and chaos. The way I look at it, ANYBODY who goes there in order to try this classic pizza ALREADY knows the cons involved, and HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN. Its like a parent sending his or her son to play for Bobby Knight and then complaining that Knight is a nutjob....DUHHH!!!!! Ya think?
That said.....I MUST hold the owners at DIfara's accountable for being aware of customers concerns and NOT addressing them. ANd I don't mean the stupid open windows, or the unswept floors or the lack of a hat or any other of the ridiculous health department concerns. I find the fact that customers complain about RUDENESS (NO FARKING EXCUSE, PERIOD!!) AND PIZZAS GIVEN TO THE WRONG CUSTOMER AFTER LONG LONG WAITS. These two really stood out for me. ANd by owner I really don't mean the pizza maker,Dom. Another poster posted that they think the offspring really don't want to be there and are unhappy being there. I can't prove this, but it seems a reasonable assumption. Dom does ALL the pizzas, all the cutting, all the garnishing, all the grinding, all the EVERTHING, apparently. It seems to me, the the cleaning, the organizing and the greeting of customers would NATURALLY fall on the kids laps.............and they seem to have let these fall to the floor.
I think DOm set up his biz to serve a nice steady stream of loyal customers who would put up with the eccentricities in order to enjoy his creations. WHen word got out, his biz SUDDENLY surpassed the abilities of his production, AND NO ONE STEPPED UP TO HELP HIM ADAPT.
All this, MHO. BUt, I gotta try it.....to see if the pizza is as great and if the other aspects are as horrible.
gabagool at 11:47AM on 07/29/08
Don't waste your time getting upset about what this person thinks about DiFara, but get as mad as you want about their decision to omit apostrophes from "its" in the post.
ScottWiener at 12:26PM on 07/29/08
The Red Hook vendors have also been ruined by too much buzz attention and publicity. As far as gabagool's post, you seem more right than wrong. No way do I wait on line two hours for any pizza, but that's just me
Oh, if DiFara's pizza was free I would.... maybe once
gaffer at 12:34PM on 07/29/08
The blog's name was Gotham City Insider; not the Gothamist.
My only bone of contention with his post is that he deposits Mr Demarco into the asshole category for refusing to acknowledge his existence. His single minded focus is the quality of his product he isn't trying to be rude.
When held to every other standard other than making exceptional pizza Mr. DeMarco falls short and I do not think it is blaphemous as Cutlets words it at Grub Street to point out these facts.
If Dom wants to handle every pizza himself and and charge $20.00 a pie for the public to watch him handcraft his pizzas then good for him. Just use some of that money to hire a porter to keep the place tidy or ride his daughter and son a little bit harder so the Department of Health doesn't shut the place down again.
Anthony A at 12:45PM on 07/29/08
Zach, Gothamist, and Grub Streets played right into this person's gambit. I suspect the post was done purposely to get traffic. And you all gave GCI just what it wanted.
Adam Kuban at 5:20PM on 07/29/08