I just got back from a trip to Di Fara to check out unsubstantiated rumors of a Di Fara closing. The pizzeria was indeed closed, but Dom DeMarco's daughter, Maggie, was there and reports that her father was at the doctor for "minor mouth surgery."
No word on when the place will reopen. Stay tuned.
Update: It has reopened.
Sam's Restaurant and Pizzeria, which took me a while to come around to, is making some changes.
The blog Lost City reports that longtime pizza-maker Mario Migliaccio is heading back to Italy to retire after his wife died last month.
Mario's son, Louis, will continue to run the restaurant and promises that he won't change a thing. Let's hope not; the place is an absolute gem.
Admittedly, the previous item I blogged about was a week old*, and in that time Alan Richman has moved on to writing about some old standbys. He posted his thoughts yesterday on Grimaldi's (DUMBO), Patsy's (East Harlem), and Di Fara (Midwood). Again, let's take them in order.
On Grimaldi's:
The oven is just right, but the crusts are merely okay—they have a fresh, bready smell, but to me they’re a little too thick and slightly too soft, somewhat undercooked. The tomato sauce is vibrant and essential, which means the white pizzas are best skipped. These basically consist of soft, melted mozzarella atop soft, bland crusts. I tried a half-dozen pies and by far the best was topped with grated cheese, fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and excellent, spicy, thick-cut slices of pepperoni.
Agree or disagree with Richman's Top 25 Pizzas List, but I think he's spot on about Grimaldi's here. [Richman's take on Patsy's and Di Fara, after the jump. ]
Opening Monday, June 8, 2009, is Saraghina in Bed-Stuy. Looks like a rustic Ball-jar joint with a wood-burning EarthStone oven. Grub Street has a slideshow and says this: "It’s good news for those who like the Neapolitan-style pizza served at Luzzo’s in the East Village: Luzzo's owner gave the fledgling pizzaioli partners not only his blessing but his top-secret flour-mixture formula." Saraghina: 435 Halsey Street, Brooklyn NY 11233 (at Lewis Avenue, Bed-Stuy); no phone or website yet
Totonno's, as it used to look. Photograph from timkang on Flickr
Lost City reports that the Coney Island Totonno's reopening has been moved back to mid July from the earlier June projection date. Can't say I didn't see this coming. Building/rebuilding is a long, laborious process.
1524 Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11224 (map)
718-372-8606
totonnos.com
Joe's will be taking part in a Snapple free-lunch promotion next week.
I just received a press release you all might be interested in. Snapple is doing some sort of marketing gimmick next week in which it's giving away free pizza lunches to the first 500 folks to show up at the following pizzerias (listed after the jump). All of the week's promotions start at 10:30 a.m. and last until the 500th person is served.
Totonno's, as it used to look. Photograph from timkang on Flickr
I've had a lot of you emailing me or asking me in person: When is Totonno's in Coney reopening?
As you should know, there was a fire at the legendary coal-oven pizzeria on March 14. When last we talked to Totonno's owner Lawrence Ciminieri, he said he thought the place would reopen in a month's time—which would be around, oh, now.
I just got off the phone with Ciminieri, and he tells me that the target reopen date is now early June.
"It took four weeks just to get the permit to start work," he said. "We'll start May 1, and hopefully it'll take four weeks to rebuild. So early June."
Slice will keep an eye on the Totonno's rebuild for you and bring your word of the reopening. If for some sick reason you don't check the site daily, though, Ciminieri says you should just call Totonno's before making a trip out there: 718-372-8606.
Thursday night I had the pleasure of attending the pizza-themed Cheryl dance party mentioned early last week on Slice.
The Royale in Park Slope was decked out in pizza-parlor regalia with red-and-white checked tablecloths, construction-paper pizza slices, and paper plates on the wall. There was no shortage of fantastic homemade pizza-themed costumes. Attendees came dressed as various toppings: pepperoni, olives, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli. There was even someone dressed as salmon. And one guest came dressed as Kristy Lynn Hammonds, one of the recently fired Domino's miscreants of YouTube fame.
The evening's most popular snack accessories were edible pizza necklaces, thoughtfully provided by Cheryls. Also spotted were cheese graters and pizza wheel necklaces. When it came time for the Cheryls to perform their signature choreographed dance, The Cheryl, they emerged from behind a wall of empty pizza boxes, dressed as cheese, sauce, and crust.
Pizza Cheryl was definitely the most delicious dance party I've been to in a while. Hopefully there will be more food-themed Cheryls in the future. Cheryl burger anyone?
Related
Cheryl on Facebook
Cheryl blog
Clicking in to the Slice inbox today, we've got ...
You may not know about this, but there's a pizza-themed dance party happening next week in Brooklyn. Everyone is going to dress up like pizza, and there's an insane promo video for the event. It's thrown by a group of partythrowers named CHERYL, and the party is called CHERYL: PIZZA
Here's the video promo for the party. It's awesome.
—Nick S.
Wandering around Carroll Gardens with a posse of serious eaters we came across what could only be described as a pizza kiosk attached to the longstanding watering hole P. J. Hanley's. It turned out to be the slice annex of the adjoining South Brooklyn Pizza Company. Good-looking Di Fara–esque pies and slices were being made in a conventional pizza oven by a Mexican pizzaiolo, who would then hand the pizza to the P. J. Hanley's barkeep. The south-of-the-border pie man was putting three kinds of cheese—mozzarella, grana padano, and fontina—on his plain pies, along with fresh basil leaves, followed by a quick pour of olive oil.
Ignazio's finally, officially opened yesterday. The very first reports are mixed. From blogger Nubloom:
The pizza was absolutely awesome. Thicker crust than Grimaldi’s but just slightly, giving a great crunch that I look for in pizza. The slices are not sloppy or overly loaded with sauce or cheese. The staff looks like they are from a Grateful Dead concert, but it doesn’t matter because they are so friendly you are put immediately at ease.
But Yelp, so far, isn't being quite as kind.
4 Water Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (under the Brooklyn Bridge; map)
354 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at Sullivan Street, Red Hook; map); 718-775-5386; anselmosbakery.com
Getting There: The B61 and B77 buses are your closest public transit options
Pizza Style: New York–Neapolitan
Oven Type: Coal-fired
The Skinny: Too soon to really say
Price: TK
Another day, another sneak peek at a soon-to-open pizzeria. This time, Anselmo's Coal Oven Pizzeria.
We've been following the progress of this place since June of last year, when it announced a July 4 open date. These things don't always go according to schedule (see Co./Company, Ignazio's, etc.), but it looks like coal-fired pies will finally be a reality in Red Hook. The official target date was to have been today, March 28, but partner Jack Stella said it would be more like Monday or Tuesday now.
The folks behind Anselmo's were having an oven test-fire last night that was open to friends, family, the neighborhood, and whomever was walking by and his uncle. I stopped in on the way home from work and managed to get some shots and talk briefly with the partners. [More photos and intel after the jump.]
Two Fridays ago. Ed here is like, "Adam, have you heard of this place Pizzeria Del Corso? I saw it mentioned in a story in the Daily News last week about pizza-tossing. The pizza-tossing didn't catch my eye, but the pizzeria did."
I guess I had seen that story but had only focused on the Dom DeMarco angle. (Yeah, you know me, right?)
And who can blame me? The rest of it was about pizza-tossing. Whatevs.
Don't get me wrong. The folks who toss pizza competitively are good people. But once you've seen video after video of it, it's easy to lose interest.
And, you know, I don't really care how you've formed the dough into a round. As long as the end product is awesome, you could use a toss, a stretch, a rolling pin, or a bowling ball. (I will concede that those last two techniques are not ideal.)
Also blocking the Del Corso uptake on my part was the fact that the two guys who opened it—Nino Coniglio and Ryan LaRose—are part of the U.S. Pizza Team.
You see, the pizza-tossing thing and the serious-pizza-making thing have never seemed to go hand in hand.
I mean, sure, Colt Seavers could drive the hell out of that truck, but do you think he was actually the one fixing busted axles after jumping an open drawbridge?*
My pizza heroes have always been the unassuming types with their heads (and hands) down, concentrating on making great pizza rather than putting on showy stunts for an action-craving audience.
But Ed was being a nudge about Del Corso, so we made plans to visit and ended up out there last Thursday. Turns out that being a dough-thrower doesn't necessarily make you a tosser. This pizza was good.
Finally. After more than a year, Ignazio's will be opening on Monday or Tuesday of next week, the Brooklyn Heights Blog reports. Though it's steps away from Grimaldi's, Ignazio's owner Louis Termini says he's not a rival—he wants to pick up the locals in the area who might otherwise avoid the long lines of tourists at the legendary pizzeria around the corner.
In the last few months, Termini has been hard at work — he installed a specialty pizza oven that is gas-operated, but heats the pizza as if it were a wood-burning oven. There will be the classic pizzas with fresh, locally made mozzarella, as well as more adventurous toppings like swiss chard, smoked eel, seaweed and seafood.
According to Brooklyn Heights Blog, Grimaldi's manager John Boyle says, "We have no competition—there’s room for everybody."
Aw, it's a regular lovefest down there under the Brooklyn Bridge.
4 Water Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (under the Brooklyn Bridge; map)
I think this has been reported on the blogs or on Chowhounds before, but with the new Di Fara hours (instituted after Dom DeMarco's knee surgery), they essentially lock you in at or shortly after 8:30 p.m. Johnny- and Janey-come-lately are, in turn, locked out while Dom serves the remaining crowd inside.
It's a bit sad to see didn't-make-its pull at the door handle and get shooed away by the gloating crowd inside, but what can you do. I also noted a fair amount of schadenfreude at the expense of the slowpokes.
261 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (at Garfield Place; map); 718-499-9888; lavillaparkslope.com
The Skinny: The focaccia di nonna has a crisp-chewy crust with fresh mozzarella layered under garlicky, crushed San Marzano tomatoes
Pizza Style: New York-Neapolitan
Oven Type: Wood Stone gas-assist wood-fired oven
Price: Small round (reviewed), $14. Large thin-crust Sicilian, $24; large round, $24; small deep-dish, $14
There's an old saying about defecation in the area in which one dines. It's not to be done.
That's what's kept me from really going into detail about La Villa in Park Slope. It's about half a block from my home, and I eat there frequently.
The nonpizza food there has always been good—and the portions are insane. You can pretty much feed two people from one dish or take the rest home for a second meal.
But the pizza, as good as it's been, has never really done it for me. I figured out why this weekend.
Lawrence Ciminieri, in front of the Totonno's oven we hope to be eating pizzas from again soon.
I called Totonno's owner Lawrence Ciminieri to find out more about the fire damage horrified Slice reader Rob S. discovered when he went to the original Coney Island location yesterday.
Ciminieri says, "Everything is going to be fine. The fire broke out in the coal storage area when we were closed. It must have been ignited by something backed up in the oven. The back two rooms are gone. The dining room is fine. The oven will have to be re-bricked, but that is something we do every few years anyway. I think we'll be back open in a month. Tell everybody thanks for me, Ed. Everyone's been so supportive."
Everyone who loves good pizza knows how important the original Totonno's is. It is our church of pizza. We need it restored to its former glory, and, from what Ciminieri says, it sounds like we are going to get what we need. [After the jump, a slide show of Totonno's as it was.]
Totonno's, as it used to look. Photograph from timkang on Flickr
This is horrible news. I just got this from Slice reader Rob S.:
I just wanted to let you and loyal Slice readers know that I went to Totonno's in Coney Island this morning, and the place has burned down. Apparently this morning at around 8 a.m. the place caught on fire. When I visited around 1 p.m. all the windows were broken and there was serious fire damage.
Hopefully they will open again soon!
Only the truly dedicated put up with the long, long wait for the awesome pizza at Di Fara.
But how long have you waited?
Longtime Slice reader Norman has a great idea: "You should do a post to find out who's waited the longest for a pie from Dom. I'll go first: 2 hours 15 minutes."
Norman, I think I've waited almost that long but unfortunately did not take official time readings, so I'll cede the crown to you so far. Can anyone else top Norman?
If you don't follow the comings and goings of coal-oven pizzerias around the country—and, really, if you're halfway normal, why would you?—then you may not know there are other Grimaldi's outside the New York City area.
Sure, you might know about the Hoboken Grimaldi's, but, wait ... there's one in Texas? Say wha?
Yes, there are a handful in Texas and the Southwest, all (or most) rocking coal ovens, from what I can tell. Also, from what I can piece together, they are loosely affiliated with the original only in that a different set of owners licensed the name (sort of like the East Harlem Patsy's and the mini-chain Patsy's).
Sounds good, right? Pioneers extending the manifest destiny of coal-oven supremacy throughout the mild West.
But Houston Press food writer Robb Walsh hits upon a busted wheel in this wagon train of pizza deliciousness—the folks in Houston don't like "burnt" pizza.
A coal-fired pizza oven operates at extremely high temperatures. It cooks the pizza very quickly and gives it a slightly smoky flavor. If you make a pizza crust of an average thickness, the hot floor of the brick oven will char the bottom of the crust by the time the pizza is completely cooked. Coal oven pizza aficionados love the char--they savor the crunchy blackened crust the same way Texas barbecue lovers treasure the crispy burnt ends of a brisket.
Unfortunately, Texans weren't raised on coal oven pizza and they see do not see the allure of a "burnt" pizza. And so the whole coal-fired brick oven pizza phenomenon is kind of a joke in Houston.
Apparently, all the Grimaldi's in Arizona and the ones in Texas have learned the hard way that customers send back the "burnt" pizzas and have been cooking their crusts to a dull blond ever since.
I get called out for my narrowmindedness on the blog Off the Wall Dining:
Bloggers like Kuban have been way too critical of this pizza as though the owners committed a sin. After all, how strange can it really be when people eat anchovies on pizza? I mean, fish on pizza seems much more unusual than hot dogs and french fries on a pizza. Well, I tried it and loved it.
"... fish on pizza seems much more unusual than hot dogs and french fries on a pizza."
Um, no. No, it doesn't.
193 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 (b/n Court and Clinton streets; map)
718-522-2880
Looks like there's been some progress at Anselmo's Pizzeria on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. The dining room looks just about finished, and the oven has been fired up.
The last time I peeked in the windows (mid November), it looked nowhere near ready. But Anselmo himself says that they'll be doing a day of oven testing soon, and then opening to the public after that.
354 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at Sullivan Street, Red Hook; map)
718-775-5386
anselmospizza.com
The Margherita at Co.
GQ's Alan Richman offers an entertaining take on two recently opened pizzerias, Co. and Motorino. (He says Mayor Bloomberg should stimulate the city's economy by opening more pizzerias.)
On Co., Richman says:
The pizza at Co. is produced by Jim Lahey of the revered Sullivan St Bakery and answers this question: If pizza is essentially crust, and if crust is essentially bread, and if Lahey is possibly the finest bread-maker in New York, shouldn’t the pizza at Co. be superb? This is not a trick question. The pizza is, for the most part, exactly that. The only flaw is an occasional wrongheaded harmonizing of toppings, annoying but far from fatal.
Richman's take on Motorino, after the jump.
193 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 (b/n Court and Clinton streets; map); 718-522-2880
The Skinny: Strangely enough, hot dogs and french fry pizzas are commonly found in Italy. But just because it's Italian doesn't mean it's good. I mean, hello, Fabio for example?
Price: Small, $16.50; large $18.90; slice, $2.90
I was working from home this morning when I saw the hot dog and french fry pizza on Eater. The photo of it there was taken by "Daniel Krieger (who for the record, did not try a slice)."
"Did not try a slice?!?" I said to myself. Pussy.
Well, it turns out that Mr. Krieger is a wiser man than I. On my way in to the office, I took a minor detour through Brooklyn Heights to try this thing. Needless to say, I feel funny right now after getting about halfway through just one slice.
The hot dog and french fry pizza is called the Reginella Special. Giving the house name to such a pie is a pretty bold move, so I asked what the story was behind this pizza. Was it just a gimmick to get people talking?
Though it's hard to see in this photo (or in the one at Eater, where it comes from), this pizza has hot dogs and french fries on it.
You should have no problem, however, discerning how ridiculous and offensive to pizzakind this is.
It's available at Pizzeria Reginella, a recently opened joint in on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights. (Small, $16.50; large $18.90; slice, $2.90.)
193 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 (b/n Court and Clinton streets; map)
718-522-2880
From the answering machine at the legendary Brooklyn pizzeria Di Fara: "Due to a medical emergency we are temporarily closed. We are hoping to reopen on or before February 1. Thank you for all your concern, and have a great day."
We hope that everyone's OK at Di Fara and that this only is a minor medical emergency. We've tried to contact Di Fara and will bring you any news as we can get it. [via Chowhound; thanks, David J.]
I just heard from Maggie, Dom DeMarco's daughter. She and Mr. DeMarco were in a car accident on Monday evening—black ice on the road. Maggie's OK, but Dom broke his knee cap, she said.
"He is scheduled to have surgery," Maggie wrote in an email. "Post-surgery requires about 4 to 6 weeks rehabilitation, which my dad already informed he will rehabilitate at work instead."
Cool: Motorino in Williamsburg is on Twitter (@motorino.
Not cool: They're bitin' my phrase, "Hasta la pizza." Step off, n00bs. I've been using that phrase for years.
An email from a friend asks: "Did you watch the new Brooklyn-based Real World? They went to L&B Spumoni Gardens."
My answer is no. The last thing I need in my life is to waste an hour of it watching a group of fame-obsessed, sexually confused post-adolescents work out their cringe-worthy issues on TV.
But when one of Brooklyn's favorite pizzerias is involved I can hold my nose and tune in. Unfortunately, the bit at Spumoni Gardens lasts all of 5 seconds, consisting of the cast ordering and eating the square slices the Bensonhurst joint is known for. I've embedded video here, after the jump.
Thanks to everyone out there who showed up to hear about "The Year in Pizza" at Adult Ed last night. My talk kind of got off to a rocky start (I'm not much of a public speaker), but thanks to your early laughs (either sincere or politely feigned), I soon found my bearings and delivered a not-horrible speech.
Thanks, too, to Carrie McLaren and Stay Free! for presenting the series; Charles Star for emceeing; Jim Hanas for asking me to speak; and fellow speakers Patrick Di Justo, Joe Garden, and Marian Salzman; and, of course, Union Hall for providing the venue.
It was fun. I hope you got your five bucks' worth.
"The window paper is finally down (after what seems like years) at Ignazio's under the Brooklyn Bridge: http://twitpic.com/zw25." So sayeth Savory Cities' Chris McBride in a tweet sent to the Eater blog.
Not years per se. But the place was first reported on by the Brooklyn Eagle August 2007.
I had thought it just ran into money troubles and halted its opening. But it does look like there are tables set up in there. We'll see.
4 Water Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (under the Brooklyn Bridge; map)
I'll be speaking as part of a fun year-end wrap-up at Union Hall in Park Slope. My topic? Pizza, what else?
Also speaking will be Patrick Di Justo with "Things We Lost" (the bygones of 2008) Joe Garden with "Welcome to the Night" (the year in vampires), and Marian Salzman with "The Year of Payback" (why the buzzword for 2009 will be "reboot").
The retrospective will be 2009's first installment of Adult Education, self-described as "a useless lecture series" and also as "a monthly event series where various speakers present brief, multimedia lectures on a shared theme."
Attendees are advised to eat a slice of garlic pizza beforehand to ward off any vampires who show up to hear Mr. Garden's presentation.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 8 p.m. (doors at 7:30)
Union Hall, 702 Union Street, Brooklyn NY 11215 (near Fifth Avenue; map)
$5 cover
"It hasn’t yet offered me a perfect meal. But it improved enough between two visits to inspire hope that Motorino will eventually launch itself into the upper strata of the city’s pizzerias." [New York Times]
Inveterate pizza seeker Paulie Gee just tipped me to the Christmas Eve menu at Roberta's in Bushwick:
Details: $45 a person, complimentary glass of Lambrusco. Two seatings, 7 and 9 p.m. Reservations: 718-417-1118
Last night, Serious Eaters booked it to Williamsburg to celebrate the holidays at The Gutter. While the alley doesn't serve hot dogs, chicken fingers, or other standard bowling fare—though I did spot beef jerky—they luckily have a BYOF policy. What would our "Food" be?
Delivery pizza from Fornino. We weren't the only ones with this idea, either. Fornino is just a half-mile away, so they'll bring it right to the alley. Our four pies included: sausage, artichoke and tomato, mushrooms with truffle oil, and a basic Margherita. Sausage was first to go, and by far the crowd favorite. Truffles inspired a small female following. Artichoke was the clear loser. Ed was a big fan of the Fornino crust: "the light crust that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Plus, the crust had great hole structure—it was cooked all the way through."
Maybe that's what inspired him to bowl three strikes?! When they turned off the lanes an hour and a half later, Ed was begging to stay longer. "I was just getting started!" He also claims to have 1960s-era trophies at home. After the jump, get a glimpse of him in action.
I know some of you are fans of this place, so for you, a message from South Brooklyn Pizza's PR flak:
As a Holiday surprise In response to ongoing customer requests, South Brooklyn Pizza is slated to soft-open their new adjoining takeout/delivery annex today (Tuesday, December 16), located next to the restaurant's main entrance and sharing the same address and phone number.
Two kinds of pizzas will be sold (cash only): Sicilian Margherita and Cheese Melange (mozzarella, fontina, asagio, ricotta, and pecorino, all imported from Italy) in 18-inch size—$20 each; by the slice—$3 per. Both takeout and delivery (within a 10-block radius) will be offered, and hours and days of operation to begin with will be limited, and then expanded to 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week, in time for the official grand opening on Thursday, January 8.
451 Court Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at 4th Place; map)
718-852-6018
Margherita pie at Motorino.
Williamsburg pizzeria Mortorino is jumping on the prix-fixe meal bandwagon (it seems to be the recent trend with recession-fearing diners hungry for deals). Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., this two-course lunch menu for $10 features: soup (rotating every other day-ish; today's is brussels sprouts) or salad (the tri-color salad with radicchio, endive, and arugula). And, of course, pizza, with five options available: margherita, soppressata piccante, marinara, anchovy, and speck with brussels sprouts. [via kludt on Twitter]
UPDATE: This deal only applies to weekdays. On Saturday and Sunday, Motorino offers a brunch menu from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. which includes one entree (egg pizza, baked egg, or a "panetti" sandwich) with a drink for $10.
Read the initial report on Slice.
319 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (at Devoe Street; map)
718-599-8899
motorinopizza.com
The Strong Buzz reports reports that there's breakfast pizza on the menu at Motorino.
The joint is now serving brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All dishes are $10, with coffee or juice.
Says Strong, "Mathieu Palombino is turning pizza into the breakfast food of champions with pies topped with creamy fior di latte, fluffy farm eggs, smoky pancetta, and handfuls of basil and Parmiggiano."
If you're too much of a purist to go for a breakfast pizza, the "panetti" sandwiches there sound pretty good: "made from Motorino’s pizza dough stuffed with the likes of mortadella, taleggio, radicchio, and aceto." [via Kathryn Yu]
319 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (at Devoe Street; map)
718-599-8899
motorinopizza.com
OK. At first, all the stuff I've seen and heard about this Pizza Moto mobile pizza trailer at the Brookyln Flea? It all made me think "amateur hour." I mean, you look at the photo of that oven, and it looks more like a low-slung little heap of bricks than a serious wood-fired pizza oven.
But this nice profile in the New York Times today reveals that the owner, Dave Sclarow, has some serious pizza cred behind him: "Mr. Sclarow, 34, learned his pizza craft at Franny’s, in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and by backpacking through Italy."
I still haven't made my way over to the Brooklyn Flea to try this pizza, though readers of Slice who have tried it have complained that it's expensive for what you get. That won't stop me for now, but I am sort of afraid of showing up with camera in tow: "Mr. Sclarow is wary of pizza fetishists. 'Pizza's one of those things that everybody knows, so everybody has an opinion,' he said."
Lafayette Avenue, between Clermont and Vanderbilt avenues (Fort Greene; map)
IM + intel = "IMtel." Here's a bit of received wisdom.
[screennameredacted]: got a bit of slice intel for you: a) wouldn't worry yet about the slice curse on motorino; went there last night with 3 friends and all four of our pies were easily 9/10s. maybe a little too much charring on one of them but otherwise terrific. also, i think i recall you once saying the SE offices were near FIT; the margherita slice at rosa's on 27th and 7th is truly a hidden gem, well worth trying it out. trust me on this one. everything else there is garbage though.
NYCSlice: Yes, that's our office location. Will try Rosa's on Monday! Thanks, [screennameredacted]!
Keith Wagstaff of the Feedbag blog has an interview with Mathieu Palombino, the Belgian-born chef-owner of Motorino in Williamsburg. We wrote about the pizza at Motorino on Tuesday, and the Feedbag's piece is a nice complement to the tasting intel. Snip:
What does it take to make good pizza? Pizza is always good, even when it’s bad. Its never something you will spit out of your mouth, even if it’s not done properly. What makes a pizza good is the quality of the ingredients. It’s a very simple thing. It’s just a piece of dough with just a few ingredients, so you have to choose your ingredients very carefully. It’s a simple thing, but it can become very complicated to make your pizza better than the guy next door.
Palombino also reveals that he makes the mozzarella for his pies himself each day and that he thinks Fornino is one of the city's best pizzerias—but declines to give the names of places he thinks are overrated.
I'm going to have to pull out the Truth Hammer, though, and give this Keith Wagstaff a knock on the noggin:
[Matthieu offers me some pizza; I tell him thanks but I have to get back to the office.] Do you offer pizza to go?
He didn't even try the pizza?
Clockwise from top left: Motorino has a nice airy space on Graham Avenue and Devoe Street. The C.R.U.S.T.™ scan reveals the char quotient. A Margherita pie, boxed for take-out.
319 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (at Devoe Street; map); 718-599-8899; motorinopizza.com
Getting There: L train to Graham Avenue; walk 1 block south from train
Pizza Style: Neapolitan; 10-inch pies, enough for one person
Oven Type: Wood-burning
The Skinny: Based on what I've had so far, the only Neapolitan-style pizza in New York better than this one right now is Una Pizza Napoletana. Excellent bready crust with great hole structure. Typical Naples-style pies along with some more inventive pizzas. Affordable, too!
Price: Most pizzas here are in the $10 to $13 range, with cheapest being Marinara ($9) and priciest being Pugliese ($15). Visa/MC/AmEx, cash
OK, sit down, homeslices, because I've got news for you.
That new Motorino place in Williamsburg?
Awesome.
I got this email from my coworker Raphael Saturday night: "It's good. Possibly very good. What I had last night was Franny's-caliber. I've got some not-so-great pics (I'll write up a quick review if you like), but you should get out there and do a review ASAP."
Well, I was heading to the Yura Yura Teikoku show in Williamsburg Sunday night, so I figured I'd leave a little early and hit up Motorino beforehand. And then, I had to go back yesterday for lunch for a second take on what I thought I had tasted and felt the night before: Right now, at this moment, Motorino is spittin' some of the best new pizza in New York from of its wood-burning oven.
And it's totally affordable. Pizzas run from $9 (Marinara) to $15 (Pugliese, with sausage), with the majority between $11 and $13. No $21 pizzas here.
That this pizza is amazing seems unlikely. The guy behind it, Belgian Mathieu Palombino, comes from stints at the fancy-pants Manhattan restaurants BLT Fish, Bouley, Cafe Charbon, and Cello. That hardly says pizza pedigree. But he knows what he's doing. His Neapolitan-style pies have brilliant hole structure; great bready, salty flavor; and a crisp-chewy factor that's close to being off the charts.
"Kensington favorite Joe and Joe Pizza, at 121 Church Avenue, bit the dust a couple of months back; the Sicilian focacceria had a Grandma pizza that was to die for." [Brownstoner]
Clicking in to the Slice inbox today, we've got a quick field report from one of our crispest homeslices, Mark H. (aka Famdoc in the comments).
My darling wife and I made our first visit to Park Slope's new wine bar, Bussaco. I was feeling pretty good, having just sat about 20 meters from the goddess Catherine Deneuve during a Q&A after a showing of her new film at the New York Film Festival.
While inspecting the menu outside, a hostess came out and offered us a menu and advertising card for the restaurant.
We told her we'd be glad to be seated inside. Seating choices include bar seating, "community seating," a sort of tenderless bar made of, apparently, a downed tree from Prospect Park, and normal restaurant seating.
Bussaco offers a bar menu or a dinner menu. Wines by the glass or bottle, including quite few choices from small producers in the U.S., France, Germany, and Italy.
Of interest to Slice readers is one pizza item: a Manila Clam Pizza ($10). We ordered one, along with sweet potato tortellini and grilled prawns.
Vice magazine released a New York City guide last week, and on it, they cover pizza. (You have to cover pizza if you're releasing any type of NYC food guide.) Here's what they say:
Local food bloggers bicker over whether this Midwood pizza parlor is clean or dirty (truth: it’s pretty dirty) or whether it is running on fumes nowadays or whether watching an old guy futz with their pizza is kind of patronizing. We, however, aren’t food bloggers and couldn’t give a shit. If you’re in this town to eat pizza, Di Fara should be on your list. 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn NY (at East 15th Street; map); 718-258-1367; difara.com
Other pizzerias on the list: Artichoke Basille's
, Arturo's, Famous Ben's, Grimaldi's, Koronet, Lee's Tavern, Lombardi's, Otto, Totonno's, and Two Boots.
Motorino, that new joint in Williamsburg we mentioned yesterday. The Eater blog has a picture of its oven. There are some other pictures, too—looks like interior and menu shots. Says the Eater: "That buzz, however, led to some opening night snafus, as the restaurant began turning away customers at 8:30 p.m. last night and told already-seated customers they were out of dough and about half of the remaining menu items."
If they are, says this Chowhounder, they better pick up their damn phone. Villagio Trattoria: 850 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn NY 11225 (just south of Eastern Parkway; map); 718-363-8300
What's it like spending hundreds of thousands on a pizzeria reno only to open on the first day of the Dow crash? Pretty lousy. But the new owners of House of Pizza & Calzone are soldiering on: "'The bottom line is that we have to absorb these exorbitant cost increases [mozzarella, flour, etc.],' [co-owner Paul] DiAgostino said last week 'I can't pass it on to my customers. You can't charge people $6 for a slice of pizza.'"
Just got this email from a shill:
Mathieu Palombino (BLT Fish, Bouley, Cafe Charbon, Cello) opens a new pizzeria called Motorino in Williamsburg today. The menu includes a focused selection of local Brooklyn salumi, salads, antipasti, and cheeses in addition to 10 pizzas made to order in the wood-fired oven. Pizzas will include the neopolitan classics margherita, marinara and three varieties of pizza bianca, in addition to several others that will change seasonally. For dessert, Motorino will feature over 10 flavors of house-made gelato and sorbetto to be served on house-baked brioche. The restaurant will seat 55. Beer and wine service only.
319 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (at Devoe Street; map)
Eater is reporting sorta big news happening in Midwood, Brooklyn. Di Fara has SORTA, FINALLY gotten its act together and now has a list for taking orders and for sorta calling people's names when their pizza was ready:
"There is a list whenever I am working," says Dom's daughter, Margaret. "I think my brothers are starting following suit, but I'm not sure. I know the chaos and I really feel for everyone."
We've long advocated for something like this, even offering to take up a collection to buy Dom and family a "Take-a-Ticket" system. There's nothing more frustrating than waiting a half an hour just to order, then waiting and waiting, only to have Dom ask you what it was you ordered an hour earlier.
Above: Before and ... after some progress. Click me bigger » Progress photographs courtesy of Anselmo's Pizzeria
What would be New York City's latest coal-oven pizzeria, Anselmo's Pizzeria Restaurant, looks like it's making some progress after failing to meet its previously stated July 4 opening target.
Says the Red Hook pizzeria's Roger Fischer, "I'm 90 percent done. The oven is taking a long time to build."
From everything I've ever read or heard about custom oven jobs, they always take longer than expected. A couple more pix, after the jump.
Clicking in to the Slice inbox today, we've got ...
Dear Slice,
Did any Slice readers get a photo of Lunetta's portable brick oven at the Atlantic Antic on Sunday? They built a brick oven on top of a small trailer and were baking small pizzas. The line was too long so I didn't get to try it, and when I came back to photograph it, they had packed up and left. Any info?
—Andrew M.
P.S. I though at first it was Lucali's, but I swear they had a Lunetta sign up.
Photograph from "Boppadopoulos" on Flickr
New York magazine gives a rundown on where to get clam pizza in New York City:
I can't vouch for all of these. I like Lombardi's clam pie and Franny's (uh-may-zing). I'm not big on Otto's or Fornino's because they do that annoying still-in-the-shell-while-topping-your-pie thing. (That's Otto's pie above.) Based on what I've had at South Brooklyn, I'd skip the clam pie—when I've had it, their regular pie has had a tough, too-crunchy crust.
Amy Langfield of NewYorkology tells us that La Pizzetta, a new brick-oven joint on Atlantic Avenue is open and should be starting delivery tonight. 145 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11201 (b/n Clinton and Henry streets; map)
The Brooklyn Flea, the Sunday hipster flea market in Fort Greene, will be home to a new food vendor this weekend. The blog Brownstoner, whose proprietor helps run the market, reports that a chef named "Dave" has built a mobile wood-fired pizza oven and will debut it this weekend at one of the food stalls there.
"Dave" built the brick oven on a small trailer not unlike the mobile pizza ovens I've seen online and IRL in other parts of the country. There's a fleet of them in the Pacific Northwest, an outfit upstate in Ithaca, and Ed Levine here at the office says he's seen one at the farmers' market in Chicago.
I was wondering when this pizza trendlet would hit New York City and whether it would even be possible, given what I'd imagine would be tough restrictions on wood fires. The thing about the other mobile, trailer-based pizza ovens in other cities, though, is that they operate at farmers' markets, where they can take advantage of the bounty within easy reach. Maybe once "Dave" pioneers the trailer-based pizza oven field here in Gotham, other pizza ovens will invade the city's various Greenmarkets. [via Eater]
Lafayette Avenue, between Clermont and Vanderbilt avenues (Fort Greene; map)
Lost City says: "The new facade will be all glass, with a glass door to the left, and a sliding glass unit, four panels wide, to the right.... The new counter remains to the right as you walk in, the customer alley to the left.... And a red brick arch in the back leads to a new dining area that reaches into the former backyard of the property." [via Eater] House of Pizza & Calzone: 132 Union Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (near Hicks Street; map); 718-624-9107
Photograph from TrespassersWill on Flickr
Saw this photo on the Eater blog today. It's titled "Pizza for the Bride" on the Flickr page it comes from, but if you view the largest size, you don't necessarily see her eating pizza.
Funny enough, this isn't the first pizza-related wedding item we've had on Slice. Check it out: slice.seriouseats.com/tags/weddings
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.
Sad to see you go, Brick Oven Gallery. Wish we would have spent more time together. Hope you reopen, as planned. The deets, on Free Williamsburg.
Newsday reports that Grimaldi's was shut down earlier today by state officials over unpaid taxes. $150,000 in tax warrants, the paper says.
But the joint was back in business later in the afternoon, after owners paid up.
"We seized them" said [New York State Department of Taxation and Finance representative Tom] Bergin, refering to the legal process where state officials close the business to get the liens satisfied.
Begin said that a total of seven outstanding tax warrants had been filed against Patabbe Inc., which was doing business as Grimaldi's, since January 2006. Those warrants total about $84,000 in sales and withholding taxes, he said.
Repeat: They're back up and running again. Like nothing ever happened, kids. Like nothing ever happened ...
While I was in Red Hook on Saturday for the opening day of the Red Hook Vendors, I figured I'd head on over to the supposed site of New York City's next coal-oven pizzeria. Slice posted about this mid June, and at the time the projected opening date for Anselmo's Pizzeria was July 4, according to its website. Looks like it's still got some ways to go, and calls to the number have gone unreturned.
I'm guessing the chimney is for the coal-oven.
And it looks like Anselmo's website has been updated since I last looked at it. The place, which was originally going to be a pizzeria and bakery, is now going to be a pizzeria only:
Anselmo's Restaurant is located in Beautiful Red Hook Brooklyn, New York. We were hoping to open on the 4th of July but we are still in construction. We are trying a fast as we can to open. Anselmo's was originally going to be a full line bakery cafe' until we found a coal oven in the building. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to make coal brick oven pizza. After all there is only two in Brooklyn and ours will be number three.We have another bakery in the works on Pier 41 in Red Hook. We will be putting out flyers on the Grand Openning. Everyone is welcome. Read more on the Chef and Co owner on the About Us Page. Keep checking back to keep up to date on the opening.
They're a little misinformed. There's Totonno's, Grimaldi's, and South Brooklyn Pizza. So they'll be the fourth.
354 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at Sullivan Street, Red Hook; map)
718-775-5386
anselmosbakery.com
When I did my Park Slope pizza walk three weeks ago, I noticed a place on Fourth Avenue just past 11th Street that had a new sign and some of those car dealership–type flags. The number listed on the sign was disconnected. Hmm. Was this a just-failed or just-about-to-open pizzeria?
Well, I went by the other day, and I'm happy to report that it's an opening. Pizza Grill replaces whatever pizzeria was there before. I can't remember its name. The space is large and clean. Slices cost $2.25. And judging by the slice I had on Thursday, the place has potential. Granted, it was one slice. So caveat emptor. And I had it only warm from a slice pie with no reheat. But it was thin and chewy, had a good not-too-mucked-with sauce, and best of all, had just enough Parmigiano on it to give a tangy and salty bite.
The proprietor is the former owner of Verrazano Pizza in Bay Ridge.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. More word when I get more intel.
471 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (at 11th Street; map)
718-499-0600
Clicking in to the Slice inbox today, we've got ... an email from a guy in some band or other.
Hi, Adam,
I posted a review of Di Fara's on my band's website, http://site.yeahyeahyeahs.com/, that I thought you would be interested in checking out.
Dom for president!
Best regards,
Brian
When we visited Toby's Public House last week, not only did we pick up on some great pizza, we also picked up a tip to pass on to you.
Nicola Bertolotti, who was brought in to school the other pie-makers at Toby's, will be opening his own place in Williamsburg in mid August.
The new pizzeria will be called Fornaccio, which Bertolotti told us means "old oven." The name derives from the fact that Bertolotti happened up an old house with a hundred-year-old oven that he's been restoring, along with the rest of the place.
In my Toby's dispatch earlier today, I didn't really go too in-depth with this thing, A.) because it's not pizza pizza, and B.) because it's dessert, but Toby's Public House has an interesting dessert calzone whose innards include ricotta and nutella. You'd think it'd be a bit weird, but it really does work. More on this at Serious Eats New York »
686 Sixth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (at 21st Street; map); 718-788-1186; kitchenbarny.com
Oven Type: Wood-burning
Pie Style: Neapolitan
The Skinny: A relaxing, laid-back pub whose name belies the fact that there are some great little Neapolitan-style pizzas coming out of the rustic wood-burning oven here. Small, 12-inch, well-balanced pies are crisp at the edges but do exhibit some tip sag
You could be excused for overlooking the great little pies being served at Toby's Public House. The exterior looks more like something I'd imagine you'd see in small-town England, and the name doesn't exactly scream pizza. But step inside, glance to the back, and you'll find a rustic-looking wood-burning oven with a couple no-nonsense-looking pizzaioli going at it with the dough.
What's more, on our initial visit there last week, we spotted a familiar face—Nicola Bertolotti, who once worked as the lead pizzaiolo at Fornino in Williamsburg. I've always liked the pizza at Fornino, so I Bertolotti's presence seemed to go a long way in backing up the praise-laden emails and IMs I'd been getting about the place since it opened in March.
Photograph by Eating in Translation
Looks like Di Fara was closed for a "big order" Saturday. The occasion? Somebody's wedding. The blog Eating in Translation has the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say.
You know, for all the pizza-eating I do in the service of this beast that is Slice, I typically focus on one place per blog post. I visit a few times, get a feel for the joint, and then file a dispatch for your approval. But a while back, I was forced to try a new approach—a systematic neighborhood slice survey. I had been asked by Time Out New York to survey the city's various Little Italys in search of the best pizzas in each one. Taking my journalistic duty seriously, I ate at each pizzeria in the various neighborhoods I was sent to—Bensonhurst, Howard Beach, Arthur Avenue, and Staten Island. (OK, with Shaolin, I had to ask some experts and narrow it down, so I didn't eat at every pizzeria there.)
Anyway, I quickly learned some slice-survey survival skills—like only sampling slices, not entirely consuming them. Like wine-tasting, except you swallow. I won't bore you with the other stuff I puzzled out, but I will say that I learned it was possible to tear through a neighborhood and get a feel for the slices on offer there. Recently, I decided I'd try to do a survey—or a slice walk—more regularly. So here's the first.
I focused on my own 'hood, Park Slope, for this one. My boundaries were Flatbush Avenue and the Prospect Expressway to the north and south, and Fourth Avenue and Prospect Park West to the west and east. I ate only where slices were available—no pies-only places. (Those, I'll deal with another time.) The results, after the jump.
Another one regarding the Sam's post from Monday.
Good morning!
I read your post about Sam's Restaurant. Agree about the pizzas—amazing! You mentioned in your post, six TVs with reeling footage. These are part of Windows Brooklyn, the first-ever show curated like this in Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. Sam's Restaurant is involved, as well as Margaret Palca Bakes, among many many other stores. There is an installation at Margaret Palca called Eat Your Words. But there are cookies involved.
Just wanted to alert you to this so you could perhaps make readers privy to this information. The artist at Sam's who has the TVs is Stephanie DiGregorio. The work is called Tarantella.
You can find more info and the map of all participating locations at: windowsbrooklyn.com
Thanks for reading and enjoy!
Best,
Andrea Wenglowskyj
Clicking into the Slice mailbag, we've got this nice note, with a great link, from M. W. —The Mgmt.
I’ve been enjoying (and commenting upon) the recent Sam’s post, and thought you might in turn like to see this video. It profiles a few Carroll Gardens establishments, talking with the proprietors, etc. There’s a lot of time devoted to Sam’s, mostly an interview with Louie Migliaccio [the waiter/server/busser/bartender there], but a bit with his father, Mario, who talks about making pizza. There’s also the owner of D'Amico's Coffee. It’s not all pizza- or food-related, but I think the majority is.
--------------------
Dear M. W.,
Thanks for the link! This is a great video. Beautifully produced, with great stories. Really gives you a sense of what the neighborhood used to be like. Again, I'll say it: I'm so glad that Sam's is still kickin' as a reminder of times gone by.
Hasta la pizza,
Adam
Went to the NYC Food Film Festival last night and had a pretty good time. Festival co-organizer George Motz screened his short film Brooklyn Pizza, and the short documentary Pure and Simple, a day in the life of Una Pizza Napoletana, was also shown. Photos and such, after the jump.
South Brooklyn Pizza, as told by the New York Times:
Although sometimes inconsistent, South Brooklyn’s $12 pizzas usually come from the coal-fired oven with the right amount of char on a crunchy crust, which is slightly thicker than what one might find at the end of a long wait at Di Fara.
The pie is oval, slicked with olive oil and bright with San Marzano tomatoes and a nudge of basil. The cheese is predominantly fresh mozzarella, although bits of fontina and Parmesan play supporting roles.
Although Kim Severson deems it "delicious," I'd advise you to go with low expectations. I've only been once but would not wholeheartedly recommend on that one visit, as the crust was very tough and rather bland. Still gathering tasting intel before forming a more gelled opinion on the place, though. Many people on Chowhounds have reported liking it.
451 Court Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at 4th Place; map)
718-852-6018
You're going, right?
NYC Food Film Festival pizza component, al fresco in the parking lot next to Grimaldi's, 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (map).
Anthony Mangieri of Una Pizza Napoletana fame will be there.
When: 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Cost: Free
Here's the complete line-up:
Chairs will be set up in the parking lot for your comfort, and there will be a Grimaldi's tasting. More info at nycfoodfilmfestival.com.
See you there, homeslices.
Click me bigger for a beautiful view of Sam's dining room »
238 Court Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (at Baltic Street; map); 718-596-3458
The Skinny: A pizzeria that looks like it was transported lock, stock, and barrel from the early '60s has the most amazing old-school dining room. Thankfully, its pizza matches the awesomeness of the blessedly preserved interior
Oven Type: An old coal-burning brick oven that's now fueled by natural gas
Sometimes you just want to love a place for its old-school charm. Sam's Restaurant, on Court Street in Cobble Hill, is one of those places.
With neon blazing outside; old-school, hand-lettered painted signage; and six small TVs inexplicably unreeling footage in the windows, you're already attracted to the place before walking down a couple steps and in through the door that sports a none-too-subtle "NO SLICES" sign.
And that's before you even get a load of the interior. Once you do, Sams' time-warp quality hooks you. The joint is vintage early '60s red-sauce Italian mixed with a little bit of your grandparents' rec room. It is, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful dining rooms I've been in in ages.
Fortunately, there's much to love here beyond the space.
OMG! I just got an awesome tip from Amy of NewYorkology.com. A new coal-oven pizzeria is coming to Red Hook. From the website of Anselmo's Bakery Restaurant:
Anselmo is building two bakeries in Red Hook Brooklyn,New York. Anselmo will be a full-line bakery Restaurant in Pizza, pasta ,pastries and breads. The first bakery will be located on 354 Van Brunt Street in Red Hook Brooklyn, New York . The second will be on 204 Van Dyke Street Brooklyn,New York. @ pier 41. The first bakery will be done by July 4th and the second will be done by December 2008. Anselmo has baked for over 25 years and has worked at very well known places like Water Edge Restaurant in Long Island,NY, Encore Bakery in Manhattan,NY, Stuars Restaurant in Manhattan,NY ,Cousin Johns Bakery in Brooklyn,NY ,Cousin Johns Bakery in Brooklyn,NY ,Tennis Club in Long Island City,NY, Trattoria Sole in Miami,Florida,Don Goavani's in Manhattan,NY and SoNo Baking Company & Cafe' in Norwalk,Connecticut. Anselmo has worked for John Barricelli,co-host of "Everyday Foods," a lifestyle program produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
COAL BRICK OVEN PIZZA AND BREAD!
That last all-caps shouting match was Anselmo, on his website, not me. Though I must say again, just for good measure: ANOTHER NEW COAL-OVEN PLACE! Sweet! [via NewYorkology.com]
354 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231 (at Sullivan Street, Red Hook; map)
718-775-5386
anselmosbakery.com
On Serious Eats New York, our man Ed Levine visits Roberta's Pizzeria in Bushwick: "The pizza is already very good and may or may not be on the way to great. But I don't think it really matters if it gets there, because the place itself is already filled with positive energy and good feelings, as well as plenty of really good food made with carefully chosen ingredients."
Quick rundowns on South Brooklyn Pizza, Roberta's, and Toby's Public House.
Link: Sal Carbone, Rocco's Pizza-Eating Winner [YouTube]
From the New York Daily News:
"It started out as a friendly bet with my friends Danny and Rocco, but they knew the way I could eat. So I won it last year with 15 slices. This year I beat my record, 15 slices and one bite," said [Sal] Carbone, of Bay Ridge.
7818 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209 (Bay Ridge; map)
718-238-7658
After reading about the calzone-pizza hybrid at Peppino's in Bay Ridge, I had to get my greasy little hands on one. So I found myself on the R train this weekend, heading for the 77th Street Station.
Walking in, I sheepishly asked for the thing. "I read about it in the Daily News; do I really need a password for it."
"No, that's just a joke," the waitress said. "Is it just for you?"
A crazy item in the New York Daily News yesterday that I meant to link to, so you get it today. Apparently Peppino's in Bay Ridge is making a crazy hybrid calzone-pizza that you need a password to order:
The Third Avenue pizzeria has been serving a pizza-calzone hybrid for the last few months, a flat three-slice pie that rises on one half like a stuffed calzone, with sausage and ricotta.
"People [were] confused," said owner Joe Mancino. "They didn't know what they wanted. They want pizza? They want calzone? They don't know. This is the best of both worlds."
To get the password, you have to email the Daily News's Brooklyn Diary columnist at BrooklynNews@nydailynews.com.
7708 Third Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209 (at 77th Street, Bay Ridge; map)
718-833-3364
Just got word from George Motz, one of the masterminds behind the NYC Food Film Festival, that the pizza component of this year's summer screenings will be held al fresco in the parking lot next to Grimaldi's, 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (map).
What better place than under the Brooklyn Bridge for a line-up of three films that starts with Motz's own short film Brooklyn Pizza?
When: 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Cost: Free
Here's the complete line-up:
Chairs will be set up in the parking lot for your comfort, and there will be a Grimaldi's tasting. More info at nycfoodfilmfestival.com.
Full disclosure: I'm friends with George and will be serving as a film judge for this year's NYC Food Film Festival.
Editor's note: The place I wanted to visit for this week's review wasn't open, so I'm going to give you a run-down on my weekend in pizza instead, along with a makeshift review on an unexpected place. —The Mgmt.
Bacon pizza. That's right: B-A-C-O-N. At the Famous Original Ray's on 62nd and Lex.
On Saturday I was supposed to meet Girl Slice at an undisclosed location on the Upper East Side at 3 p.m. She must have called while I was on the subway in from Brooklyn because when I popped up in Manhattan, I had a message: "Meet me at 3:30 instead."
The less said, the better.
Lucky for me I can always kill time by sampling a slice here and there or by taking photos of pizzeria exteriors to add to my growing collection. Anyway, I hadn't eaten lunch yet and I was starving, and so it was that rare occasion when quality mattered less to me than convenience. And so, after about ten minutes of walking around, I found myself at Little Slice of Italy on Second Avenue and 61st Street. I have to say, for 3:05 p.m. on a Saturday, this block was downright deserted. And with its door propped open to the elements and only one almost-listless patron inside, Little Slice of Italy felt like an Old West saloon whose drinkers have fled in advance of the showdown that's about to take place there.
I ordered a plain slice, to stay, and the less said, the better. I didn't even bother taking a photo. It was a plain ol' generic greasy grilled-cheese-tasting slice. I finished not even half of it before tossing it.
I love it when a plan comes together. For years, I've been wanting to get a clip of the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever, the bit where John Travolta's Tony Manero orders two slices of pizza from Lenny's, double-decks them and struts down 86th Street in Bensonhurst. After mentioning the film earlier tonight, I dug around on YouTube, found the opener, and trimmed the vid down to just the relevant pizza-related footage. Enjoy ...
I've had a lot on Slice lately about Scott's Pizza Tours, but you know, there's another pizza tour out there, one that's been around for a bit longer and that takes folks through perhaps the best pizza borough* in the city. And that tour, my friends, is Tony Muia's A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour.
Muia started his tour in 2005 and has been taking pizza-hungry folks around Kings County ever since, mixing stops at Grimaldi's and L & B Spumoni Gardens with spin around neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst. It's thanks to Muia that I can point out the house where Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito character gets whacked in Goodfellas (it's in Bay Ridge) and that I know which pizzeria John Travolta's Tony Manero buys two slices from, eating them as a double-decker, in Saturday Night Fever (Lenny's in Bensonhurst).
Famous for its Sicilian slices, the Bensonhurst mainstay has jacked its rates. From amNY: "L&B gave in on Monday, upping the price for both [its regular and square slices] to $2.25 — just in time for the spring when things start heating up at the popular pizzeria, which is also a hangout for the young and old when it becomes warm thanks to its ample outdoor seating." Related: L&B Spumoni coverage on Slice »
If you're a Flickr user, you probably already know the site, previously known for photo-sharing, has added video-sharing now. I decided to test-drive the feature with this video from yesterday afternoon:
It's really nothing you haven't seen in other Di Fara videos or in person if you've been there, but there you go.
Related: All Di Fara entries on Slice »
The Republican presidential candidate buys a $3 slice, pays with a double sawback, and tells the clerk to keep the change. OK. Maybe it really wasn't a tax refund, but whatevs.
He dropped in on Verrazano Pizza in Bay Ridge: 9102 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209. [Tip o' the hat to Mark H.!]
Photographs courtesy of Chewhound
In the early minutes of the party, before the place got packed. Courtesy of Letsgoing
So last night's Gothamist-Slice Pizza Party at Fornino was pretty damn awesome if I do say so myself. It was nice to see some familiar friends, great to finally put some faces to email addresses and screen names, and a pleasure to meet altogether-new pizza freaks. (If you attended and didn't figure it out, I was the guy checking names against the list as you came in. If I didn't get to chat with you, sorry; next time!)
We had about 120 total people this year, and Michael Ayoub and his Fornino crew made and served several different kinds of pizza, from a basic Margherita to pizzas as wild as pesto-and-shrimp pies to the over-the-top blockbuster Tartufo pie, a pizza topped with shaved black truffles. I'm afraid that by the time it came out, I was only able to consume two small slices of this pièce de résistance.
As part of his FN Dish online show for the Food Network, Adam "Amateur Gourmet" Roberts goes to Di Fara with Sunny Anderson, a new Food Network show host. If you want to skip the bunkum about Roberts getting his hair cut and the Food Network promo junk, go to 1:30 into the video for the Di Fara stuff, where Anderson calls garlic and pepperoni the "Ben & Jerry's of toppings" (which Slice thinks is an insult to Dom DeMarco; his quality is definitely more than a few notches above that feel-good hippie ice cream).
Link: The FN Dish at Di Fara [The FN Dish]
With Facebook, I go through fits and starts. I'll leave it alone for weeks and then get a bug and play with it obsessively for a couple of days. Last night I was on the damn thing and noticed this whole "Pages" thing, where you can become a "Fan" of someone or something. I was already a fan of Grand Sichuan International restaurant, so I checked to see if there was a Di Fara fan page. Nope. Zilch. Nada. Bupkes. Sure there was a Fans of Di Fara group, which I'm also a member of, but no Di Fara page. And since it's simply another thingamajig to clutter up the interwebs with, I figured I'd create one. Here you go: Di Fara Pizza Facebook Page.
Some of the many pizzas eaten at the Gothamist-Slice Pizza Party in 2006. Photograph by Tien Mao
Almost exactly two years ago, Gothamist and Slice had a pizza party at Fornino in Williamsburg. It's been a long time, but we're happy to announce that we're having another pizza party at Fornino on April 7.
When: Monday, April 7, 2008; 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (or longer)
Where: 187 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn (Williamsburg; Bedford stop on L; map)
What: All-you-can-eat pizza, unlimited drinks (beer, wine, soda)
How Much: $32 (click button below to pay)
From The Gowanus Lounge: "I've heard that Fornino on Bedford Ave (187 Bedford) has been called "the best pizza in New York." I'm not one to create hierarchies, especially when it comes to pizza, but I went to Acqua Santa (556 Driggs) only a block away on Driggs and N 7th Street, on Thursday night, and the pie I got there was definitely superior to anything I've had at Fornino."
Peter Meehan visits Roberta's in Bushwick for his $25 and Under column in the New York Times. He's none too excited about the traditional Neapolitan-style pizzas on offer at this rustic little place nestled in to an old warehouse, but he raves about the other 12-inch outré pies being turned out of the wood-fired oven there. ("Neapolitan purists may now want to avert their eyes," he says.)
I would like to piggyback off of the Real Slim Shady's recent comments on America's Favorite Pizza Weblog and take it one step further with respect to his top two NYC pizzerias. I recently visited both Di Fara and Patsy's within 24 hours of each other, and my memories of both are still fresh in my mind.
When Patsy's of East Harlem is "on," as AK likes to say, they are not only number one in New York, there is some serious distance between them and Di Fara, and I'll tell you why: balance. I may sound like a broken record to some of you, but let's lay it down, and if the comments pour in disagreeing with me, then so be it.
Michael Y. Park of Epicurious.com's Epi-Log visits Di Fara and comes back with a nice step-by-step slideshow of the action. While the piece is titled "Secrets of Di Fara," Park concludes:
So the surprising thing is there are no real surprises. Di Fara pizza may be widely reputed to be "the best in the world," as one lifelong customer put it, but every step Domenico takes is one that any home pizza maker would already be very familiar with. So is there a secret recipe that makes Di Fara pizzas so legendary?
Related: All Di Fara entries on Slice
The restaurant blog Eater has a great series called "The Gatekeepers," in which they interview the host or hosts at a given venue. Today they talk to Sarah Gaskins and Nekisia Davis of Franny's:
What's the most outrageous request from a customer you've had to accommodate? SG: We once sat 25 people who were on a New York pizza tour. They showed up in a school bus with a mega-phone. After ordering eight pizzas and taking over the whole restaurant, they moved on to the next stop.
Hmm ... I wonder what pizza tour they're talking about?
I took a visit out there last week and spent a considerable amount of time talking to Domenico DeMarco, 71. I was there to investigate the price spike but ended up learning a lot about the 150 or so pizzas he makes a day, such as cooking the pies at 750°F for five minutes; the use of Israeli basil and Italian flour.
But there is one thing I'd like to clear up. DeMarco uses four types of cheeses—not three. There are three types of mozzarella and of course the signature Parmigiano-reggiano he hits every pie with just before serving them.
Anyway, I noticed repeated media accounts of just three cheeses, and I wanted to set the record straight. And one other thing, DeMarco says a slice cost 20¢ when he opened in 1964. A pie cost a buck. Those were the times.
—Adam G.
The answer is still no. When phoned, a Hanley's staffer said, "Ummm, it may be the Friday after St. Patrick's Day now." The Hanley's watch will continue ... Previously: New Coal Oven in Carroll Gardens
Update: Hanley's is now serving coal-fired pies under the name South Brooklyn Pizza just next door to Hanley's at 451 Court Street. [06/16/2008]
No: When I stopped in last night to sample a pie, the joint's pizza operation was a nonstarter. The host, who seemed a bit unsure of its status, said it may be up and running by Friday. Phone calls to Hanley's today to get a more definite status seemed to go to a fax machine there. Previously: New Coal Oven in Carroll Gardens
Update: Hanley's is now serving coal-fired pies under the name South Brooklyn Pizza just next door to Hanley's at 451 Court Street. [06/16/2008]
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