Entries tagged with 'DeMarco's'
Posted by DJ Bubbles, January 3, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Isabella's Oven, 365 Grand Street, New York NY 10002 (near Essex Street; map); 212-529-5206
It's been a while since the Bubbster has had much to say about anything on this fair weblog. I've been astray for some time now, but I've found my way home. Although, I must say, it doesn't feel much like home in recent weeks. Isabella's Oven causing such an uproar on the site because of a recent dip in quality certainly isn't music to my ears. And who wants to respond to comments in CAPS from Jeff B when he suggests that Two Boots is on point. Isabella's on its worst day would take Two Boots to special ed. That's almost as bad as Prairie condemning Pizza 33 without trying it but instead passing judgment based on a picture of its Margherita on Flickr. Say what you will about 33, but just say it after you've tried it!
The last time I was at Isabella's, Luigi was there, too. I had brought a friend to share in the magic, and Luigi didn't disappoint—he never did. It pains me to think that the joint is now among the chain Patsy's of this city. Isabella's was much more than that. I feel like I'm writing an obituary right now, but let's not get carried away—Isabella's management may take notice and set things straight.
Alright, enough of the hijinx. Sliceheads, just because I've been incommunicado of late does not mean I haven't been pounding the pavement (and the Zantac, for that matter) making sure that I'm staying on top of all things NY-PIE!
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Posted by DJ Bubbles, September 27, 2007 at 5:45 PM
Or, 'A Plain Slice Review of Pizza 33, Mike's Pizza, Andiamo Pizzeria, Pizzanini, Ben's Pizzeria, and DeMarco's'
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This past Sunday, like so many of mine, was all about the pie. I started with a noon jaunt down to Luzzo's to reconfirm my love for the Naples-born Margherita DOC. However, as I was coming from uptown, I stumbled first upon good ol' Vinny Vincenz, as it's only one block north of Luzzo's on First Avenue. I had to at least stop in and grab one of Vin's excellent Sicilian slices, just to use it as a base case! Besides, Vinny has always been a friend of Slice's, and they even have E-Rock's classic review of the joint taped to their window—if other pie joints could only be so savvy! Of course, if I were Vezzo or L'Asso, I don't know if that would be such a good idea.
Anyway, Luzzo's was terrific (although you have to order their Margheritas with extra mozz, since they're awfully stingy with that), and Vincenzo was on point, Sicilian-style, and I went home satisfied. As a quick aside, I will say that Luzzo's crust is on par with Isabella's (on a good night, of course). The best indication that Luzzo's is on point has to be that it sits a half block from Una Pizza Napoletana and still draws comparable crowds on Friday nights.
At dinner time, I realized I hadn't been on a slice walk in some time. A slice walk is a pilgrimage to pie that I make every so often, typically on Sunday nights, where I have dinner by means of trying 3 or 4 slices from different Manhattan pizzerias. A slice walk is how I've tried, by my own modest estimate, approximately 200-plus pizzerias in Manhattan alone. These walks will never be all inclusive—I'm not eating pizza from a "deli" where I can also buy Rolos, and I'll never buy a slice from a joint after walking in and looking down at a monstrosity of a slice pie (trust me, you can tell when a slice is gonna be downright bad after going on enough of these, or so I thought).
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 3, 2007 at 4:26 PM
This Serious Eats stuff I've gotten myself into is a weird business. Blogging about pizza, burgers, and other food is now part of my job, so it wasn't out of the realm of the ordinary to take part of the day to go out to Di Fara Pizza.
The joint had just reopened after having a nasty run-in with the New York City Department of Health. As many of you know, the DOH smackdown wasn't pretty. Along with minor violations like failure to wear a hat and gloves, references to mouse poop and unsanitary conditions peppered the report.
But, a couple weeks of forced closure, the pizzeria's proprietor, Dom DeMarco, was back behind the counter, looking and acting a little peppier for the involuntary rest—greeting regulars in his trademark laconic way and accepting well-wishes from customers with a quick nod.
I was slightly jarred by the new coat of green paint on the walls, which gave the dining room a cozier yet more vibrant feel (see above). In retrospect, the previous faded-yellow color wasn't so becoming, eh? The place looked cleaner, too, with new trash cans that, by all indications, were actually being put to use.
It's funny what passes for news these days. You can sure as hell bet that Slice would be on hand for this event, but two other publications were also present: the Courier Life (right, at top) and the New York Post (right, at bottom). Notebooks out and cameras clicking away, the reporters interviewed people: "Are you a regular? How often do you come?"
But most important: "Even after the Department of Health report, you've come back. Why?"
The answers were typical for Di Fara devotees. "He makes the best pizza," one of the patrons responded.
I got there around 1:30 p.m., ordered a half-artichoke pie, and began the ritual waiting. Many of you know I hate crowds and lines, but the place wasn't that packed. Either the report had scared off lightweights and weak stomachs or folks just didn't know that the Dominator was back. But I had my pie by 2:15 p.m. or so (not bad time these days), ate a couple slices at a table (more than a handful of seats were available), and made my way back home to pick up my laptop and head into the office.
While I waited, I asked Dom's daughter, Maggie, about the fate of DeMarco's Pizzeria, the site of a violent gun battle a few weeks ago. The Post had reported that DeMarco's was closing for good, which didn't quite jibe with what the New York Times had said in an earlier, more thorough piece. The Times had it that DeMarco's would close its sit-down restaurant portion but keep the take-out pizzeria portion open. Maggie confirmed this. Alas, the Old Gray Lady's not called the "paper of record" for nothing, kids.
What's that you ask? Oh. How was my pie? Well, Dom was using the top oven as well as the usual middle oven, and I don't know how hot that top oven gets, but my crust could have used a bit more time in the fire.
Oh, and, Dom was stubbornly refusing to wear gloves and a hat!
For photo outtakes, click through the jump!
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 16, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Looks like the gunman who killed a bartender at Greenwich Village pizzeria DeMarco's and then two auxiliary police officers was not a former employee of the pizzeria, as was previously postulated. The New York Times:
A neighborhood resident, Tina Lourenco, told reporters that she had seen the gunman and recognized him as a former employee of the pizzeria.
But Dominick De Marco Jr., whose sister, Margaret Mieles, is a part owner of the pizza parlor, said Mr. Garvin was probably not a former employee, but instead a former customer.
Also from the Times, speculation on the motive:
Mr. Garvin, who moved to the Village from the Bronx about two weeks ago, had patronized the pizzeria occasionally and had been ejected several times for unruly behavior, a manager told the police. Investigators said that Mr. Garvin was the friend of a cook who had been fired by the pizzeria last fall, and for reasons that were unclear may have blamed Mr. Romero for the dismissal.
SOURCES
Greenwich Village Gunfight Leaves Four Dead [New York Times]
In Heart of Village, 4 Lives Intersect in a Chain of Violence [New York Times]
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 15, 2007 at 11:53 AM
Some sad news today. Romero Morales, a bartender at DeMarco's Pizzeria (a kinda-sorta offshoot of legendary Di Fara) was shot and killed last night for unknown reasons by a gunman. The shooter ran from DeMarco's and was chased by two auxiliary policemen—Nicholas Pekearo and Yevgeniy Marshalik—, who were then shot and killed by the gunman. The shooter, in turn, was shot and killed by cops arriving on the scene moments later.
The New York Times says:
It was unclear last night what lay behind the first shooting at the pizzeria, DeMarco’s at 146 Macdougal Street. The police said the gunman, wearing a fake beard, walked into the restaurant and was given a menu by Mr. Romero. When Mr. Romero turned away, the authorities said, the gunman shot him 15 times in the back.
When asked at a news conference this morning at nearly 2:30 what had prompted the attack, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “It’s just inexplicable.”
Our condolences to the family and friends of the bartender and the staff and owners of DeMarco's and to the family, friends, and colleagues of the two auxiliary police officers
Update: The Associated Press is reporting:
Authorities were investigating why David Gavin, 32, went into a pizzeria around 9 p.m. Wednesday, asked for a menu and then shot an employee 15 times in the back before fleeing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
A neighborhood resident, Tina Lourenco, said she saw the gunman and recognized him as a former employee of the pizzeria.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
SOURCES
Village Shooting: 4 Dead, Including 2 Auxiliary Cops [Gothamist]
Greenwich Village Gunfight Leaves Four Dead [New York Times]
4 killed in NYC shootout; motive unknown [AP]
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 18, 2005 at 12:00 PM
A SLICE WITH LIFE
A slice with LIFE? Make Make that five slices with LIFE. The magazine, reincarnated in 2004 as a weekend newspaper insert, asked me to serve on a panel of five judges in its "Battle of the Boroughs" pizza contest. Five slices, five boroughs, five pizzerias, five judges: Let the conspiracy theorists go wild.
To find the best of each borough, the magazine tallied votes on its website a few weeks ago. Reppin' their respective regions were: DeMarco's (Manhattan), Joe & Pat's (Staten Island), L&B Spumoni Gardens (Brooklyn), Louie & Ernie's (The Bronx), and Singas Famous (Queens).
The judges—NYU graduate food studies director Jennifer Berg, LIFE food editor Joanne Chen, Z100's Skeery Jones, New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis, and I—were instructed to rate the slices, from 1 to 5 (5 being highest), in five categories: Presentation (worth 20%), Crust (20%), Sauce (20%), Cheese (10%), and Overall Quality (30%).
The LIFE staff brought slice after slice to the table, and, for once, I was glad I'd missed breakfast. Even on an empty stomach, judging was no easy feat. My plan was to take a few key bites from each slice (I learned this technique the hard way, judging a pizza contest on Long Island last year), but the diminutive Singas Famous slice—a quarter-slice of a 10-inch pie (left)—looked so good that I ate it all. Same with the superthin slice of Joe & Pat's that came out next, with its dollops of satisfyingly browned cheese and fresh-tasting sauce.
What I was worried about was the L&B square (right). Despite its surprisingly airy crust, I knew from experience that it could be filling. Either my stomach was numb (not that that's possible) or my pizza craving was uncontrollable, but even that formidable Sicilian didn't seem to put a dent in my hunger. And while I'm normally a fan of L&B, I have to say, the sauce this time struck me as a little too sweet.
Note: The LIFE folks, who were well-organized and a pleasure to deal with, were using a blind-judging system. If it seems as if they weren't, that's because I recognized four out of the five pizzerias from various visits past. The one slice I didn't recognize was the fourth one out of the gate (below right). Pleasant surprise, too. By process of elimination, it must have been Louie & Ernie's. Staten Island and The Bronx couldn't be any different from each other, but the slices represented here could have been brothers, at least superficially. Louie & Ernie's had the same superthin crust thing going on as Joe & Pat's (below left), if not more so. They both had the same browned, slightly burned cheese thing, too. They also had a similar color palette—the whole brownish-red thing—but what does that matter? What I really liked about Louie & Ernie's was that browned, crisped cheese. There was something satisfying about its toothsomeness and breaking through it into a very creamy, fresh-tasting layer of mozzarella below. This place has me curious, and I vow to make an in situ visit post-Xgiving.
Four slices down, and I still had room for more. I knew DeMarco's would be next and last. What I didn't know is that the DiFara spin-off would be offering its square slice (which I haven't yet tried) instead of the regular slice I was familiar with. Squares aren't usually my bag, but this was an impressive Sicilian. High-quality, creamy cheese under dollops of fresh sauce and pools of olive oil. A bit messy, but tasty. After turning in ballots, the other judges seemed to be murmuring approval, too.
Thanks to the efficient folks at LIFE, who kept a running tally of votes throughout the eating, the winner was announced lickety-split. And then it was time for me to split.
But I won't make like a banana in this post without giving you the winner: DeMarco's.
Sometimes when it comes to the tally in these things, you're pretty sure who's ahead, but I had no idea here. My marks for the different slices were pretty varied from category to category and from pizzeria to pizzeria. The other judges seemed to hold their cards pretty close themselves. I think a good pizzeria won the day, though, so, uh, I guess that's that.
DeMarco's [Slice]
Joe & Pat's [Slice]
L&B Spumoni Gardens [Slice]
Louie & Ernie's [via NYT]
Singas Famous
Judging Long Island Pizza [Slice]
Roll Tape [Slice]
More of Slice's 'Battle of the Boroughs' Photos [via Flickr]
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 18, 2005 at 2:40 AM
It's 2:45 in the morning as I post here, so it's not likely many readers will hit on this before it happens, but some folks from DeMarco's Pizza will be on Z100 Morning Zoo show at 7 a.m.
Why?
Tune in (100.3FM) or visit Slice later in the morning to find out.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 18, 2005 at 12:00 PM
photograph by Andrew Hyatt
I ran across the photo above on a blog by Andrew Hyatt. Mr. Hyatt describes it as such:
My local slice shop, "A&J Pizza," has the slogan on their box: "You've tried the rest..." I'll stop right there for a second. Now, your Manhattan place would fill that out with the standard "now try the best!"
But that's just not how we do it in Queens. No, "You've tried the rest, now try A&J for a change."
On the same site, Mr. Hyatt also writes about DeMarco's.
The most modest pizza slogan ever and More on DeMarco's [Dresese]
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 19, 2005 at 7:41 AM
From the Sightings featurette in Page Six in today's New York Post: LEONARDO DiCaprio scarfing down three slices of pizza at DeMarco's on Houston Street.
DiCaprio in DeMarco's, eh? Three slices, eh? We'll take that as a celebrity endorsement of the place—a place that has generated much debate over the quality of its food and service.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 10, 2005 at 6:00 PM
This is another week-old one that we neglected to post about during our renovation. The Daily News did a roundup of New York City's best pizzerias last week. As we told Eater, the new foodblog from the folks who brought you Curbed:
A nice roundup, I think. A lot of it is old hat to me, but there were some nice surprises in there, particularly a couple Brooklyn places (Graziella's, Laura's) that have been lurking one or two neighborhoods over from Slice HQ.
Irene Sax knows her stuff, and I agree with most of her assessments, although I don't know why she rated a chain Patsy's on the Upper West Side instead of the original in East Harlem. What's nice here is that they've really done a comprehensive roundup of the best places in each borough instead of picking, say, a top-five or top-ten list. It's a nice piece that's actually useful to anyone in any of the five boroughs.
You really should click through to the article and have a look at Ms. Sax's quick rundowns. For as long as we've been publishing Slice (and probably long before), Sax has been the News's pizza expert.
Here, we'll list Sax's picks and link to our reviews, when possible. When not possible, I, uh, well, I just offer up comments and such willy-nilly. Read on after the jump....
Upper Crust [New York Daily News]
The Boroughs' Best Pizza [Eater]
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, February 23, 2005 at 1:07 PM
It's an embarrassment of riches today in terms of DeMarco's reviews. It was brought to our attention this morning by friend and Slice reader J.J.J. that the New Yorker features DeMarco's in its Tables for Two column this week. It seems you either love DeMarco's or hate it, and the New Yorker seems to love it.
And speaking of love, Slice loves that fact that we get a passing mention in the review:
Over the past few months, nervous anticipation has characterized discussions among pizza fiends about the quasi-expansion of Brooklyn’s legendary Di Fara’s into Manhattan. To begin with, there was the promise of pedigree—two of Domenico De Marco’s children are in on the new venture, although they were forbidden to import the forty-year-old business’s name. Last month, the pizza blog sliceny.com posted photographs from the two pizzerias taken the same afternoon, in order to compare the bottom-crust charring (Di Fara’s proved slightly blacker, but the bloggers admitted the test had no bearing on the crust’s crispness).
The good news is that the De Marco’s slice is nearly as good as Di Fara’s. It has the signature savory tomato sauce, like the one Domenico makes using herbs he grows in his shop windows, and each pie gets three kinds of cheese and a final drenching with olive oil before it hits the oven. But they’ve got some fundamental elements wrong. Domenico makes each pie fresh for customers, who watch as rapt as if it were sushi at Masa, pummelling a lump of dough into shape and futzing over the arrangement of mozzarella on top. At De Marco’s, the kitchen works ahead, stockpiling perfect circles of dough and reheating slices on demand. It takes its toll: the congealed cheese never tastes just right again, and the layering of flavors and textures in each bite becomes muted.
Even so, for the unobsessed, the thin-crust slices from the round pies will seem great. They are certainly a triumph compared with the rest of the pizzas. The square, thick-crust slices, a long-baked sacrament at Di Fara’s, are terrible at De Marco’s—they taste like focaccia smeared with Ragú. And, even more mysteriously, the whole pies, served in the depressing, airport-bar-like restaurant next door, aren’t half as good as the take-out slices. It’s no surprise that the Manhattan place lacks the dusty charm of Di Fara’s, where about the only addition in forty years is the vintage shortwave radio on the windowsill. De Marco’s may have the best slice in Manhattan, but it’s no substitute for the trip to Avenue J.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, February 23, 2005 at 12:20 PM
Getting to this a bit late here, but on Friday, the Daily News panned DeMarco's, the new-ish Di Fara–affiliated spin-off in Manhattan at Houston and MacDougal streets. We were particularly interested in this item because a friend of ours, Youthlarge had posted on her site that she and her husband thought it blew, and we've been getting a lot of comments on our review of DeMarco's, where the pizzeria is taking a beating. Here's what the News's Irene Sax has to say:
... Are the new guys as good?
The answer, sadly, is no, even though the new place is owned by De Marco's son and daughter, along with some of his longtime customers. But it is good, and will surely get better as they learn to work with their ovens....
The first whiff promised well. A light San Marzano tomato sauce with none of the corn syrup that ruins so many. The cheese seemed like fresh mozzarella, the meatballs were excellent, and there was a sprinkling of grated cheese over the top.
But the crust, alas, was as rigid and brittle as a cracker. This was a slice you couldn't possibly fold in half: I was lucky to cut it with a knife. And it was so thin that the center of each slice was soggy from the sauce. What a disappointment.
She does say that the square pie she tried had a rich, meaty sauce and that while the "crust lacked salt and soul," the topping "more than made up for it." Ms. Sax concludes the piece saying she'll try DeMarco's again, having said earlier that it is good—it just needs improvement.
Indeed, we at Slice need to try this pie again. We were pleased with slices we got from the take-out portion of the shop when we tried it earlier in January, but we did notice it was crisp and lacked the chewiness of a Di Fara pie. Once Seltzerboy comes off the injured list, we'll hit it up again, this time in the dining room.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, February 18, 2005 at 4:06 PM
Slice reader Youthlarge just visited DeMarco's Pizza and wrote us an e-mail with a funny anecdote:
Listmaker and I went to DeMarco's sit-down last night.
What a major bummer.
Some Japanese girls next to us were totally talking about your site ("They took pictures of the bottoms of the pizza!" was the clue) but were giving MUG the credit. WTF, I wanted to ask, but we wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
Youthlarge was referring to Manhattan User's Guide, a handy site filled with great links, events, and information about New York City. MUG had included our entry about DeMarco's in its daily e-mail newsletter Tuesday, and that's likely what caused the Japanese women's confusion.
But what was so bad about DeMarco's, we wondered, as we've found it to be quite tasty, at least the slices we've had from the take-out portion. Youthlarge explained:
We were put off by the price first of all. Thought the crust was way too hard. And we felt robbed by the lack of pepperoni. There were like 2 to 3 pieces on each slice. Boo hoo.
I posted a review on my website today, check it out!
Slice will have to try the sit-down portion of DeMarco's again and see if we have the same experience as Youthlarge.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 13, 2005 at 12:15 AM
Eating For Two: Slice editor in chief Adam K. was originally going to grab a quick couple of slices at new Village pizzeria DeMarco's before heading home after work Tuesday night. But then the idea struck: Why not also visit Di Fara's, the inspiration for the Manhattan newcomer? And so we sampled plain slices from both pizzerias that night. The photos at left above are from DeMarco's; those at right are from Di Fara. Click the image below right for an enlarged view of the interior space of DeMarco's take-out operation. The photos above also
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM K. .::. Late last year, shortly before leaving town for the holidays, we said we'd report on DeMarco's Pizzeria & Restaurant, the new Di Fara–associated pizza spot on the corner of Houston and MacDougal in Manhattan. We meant to do it in 2004, but things were hectic. We've returned from holiday and are slowly revving back to speed, so here are some observations and comparisons, from Tuesday night visits to both shops and a return visit to DeMarco's for lunch yesterday.
Di Fara Pizza is, of course, the renown Brooklyn pizzeria run by Dominick DeMarco and family. When word of this impending Houston Street pizzeria first hit the Web (we read of it initially on eGullet and Chowhound), that location's management was calling the place "Di Fara's NYC" and no one was sure who owned it or what affiliation it might have with the DeMarco family, for whom it was finally named. We're still unsure how great a role the family is playing in the operation, but one thing's certain: Dom himself remains firmly ensconced in his usual spot in Brooklyn.
DEMARCO'S PIZZERIA
Location: 146 West Houston Street (corner of MacDougal)
Phone: 212-253-2290, 212-253-2291
Hours: Sun.–Thurs., 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., opens at 11:30 a.m.; closed Mondays
Payment: Cash only, for now.
Cost: Plain slice, $2.50. Consult menu below for full range of prices and offerings.
Dom's been slinging slices at Di Fara for forty-plus years—all with an amazing concern for craft and high-quality ingredients. In fact, we've never seen anyone but Dom making the pizza at his shop. The big question was, How would a non-Dom-helmed Di Fara spin-off stack up to the original?
Quite well, actually.
It goes without saying that a DeMarco's slice will never be the same as a Di Fara slice. Dom's pies have been honed against forty years' hard work—seven days a week, with hardly any vacations or holidays. But the DeMarco's slices this weblog had Tuesday night for dinner and yesterday afternoon for lunch were very good approximations of the master's craft.
Present was the familiar three-cheese blend of grana padana, regular mozzarella, and fresh mozzarella (DeMarco's is using the same Grandé-brand fior di latté that Dom includes on his pies)—all evenly distributed. We witnessed the pizzaiolo dousing the pie with olive oil just before popping it into the oven, another Dom flourish. Lastly, the slices we sampled (all plain), featured a similar well-proportioned balance of crust, sauce, and cheese. Heck, even the take-out portion of the restaurant exhibits a no-frills practicality akin to Dom's shop in Midwood. (The Manhattan version is tidier, however.) Oh, and both establishments sell plain, regular slices for $2.50. We did not, however, see any of the DeMarco clan in there directing things.
The first thing you might notice about DeMarco's round pies (left) is that they're larger than Di Fara's. They're also more uniformly circular; Dom's pies exhibit an almost artisanal irregularity in their shape. Though the slices in the photos at top appear to be the same size, use the paper plates they rest on for reference. See how much bigger the DeMarco's piece is? When we visited last night, the pie on the counter had been sitting long enough that its gooey molten cheeses had congealed. (This was another difference—at Di Fara's a hot-from-the-oven pie doesn't last long.) Without the steaming-hot, oozey cheese (some would call is gloppy), it didn't quite look like a Di Fara pie. That didn't bother us, though; we still liked the looks of the slices on hand, what with their splotches of sauce clearly visible among the cheese. Our slices got the reheat, and while we waited, we watched the pizzaiolo build a pie, carefully studying a cheat sheet above the make table. Some people might scoff at this, but we took it as a good sign—the place is clearly concerned with adhering to Dom's recipes.
We first thought DeMarco's crust was thinner than Di Fara's, but just less than an hour later, at Dom's shop, we observed that the thickness was pretty similar. As seen in the comparison shots at top, Di Fara's crust displays a bit more charring, but DeMarco's had an adequate amount. Both crusts were crisp; Di Fara's crust, however, was notably chewier. DeMarco's was a smidge crisper, attributable, we think, to the reheat. For our lunch visit to DeMarco's, we were lucky enough to get slices from a pie straight out of the oven. Without the reheat, the crust had a very good, honest crispness to it—not the hard-to-gauge steroidal increase that comes with a second stint in the cooker—but it still lacked the toothsome chewiness of Di Fara's.
Moving up from the crust, the sauce at DeMarco's was good and fresh, with a slightly sweeter-than-Dom's taste. We don't know if DeMarco's gets its tomatoes from the same source as Di Fara, but it was close. It didn't seem as savory or as complex as Dom's, but it worked and we were pleased with it nonetheless.
The third component of a slice's trio of elements, the cheese, well, we've discussed that earlier. One difference here was that DeMarco's had pre-grated the grana padana and regular mozz; Dom grates those as needed, for the greatest freshness. Still, we didn't notice a difference, and it's probably not practical for DeMarco's to grate on an as-needed basis. It was also interesting that when we sampled the dinnertime slices Tuesday, the cheese, even with a reheat, didn't go all melty and soupy like Di Fara's. However, on the following day's fresh slices, such a gloppiness was in evidence. It's a trait that we think makes it difficult—and definitely messy—to eat a hot slice at either place, but it was nice to see DeMarco's match this Dom signature. (We usually follow the lead of one of our friends, impatiently waiting five or 10 minutes while the soupy mixture settles down a bit.)
OK. We've gone on quite a bit here, so we'll wrap up. DeMarco's is very good. And it's only been open a short while. We suspect it'll only get better, and we think it already beats many of the other renown pizza spots in the neighborhood.
Some tips, though: Like Patsy's in East Harlem, there are two operations on corner of Houston and MacDougal. There's the "Pizza Express" component, where you can get take-out or eat in, standing at one of two narrow bars along the walls. The Pizza Express location, sadly, offers a limited range of soft drinks. Noticeably absent was Slice's favorite, Dr Pepper. Even the upper-right quarter of Dom's refrigerator has more of a selection than the entire unit at DeMarco's. (To be fair, the delivery menu, bottom, lists a greater variety than was on display. Maybe you just have to ask.) The Pizza Express part is where you should go for slices. The fancier, part, which features a bar, is pies-only serves slices along with whole pies and other menu items, but it's table service. (And you enter that section through a door that faces MacDougal Street.)
The menu is below (click to enlarge). Click through the jump to see more photos from the night's excursions.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 19, 2004 at 11:28 AM
The pizzeria affiliated with the now-legendary Di Fara is open, and reports are beginning to trickle in to Slice and starting to appear on Chowhound. Here's what Slice reader Mike had to say about the place:
Had a slice of their regualar pie. I have to say it's pretty close (almost there) to a Di Fara's slice. (Very good as far as pizza goes.) I was happy to see Dom's daughter there overseeing the kitchen. Has potential!
Here's a link to the discussion on the Chowhound Manhattan message board: DiMarco's Report
As you can imagine, Slice is fairly busy as a good portion of the staff prepares for Christmas travel, but we'll make a trip down there this week and report back before leaving town.
UPDATE: It took us a little longer than we'd hoped, but we just posted our review of DeMarco's.
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 17, 2004 at 10:55 AM
From the New York Observer (last item):
All is not lost for New York's pizza lovers. Sure, there was plenty of hand-wringing in recent weeks when Joe's Pizza and its overrated pies lost the lease on their fabled location at the corner of Bleecker and Carmine streets. But now, it looks like the best-rated pizza in the city is coming to Manhattan. The family behind DiFara's legendary pizzeria in Midwood, Brooklyn, has partnered with Jeff Schwartz, a retired schoolteacher, to open a restaurant/bar at the corner of Houston and Macdougal in the Village. The deal was not without its drama. When Mr. Schwartz, a longtime fan of DiFara's extra-thin crispy crust and hand-grated cheese, put up DiFara's signs at the new location, the pizzeria's founder, Domenico Demarco, was outraged, vowing that the name could only be used for his original spot. "I may have pulled the trigger a little early," admits Mr. Schwartz, "After all, the name means a lot to Domenico." After a few days of negotiation, Mr. Schwartz came to an agreement with the family on Nov. 16 to name the restaurant DeMarco's Pizzeria, with the family running the restaurant (DiFara's is a combination of the names DeMarco and that of his original co-founder) and looking to open in early December.
UPDATE: DeMarco's Is Open
FURTHER READING
All Slice posts on DeMarco's [The Slice Archives]
