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...
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....
From Chowhound: "Welcome to the $4 slice, up from $3, as of yesterday [Feb. 5]." Not only that, but the chowhound OP complains that the Di Fara slice has shriveled up to 65 to 75 percent of other pizzerias' slices. There's some lively debate going on on the thread, from the predictable ("It's worth it!" "Fewer people will come; more for me!") to debates on free market capitalism and whether proprietor Dom DeMarco is beholden to a strong euro and rising import prices or just a shrewd businessman trying to fleece suckers. My favorite response so far: DiFara's, at least...
You know, I love Eater. In its Board Wrap post today, the site points out with one swift sentence the madness of trying to say anything negative about Di Fara on Chowhound: "The Only Way to Pan Di Fara on Chowhound: Blame Yourself" The title of the actual thread: "Was my DiFara's dissapointment my fault?!?" Clip: The tip sagged, the cheese slid off into a goopy mess and my friend's meatball slice completely fell across into shambles. But, was it our fault because we did not allow the slices to cool completely after they came fresh out the oven? Ah,...
From left: A Di Fara half-plain, half-artichoke pie; pizza-makers at Franny's; an Isabella's Oven Margherita D.O.C.; Una Pizza Napoletana's marinara pie. Last year around this time Slice/Serious Eats contributed to Pim Techamuanvivit's Menu for Hope charity raffle. Our giveaway was a guided pizza tour for four. Well, the winners—Anthony Kinik and Michelle Marek of Montreal food blog An Endless Banquet—finally made us make good on our prize. (It took them almost a year because they live in Montreal and I secretly think they were waiting for the loonie to beat the dollar before making a trip to the U.S.)...
Heroes: They each have some crazy-ass power. If I had this chick's ability, I'd head on out to Midwood and watch the master at work. (For all you folks not hip to Heroes, she's got the ability to learn something just by watching it.) Or I'd just watch this collection of videos, all shot at Di Fara. After the jump....
Bon Appétit magazine, in conjunction with the Food Network, went across the country looking for the best pizza, hamburgers, ribs, fried chicken, and tacos. Three finalists in each category are written up in the September issue of the magazine (the blurbs are rather generic-sounding), and the winner is going to be announced on a Food Network special hosted by Alton Brown August 18. What isn't clear to me after reading about their search is the methodology they used. What criteria did they use in each category? How did they go about finding and then eating at the best places in...
The weekly events magazine puts three questions to the legendary pizza maker: 1. How do you feel about some of the changes? I have to wear a hat. I don’t like it. I guess I have to get used to it, but it’s going to bother me. The worst thing is the window. I don’t like to close the window. I have been opening the window for 42 years. Now they say I can’t open it anymore....
