October! National Pizza Month! This month we'll be bringing you Daily Slice, quick snapshots of slices and pies all of us at the Serious Eats empire have been enjoying lately. —The Mgmt. [Photograph: Andrew Strenio] Two things I knew about Lucali, the New York–Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Brooklyn, before going: the wait is insane (easily an hour on an average evening) and Jay-Z and Beyoncé had been spotted there on date nights. But it's one of those NYC must-try pizzerias, so you put your name in, wait, and see what all the fuss is about. You can also call ahead to... More

[Photograph: eater.com] The blog Eater brings word via photographic evidence (above) that "Lucali II," the spin-off pizzeria from Mark Iacono's brother, Chris, will be called Giuseppina's. Wow. Doesn't quite roll off the tongue the way Lucali does, does it? Giuseppina's (aka Lucali II) 691 6th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (South Slope, at 20th Street; map)... More

[Photograph: Adam Kuban] Lucali is in the Daily News today for a bit of the ol' they-said–he-said between the Feds and reputed gangster Dominick "Black Dom" Dionisio, who works at the pizzeria. The Feds say he's using it as a cover "to flout bail," while Dionisio's attorney, James Froccaro, says Dionisio "has performed so well at Lucali's that he'd been offered a managerial position at a new location." That would most likely be what's being billed as "Lucali II," in South Slope.... More

Photograph from Rubenstein on Flickr New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein is a pizza freak. Who knew? Yesterday, in the New York Post: "Perfect pizza is as good as it gets. [But] it's got to be perfect," said Klein, who said he first developed his pizza passion while studying at Columbia University, when he drove a city cab all over town on weekends. But this is troubling: "If you have a Neapolitan pizza and you pick it up [by the crust] and the tip flops over, that means it's not done right," he said."You should be able to... More

The site of Chris Iacono's future pizzeria.* The News The brother of Lucali's Mark Iacono has plans to open his own pizzeria in South Slope/Greenwood Heights. Chris Iacono has taken the space at 691 Sixth Avenue, Mark Iacono confirms, and hopes to turn the former medical supply shop into a wood-oven pizzeria styled after Mark's renowned place in Carroll Gardens.... More

From a tipster: "I just called Lucali to confirm their hours for tonight and learned that they had a fire last night and will be closed for repairs. The fire was apparently in the chimney and no one was hurt. They were awaiting more details on the length of the closing—possibly one to two weeks." Slice is trying to get through to Lucali's Mark Iacono for further details. Stay tuned. Sadly, this isn't the only celebrated Brooklyn pizzeria to get hit by a fire lately. Coney Island's Totonno's caught fire in mid March.... More

Chicago Upstart Great Lake Has Country's Best Pizza Alan Richman (left) and Lucali proprietor-pizzaiolo Mark Iacono (right) hold a copy of the June 2009 issue of "GQ" in front of Iacono's Lucali (the No. 2 pizza in the U.S.) at press event celebrating the story's May 19 publication. The issue contains Richman's "American Pie," a list of the top 25 pizzerias in the country. In the June issue of GQ, food writer extraordinaire Alan Richman ranks the top 25 pizzas in the U.S. after visiting what he considers the top 10 pizza cities in the country. The story is much... More

In mid June, Slice reader Lance Roberts emailed me, asking if I'd help him complete his pizza itinerary. He was visiting New York City from Los Angeles, and he wanted to pack in as much pizza as he could--but only the best. I gave him some recs. He came, he ate, and then he wrote. What follows is a wonderful tale of 2.5 days of pizza mania. Buon appetito! --The Mgmt. An NYC Pizza Tour from an LA Perspective As a Los Angeleno who grew up in Detroit, it's a little odd that I love pizza so much. Neither city... More

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.... More