Di Fara, when it's firing on all cylinders, is delicious. Now add to that a concentrated hit of sweet, roasted tomato flavor — the halved orbs take on just a hint of charring in the oven. Of all the "specialty" toppings at Di Fara, this is my favorite. And like those toppings, there's a hefty $2 surcharge on top of the $5 hit for a plain slice. To bring an otherwise $7 slice down in price, I suggest ordering this by the pie; at $30 it comes out to an almost reasonable $3.75 a pop.
My first visit to Di Fara was bittersweet, timed as it was to mark my last day at Slice/Serious Eats World Headquarters. Still, what a way to go out. From reading Slice commentary, I expected the pizza to be delicious but possibly burned or greasy. The golden-crusted pies we got, however, were perfectly executed, the ideal New York pizza....
"I just wished that the slice hadn't been quite so oily; I felt as if I had to slurp through a puddle before getting to the true, vibrant flavors." As promised earlier today, here are the quick-and-dirty notes from the Di Fara first-timers I led on our Midwood expedition earlier today. We ordered a plain round pie, a plain square pie, and a special artichoke pie (round). Total damage: $85 big ones!...
Now that the $5 Di Fara slice has hit the New York Times, I've got friends and strangers emailing and twitting me with questions I feel I've answered a million times here on Slice—albeit over the span of many different blog posts. So, as a public service, here is all the info you need to know about Di Fara gathered in one place—a Di Fara FAQ, if you will. What's So Great About It? This "crowd" is fairly light, as far as Di Fara goes. Do I really have to rehash all this? A pie from Di Fara can...
You heard it here first, kids, but the New York Times finally filed a story on the Di Fara $5 slice price, so I guess it's officially news now. Best quote of the story: “It’s like they dug up my grandma and she made the pie." But perhaps the most interesting part of the story is the revelation from Dom's daughter Maggie that something has changed in the way he makes the pies.......
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....
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...
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....
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?...
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.] UPDATE (4 p.m. 1/21/2009) I just heard from Maggie, Dom DeMarco's daughter. She and Mr. DeMarco were in a...
