Entries tagged with 'Williamsburg'
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 8, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Photographs courtesy of Chewhound
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.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 24, 2008 at 4:15 PM
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)
EVENT IS SOLD OUT! IF YOU DIDN'T GET IN ON IT, MAYBE NEXT YEAR!?!
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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."
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 12, 2007 at 1:00 PM
- New York Times on Accademia di Vino:
Anyone familiar with the grilled pizzas of Al Forno, the Italian restaurant in Providence, R.I., will be glad that Kevin Garcia, who once worked the dough there, is serving very satisfying clones of those crackling crusted gems at Accademia di Vino, where he is now the chef.
X-ray-thin crusts have judicious coatings of cheese — robiola, goat cheese, ricotta, sheep cheese — and sparing but flavorful toppings like broccoli rabe, black truffle pâté and soppressata. The tomato and mozzarella pie is dotted with cherry tomato halves and fresh basil. One pizza caveat: skip the watermelon.
1081 Third Avenue at 64th Street, New York NY 10021 (Upper East Side); 212-888-6333
- The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Williamsburg hipsters lose free-pizza-with-beer dive Capone's:
The crowd—attractive local hipsters, artists, club kids, and even a few yuppies—was torn. "The skinny Williamsburg hipster fags need the carbs," griped Earl Dax, a promoter and performance-art curator. Some wished for a happy medium. "In a perfect world . . . " sighed a man in a harlequin get-up with sad, wistful eyes. Justin Bond (of Kiki & Herb) found the solution: "I've done performance where I strapped a pizza to me and then served it to the audience."
- L.A. Times on Nonna:
You also have the option of starting with a thin-crusted pizza, and they're very decent for a place that doesn't have a wood-burning oven. Classic too. The handful of choices includes a Margherita and a burrata pizza made with fresh tomatoes.
9255 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90069; 310-270-4455
- Mormon missionary discovers pizza in Italy, opens own pizzeria Stateside: "I don't think I was a great missionary, and Italy is mainly Catholic. I got over the fact that I wasn't going to convert people and just started helping people.... I loved the pizza there and it was a business that I didn't think had been tapped into very well in America."
- According to the Chicago Sun-Times, HomeMade Pizza Co., a Chicago-based take-and-bake pizzeria chain, is rapidly expanding thanks to the use of locally sourced ingredients—oh, and Brooke Shields and Oprah.
If the Sun-Times piece isn't enough for you, here's a profile on HomeMade from the Daily Southtown.
HomeMade store locations
- Subway, Dunkin' Donuts get into pizza:
"The demographic of pizza eaters is about the same as oxygen breathers," says Steve Green, publisher of PMQ's Pizza Magazine, a trade publication.
Recent pizza growth has been in artisan, take-n'-bake and rising-crust pizzas, Green says. Now, Subway and Dunkin' think faster, smaller pizzas may find a niche.
I tried the Subway mini pizza back in April. It's a niche that you, as a pizza consumer, don't wanna go near.
Posted by Adam Kuban, July 9, 2007 at 10:10 PM
A round-up in New York magazine lists. Stop me if think that you've heard this one before:
Solo Pizza
Address: 27 Avenue B, New York NY 10009 (East Village, near 3rd Street)
Phone: 212-420-7656
Chickie Pig’s
Address: 121 Ludlow Street, New York NY 10002 (LES, near Rivington)
Phone: 212-254-9972
URL: chickiepigs.com
With a name like Chickie Pig's, this place better be damn good.
Mosco Pizza
Address: 105 1/2 Mosco Street, New York NY 10013
Phone: 212-227-9150
Not for Tourists notes: "Good pizza in New York is pretty run-of-the-mill. You can get it anywhere. Anywhere, that is, except Chinatown. I’m not talking about the new Chinatown (i.e. Little Italy). I’m talking about East Broadway and Doyers Street, where pizza is anathema. Thankfully, Mosco Pizza opened up on (you got it) Mosco Street, much to the satisfaction of Asian-cuisine-weary NFT office workers. The pies are good, and they sell slices for two bucks each."
Oven
Address: 60C Henry Street, Brooklyn NY 11201 (Brooklyn Heights, b/n Orange and Cranberry streets)
Phone: 718-468-6836
La Nonna Pizzeria Trattoria Paninoteca
Address: 237 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (Williamsburg, near North 4th Street)
Phone: 718-302-5353
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 15, 2007 at 4:39 PM
The previous post reminds me that I was negligent in blogging this item about Cronkite and Fornino owner Michael Ayoub from the March 3 issue of the Brooklyn Paper:
Sitting at a table in his award-winning Williamsburg restaurant, Fornino, Ayoub was rightfully proud to be discussing his growing pizza empire. To call Fornino, or its newborn Manhattan sibling Cronkite, a “pizzeria” is a mighty understatement. What he offers—gourmet pies with homegrown and high-end ingredients, including homemade mozzarella and three types of specialty flour—is about as far from a plain old slice as you can get.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, September 12, 2006 at 2:11 AM
This quick take on Williamsburg pizzeria Anna Maria (the one just north of the Bedford Avenue L Train station) has a lot of good quotes and nice imagery in it. Among them, a nice summation of the unspoken ways in which a veteran pizzaman keeps his customers shuffling through quickly:
George [Acosta], 49, has been in the pizza trade since he came to New York 30 years ago. He ran Sorrento’s in the East Village for 11 years, naming it after a sepia photograph his grandfather gave him of the craggy Italian seaside terraces. And Anna Maria? “From a lot of Anna Marias in the neighborhood,” he says.
“I always look for an expression,” he says, describing his line-moving style. “It’s an instruction I give. ‘Next please!’ It applies to everyone, to the old man, the homosexual, the metrosexual.”
Do click through for some more priceless quotes.
An ‘Expression’ of Food, Brooklyn Style [New York Times]
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 20, 2006 at 12:32 PM
Greetings and Happy First Day of Spring to you all! (Even though Old Man Winter seems to have reconsidered his DNR order.)
Take a look at the photo at right. That should give you some warm-weather hope. It's the on-premises greenhouse at Fornino, where the Gothamist-Slice/Slice-Gothamist Pizza Party is taking place tonight at 7 p.m.
So, yeah: Those of you who bought tix, don't miss it! Those of you who didn't, well, maybe next year.
PIZZA PARTY 2006
When: Tonight! 7 p.m. (03/20)
Where: Fornino, 187 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg
Getting There: L Train to Bedford Ave. Station
Getting In: Your name will be on a list at the door. If you have guests and they're coming separately, have them give the name the tickets were bought under
See you there and, as always,
hasta la pizza!
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 17, 2006 at 10:00 AM
You all tired of hearing about this already?
Well, we've still got a very limited number of spaces available for the Gothamist-Slice Pizza Party at Fornino on Monday evening. Three, to be exact.
Anyone still interested in going should e-mail pizzaparty [at] sliceny [dot] com ASAP.
As if the all-you-can-eat-pizza, open bar on beer and wine, and mozzarella-making demonstration weren't enough, I just got an e-mail from Michael Ayoub, Fornino's owner: "As for the commenter who asked about truffles, as luck would have it, the first batch of creamy aromatic summer truffles just got to the U.S. and is being delivered to Fornino today. ... I have some great stuff planned. I'll keep it a surprise for now."
Get 'em while you can, folks. It's a dog eat dog eat pizza world.
GOTHAMIST-SLICE PIZZA PARTY
When: Monday, 03/20, 7 p.m.
Where: Fornino, 187 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg
What: An all-you-can-eat pizza party featuring open bar on beer/wine as well as mozzarella-making demo and fun with the editors and readers of Slice and Gothamist
How Much: $26.06 gets you all of the above, and then some
Hook Me Up: E-mail pizzaparty [at] sliceny [dot] com for ticket availability. As of 9 a.m., there are 4 spots left. So hurry!
P.S.: I promise I'll start posting some new non–Pizza Party entries next week.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 13, 2006 at 11:06 AM
Just a reminder to anyone who reserved tickets for the Gothamist-Slice Pizza Party at Fornino: Please complete your payment by 10 p.m. tonight or we will send hired goons to break your legs. OK. Not really. But you'll lose your reservation if you don't.
Anyone interested in getting on the standby list should e-mail pizzaparty [at] sliceny [dot] com. We anticipate spots opening up, as a lot of folks who reserved haven't paid yet. Just e-mail us with your name and number of desired tickets (limit 4 per person). We'll let you know tomorrow morning whether there's room or not.
Refresher: The Gothamist-Slice Pizza Party will take place at 7 p.m., Monday, March 20, at Fornino in Wlliamsburg. $26.06 covers all-you-can-eat pizza and wine or beer for the evening. Chef/owner Michael Ayoub and his pizzamakers will run up and down the pizza menu there, which includes traditional Neapolitan pies as well as Fornino's interpretation of the art form. A mozzarella-making demo will take place. It is an evening not to be missed by pizza lovers and pizza-curious alike.
Posted by Adam Kuban, March 6, 2006 at 11:59 AM
UPDATE: ALL TICKETS SPOKEN FOR. But, people being people, we expect a certain number of cancelations. So feel free to e-mail to get on the standby list (there are only a few names on standby so far). Cancelations will be filled with standby names on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on number of open slots. E-mail pizzaparty [at] sliceny [dot] com.
I hope you're hungry, 'cause get a load'a this: Slice and Gothamist have put together a pizza party
at Fornino in Williamsburg. Tickets will be $26.06 each and include all-you-can-eat pizza as well as beer or wine. We only have 100 total, so reserve them fast if you want to go. UPDATE: ALL TICKETS SPOKEN FOR. But, people being people, we expect a certain number of cancelations. So feel free to e-mail to get on the standby list (there are only a few names on standby so far). Cancelations will be filled with standby names on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on number of open slots. E-mail pizzaparty [at] sliceny [dot] com.
Fornino makes some mighty fine pies using some great ingredients, including fresh mozzarella made in house and tomatoes and herbs grown in an on-site greenhouse. Chef-owner Michael Ayoub will be on hand giving a mozzarella-making demonstration, discussing the various ingredients in his pizza, and answering any other questions you might have. And, of course, the editors of Slice and Gothamist will be there, too, to shoot the breeze on New York pizza and New York events.
GOTHAMIST-SLICE PIZZA PARTY
When: 7 p.m., Monday, March 20
Where: Fornino, 187 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Getting There: L train to Bedford Ave. Fornino is mere steps from the subway stairs
Included: All-you-can-eat pizza and beer or wine
Cost: $26.06 each
Getting Tickets: E-mail pizzaparty[at]sliceny[dot]com for reservations. Be sure to include your name, e-mail address, and desired number of tickets (limit 4 per person). Tickets will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Any ticket requests in excess of 100 will be placed on a waiting list. Once we receive your reservation, we'll e-mail you a PayPal link where you can complete your ticket transaction and secure your spot. Ticket payments must be made by 6 p.m., Friday, March 17 Monday, March 13, or your reservation will be forfeit. UPDATE: ALL TICKETS SPOKEN FOR. But, people being people, we expect a certain number of cancelations. So feel free to e-mail to get on the standby list (there are only a few names on standby so far). Cancelations will be filled with standby names on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on number of open slots. E-mail pizzaparty [at] sliceny [dot] com.
All Fornino entries [from the Slice Archives]
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 10, 2006 at 11:00 PM
Last Saturday night, friend of Slice Lia held a Mario Kart DS party. I bought a Nintendo a short time ago and was eager to try my kart skillz against some humans rather than the race bots I had been practicing against. Since Lia lives just blocks away from Slice favorite Fornino, we figured we'd order some of that pizzeria's fab pies. 'Cause, you know, that's how we roll.
We ordered a Margherita Classica (tomato, mozzarella, basil, Parmesan, olive oil; $15), a Trevisana (tomato, mozz, pancetta, radicchio, goat cheese, and roasted tomatoes; $19), and a Monzese (tomato, fennel sausage, mozz, and Parm; $19). They were certainly delicious but, as expected, suffered a bit due to time spent in the pizza boxes. Still, it was a luxury being able to order up such 1st place pies while racing for the prize, and, as much as I like living in Park Slope, I was jealous of those crazy Williamsburgers.
The meal was an apt choice for the event, as geeks and pizza seem to go hand in hand. Example: Google's pizza program, which buys pizza for university computer science nerds during crunch times. And the fact that pizza is essentially flat is reminiscent of the passage in Douglas Coupland's Microserfs
, in which a couple fictional Microsoft employees go out and buy flat foods to slip under the office door of a coworker who has locked himself in for late-night coding marathon.
By the time the party ended, I had consistently finished in last place among the human racers Chris, Scott, and Stephanie, but I'm looking forward to Lia's next Mario Kart party—and some more Fornino. It's about the only thing that can get me to pause this evily addictive little game.
Mario Kart DS Party [Hello, Nintendo]
Find other racers with KartMatch
My Mario Kart friend code is 240580 995939.
Posted by seltzerboy, January 6, 2006 at 1:02 AM
Or, 'Solidarity Through Pizza'
When the subways stopped rolling, everyone tried to roll with the punches. Some people pounded the pavement while others simply slept in. I ate pizza.
Two weeks ago, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority illegally refused to negotiate a contract with the workers who move New York. This courageous yet unfortunate work stoppage brought the city’s transportation infrastructure to a screeching halt. It was like Independence Day without the bombs. For the Slice czar, it meant a treacherous commute by shoe leather. For me, it meant a car ride from Queens and an impromptu commuter club with three colleagues.
The commute was surprisingly pleasant, at times evoking memories of college road trips. Packed in a carful of strangers, after an hour or two—the time required to reach the Williamsburg Bridge from Chelsea Piers—we all needed to get out to flex our cramped muscles and recharge with food. This, however, beat any highway rest stop (with apologies to the Roscoe Diner).
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Posted by Adam Kuban, December 6, 2004 at 2:02 AM
Williamsburg newcomer Fornino gets a write-up in the Daily News:
You have to be very sure of yourself to divide the entire history of pizza into three stages: Naples; then the rest of Italy; then your own Brooklyn cafe. But that's how Michael Ayoub does it on the menu of Fornino, his ambitious new Williamsburg pizzeria.
One Sunday night we ordered a pie from "The First Generation" of Neapolitan classics ($8/$14). The Margherita had an austere tomato and mozzarella topping on a crackly, blistered crust and a hint of smoke that came from the gas-fired, wood-burning oven whose temperature can reach 1,000 degrees, said our waitress....
From the "Second Generation" of regional Italian pies we chose one from Lombardi that was covered with mozzarella, thin curls of prosciutto and brilliantly fresh arugula ($10/$16). Although the toppings were perfect, the oven temperature must have dropped, making the crust pale and chewy....
And our "Third Generation" pie was a dud. Maybe it was our fault. Why in the world, scolded the pizza maven, would we order one with lamb sausage, two cheeses, roasted peppers and pistachios? ($10/$16)
Still, this story's writer, Irene Sax, who frequently writes about pizza for the News, says she'd "go back in a second," won over by the antipasto and homemade tortoni and spumoni and, we're guessing, the "first generation" pie.
Tien and I visited Fornino on opening night. We concur with Ms. Sax on the "generations": Our favorite pie of that night was the simple Margherita.
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 17, 2004 at 11:36 AM
The Village Voice's Robert Sietsma visits newcomers Una Pizza Napoletana and Fornino.
On Fornino:
Fornino takes a historical approach to pizza, dividing pies into three categories melodramatically entitled Naples, the First Generation; Italy, the Second Generation; and Fornino, the Third Generation. I won't bore you with the absurdity of this breakdown, which fancifully assigns pizzas to places. Section one features a nicely charred version of the margherita, the pie that, in 1889, dumped cheese on Naples pizza for the first time. Section-two pies showcase signature ingredients of regional Italian cuisines, with good results in the case of the Siciliana (eggplant, onions, and capers), and with dicier results in the rustica, topped with mushrooms and guanciale (cured hog jowl) that's been sliced and fried like bacon. Bad idea! Dice it and put it on raw, fellas. Section-three pies—ostensibly invented by Fornino—are worthwhile without being wild, though I don't imagine many of you will be sampling the $35 black-truffle pie anytime soon. The modest list of antipasti includes small clams heaped with lemon slices, garlic, and capers ($8), and a weird but wonderful salad of frisée, prosciutto, and dried fruit.
About Napoletana:
While Fornino jovially pursues its own pizza mythology, Una Pizza Napoletana is more fiercely iconoclastic, chasing the true pie of Naples with religious zealotry. In fact, saints' images form an important part of the decor, which also includes wonderful black-and-white photos of old Naples. The menu offers only four pies, each approximately 11 inches in diameter ($16.96), based on Neapolitan models and made with unimpeachable ingredients: organic flour, Sicilian sea salt, imported mozzarella, and San Marziano tomatoes. A generous dose of green olive oil is poured on apres-oven. No salads, no sides, no desserts.
And, about both, in his concluding paragraph:
If good intentions guaranteed perfect pizza, these parlors would be among the city's best. Unfortunately, both suffer from uneven crust quality, and among the 11 pies that I've tasted, too many have been doughy and damp. Both places need more experience with their dough and ovens. Only then can they turn out an approximation of the true pizza.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 20, 2004 at 3:29 PM
A sharp-eyed young lady just alerted Slice to this story on NewYorkMetro.com:
So October, it turns out, is National Pizza Month—as if we needed an excuse.
Fornino
Michael Ayoub's new joint opens this week with a wood-burning oven and pizza toppings (garlic, arugula) plucked from the chefís own garden and greenhouse.
187 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-384-6004
Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
Those pizza pontificators who rushed in and freaked out over Mario Batali's unconventional griddle-cooked pies got it wrong: One bite of a recent special topped with butternut squash, smoked mozzarella, ricotta, and pancetta is proof of pure pizza genius.
1 Fifth Ave.; 212-995-9559
Totonno's
A gothic crust, a sloppy splash of sauce, and the sweetest, freshest mozzarella coalesce into pizza perfection. (Unfortunately, the Manhattan branches just don't have the same mozzarella mojo.)
1524 Neptune Ave., Coney Island, Brooklyn; 718-372-8606
Franny's
Unsliced, fire-licked, and uncannily light, the stellar pizza here is inspired by Naples and adorned with everything from house-cured meats to parsley pesto.
295 Flatbush Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; 718-230-0221
Di Fara
The trash cans are overflowing and the fans don't work, but the regular pies are sublime, the Sicilian even better.
1424 Ave. J, Midwood, Brooklyn; 718-258-1367
Gonzo
Mecca for grilled-pizza lovers. Try the Siciliano with cumin-scented ricotta.
140 W. 13th St.; 212-645-4606
Joe & Pat's
A thin-crust pie that outshines borough boss Denino's.
1758 Victory Blvd., Staten Island; 718-981-0887
FURTHER READING
Fornino: The Daily News on New York's artisanal pizza trend. (Fornino highlighted in story.)
Totonno's: Slice on Totonno's.
Franny's: Stellar reviews for this Prospect Heights pizzeria.
Di Fara: One of Slice's favorite pizzerias. All our entries on this Midwood joint.
Grilled pizza: Slice on grilled pizza.
Staten Island pizza: All entries on Shaolin pie.
[Thanks, "Cool Breeze"!]
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 19, 2004 at 4:50 PM
Last week we digested a Daily News story on artisanal pizza. It said that Williamsburg pizzeria Fornino was scheduled to open October 19. This is not the case. Slice spoke to Fornino owner Michael Ayoub, who said the eatery will open October 20. We regret the Daily News's error.
Posted by Adam Kuban, October 13, 2004 at 1:12 AM
The Daily News had this story on artisinal pizza over the weekend. We were too busy out in Elmhurst, Queens, eating Pakistani pizza to catch it. Here's an excerpt:
Who makes New York City's best pizza? Simple. Just ask the city's most passionate pizza fans - and then get all 8 million of them to agree.
This city, with its 3,000-odd pizzerias, has whole Web sites devoted to the topic, with camps clustered resolutely behind the same perennial names - Lombardi's, John's, Grimaldi's, and so forth.
But the imminent opening - skedded for Oct. 19 - of Fornino in Williamsburg has got us thinking about New York's favorite food in a whole new way. We'll call it artisanal pizza, and it's an entirely different pie.
To be an artisan, of course, is to craft something by hand, using methods more labor-intensive than expected in our rapid-transit, short-order society. In the context of pizza, this might mean a super-thin crust, a sauce of fresh-ground tomatoes, house-made cheese, house-grown toppings, and an oven that burns fresh-cut fuel for the most ideal bake. We've investigated some new spots where hand-made means well-made. And delicious. ...
Mentioned are L'Asso, Posto, Vento Trattoria, and Fornino, of course, where
Michael Ayoub is taking the artisanal concept to an extreme: The 30-year chef-owner (Cucina, Mike & Tony's) is an accomplished gardener with a desire to pay homage to his Neapolitan heritage, and will soon launch this shrine to pizza and antipasto. He'll be making his own mozzarella and organic sausage, and cultivating his toppings - far-out products like Sicilian oregano, peppery wild arugula, and three types of eggplant - in a rooftop, on-premises greenhouse that will operate year-round. He'll then forge the pies in a three-tiered brick oven with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees.
This sounds amazing and reminds us of the amazing work that Chris Bianco does at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. Needless to say, Slice has a busy week ahead. We'll be at Fornino as soon as we can and at Una Pizza Napoletano, too. Oh my.
[Thanks to Youngna for alerting us to Fornino's upcoming opening.]
