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... More

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... More

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,... More

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... More

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.... More

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... More