Does this east coast centric pizza book have anything to say about pizza in Boston? I'm going to be there for a day next week and I'd be willing to investigate...especially anything in the North End, where I plan on going anyway.

Ed thinks Boston should be a great pizza city, being part of the "Pizza Belt", having a large Italian-American community, lots of college kids, etc. But what he says he found were but a few acceptable pies--one pie place, one slice place, and a chi-chi high end designer place. He also mentioned that the people he knows that live in Boston often bitch about the sad state of pizza in Boston. So according to Levine, there didn't seem to be a strong or prideful pizza culture in Boston either.

Campo De Fiori - 1350 Massachusettes Ave- Cambridge (slice)
www.campodefiori.org

Pizzeria Regina - 11 1/2 Thatcher St (whole pie)
www.pizzeriaregina.com

Figs (Todd English's pizzeria)

I'd be interested in your opinoin about Oggi's. It apparently is one of the legendary, traditional pizzerias in Boston. Levine hated it. It's at 131 Broad St.

trixie-pea wrote:
I'd be interested in your opinoin about Oggi's. It apparently is one of the legendary, traditional pizzerias in Boston. Levine hated it. It's at 131 Broad St.

I'll check out Oggi (if I can). Levine's opinion doesn't mean very much to me, since he didn't like Chicago pizza much, either. Oggi must be legendary for a reason. I'll see if I can find out why.

It just sounds to me like Ed Levine has a very narrow view of what pizza should be, so while I might take his advice as to where to eat in New York, I think I would ignore it about where not to eat anywhere else.

Me, my pizza house has many huts in it. Bread, tomatoes, cheese-- there are so many fine and delightful ways to eat them together, why deny yourself any of them? I even had a California Pizza Kitchen pizza today-- well, we were downtown with the kids, it seemed the most reasonable of the choices to be had. I skipped past the main list of Pecan Waffle pizzas or whatever strange hybrids they offer these days (although I did use to like a shrimp and feta pizza they once had) and looked at the "Neapolitan" list. Now, I'm not going to make claims for the authenticity of said list, since one "Neapolitan" pizza they offer is the "Sicilian," which is sort of like offering a Texas-Style Maine Lobster Roll. It certainly bears no resemblance to a Sicilian sheet pizza, as Antonius had described it personally earlier that day. But genuinely inauthentic or merely unreal, they do cook them in a wood-fired oven with a very thin crust, and, well, you could certainly do worse than this that close to Michigan Avenue.



(Incidentally, I have to admit that that wasn't the first wood-fired pizza of the day. At Green City Market I've come to really like the pizzas which cook in a portable wood-burning oven in one corner of the market, not that they're necessarily the most fantastic examples of the pizzaman's art, but fresh out of a wood-fired oven with a pleasantly rough whole wheat crust, what's not to like? Here are a couple of them, not all from this morning:





Mmmm... pizza! Pseudo-Neapolitan, my favorite kind, along with all the others!

I'm not sure why, in a thread about New York Pizza, we have to keep defending (or bashing) Chicago pizza, or any other non-NY pizza. We deliberately avoided making any comparisons to any other pizza in hopes that it would not become another NY vs Chicago thread. I'm sorry if we suggested that there was a pizza hierarchy where one pizza is clearly king. We just wanted to share some pictures and comments about a foodstuff that is

a. really tasty (and new to us)
b. has an interesting history
c. unavailable in the Chicago market

Obviously everyone has their own preferences. There are certain foods, pizza I think being one of them, where people tend to have ideas about what they should taste like, or what "the best" is. Levine is clearly one of those people, and he admits it freely. He describes in detail what his ideal pizza is, and asks his readers to keep that in mind when they weigh his reviews and ratings.

And for people who aren't plagued by this one-track pizza mind, rejoice, be thankful that you live in a town where you love the pizza...where you can eat Piece and Vito & Nick's and Lou Malnati's and Pizza D.O.C. (all very different pizzas) with equal zeal. Hate NY pizza because you think it tastes bad. But don't hate on NY pizza just because some guy who thinks deep dish pizza is a joke claims the best American pizza lives on the East Coast. Or because people fly to NY to eat pizza, when there is perfectly good pizza here in Chicago.

And I am not trying to be argumentative. I just sincerely do not understand this pizza feud. (And I'm not just talking about this thread, which is pretty civil). Why do otherwise even-keeled people, become enraged at the idea that someone might not like Chicago pizza, as if they themselves were the one's who created the recipe? At the Levine talk some folks were raising their voices at him - talking at him instead of to him. I don't know where it comes from.

trixie-pea

I really enjoyed your report. As a Manhattanite, I've been to all but one of your visited places -- I haven't been to the Manhattan branch of Totonno's, but it sounds like their product is similar to Coney Island's (you owe yourself a trip there, as well as DiFara's).

But I'm sad to report that you DID experience bad luck at Patsy's. I was just there tonight and and split two big pies with three friends -- one neopolitan and one with fresh mozarella. (I definitely prefer the "regular" to the fresh mozarella pie). I think it's slightly superior to Totonno's, and I've never been served a gloppy whole pie. I've only had a slice once there -- I usually sit in and these days the full kitchen is in force (with old-school Italian-American entrees).

Those photos are wonderful.

trixie-pea wrote:I'm not sure why, in a thread about New York Pizza, we have to keep defending (or bashing) Chicago pizza, or any other non-NY pizza.

As a staunch defender of Chicago pizza, I deliberately tried to stay out of the fray. My comment about Ed Levine's prejudice wasn't meant to fan any flames. I was only trying to make the point that Mike G. put far more elegantly.

It just sounds to me like Ed Levine has a very narrow view of what pizza should be, so while I might take his advice as to where to eat in New York, I think I would ignore it about where not to eat anywhere else.

I think your NYC pizza tour turned up some really interesting looking pizza, which I hope to sample sooner rather than later. No bashing was intended (except maybe to Ed Levine's objectivity).

Trixie-Pea, I think you're reading what's not there-- I'm not even slamming Levine, just observing where for me the virtues and the limitations of his outlook lie.

As for pizza, I support it wholewheatedly in all its manifestations, hence my salute to a couple of psuedo-Neapolitans to be found locally.

Wonderful report, Pigmon and Trixie.

If anyone wishes to expand upon their research in a visist, I highly recommend Lombardi's, Arturo's on Houston, and John's Pizza in the former church on 44th(?) and 8th Ave (for some reason, I aways like the pie at that location better than GV).

Two off the beaten trail recs are Mario's in the Arthur Ave section of the Bronx. Mario's isn't a pizzeria. It's a real restaurant that happens to serve great grispy neopolitan style pizza that I think compares well to DiFara's.

The other is Candido on First Avenue near 83rd. Again, a really nice crispy bread underlying complimentary toppings.

I'm surprised no one mentioned (at least I didn't see it) New Haven, CT, pizzas, such as those at Pepe's or Sally's. They are in that same mold as the greats of NY like Lombardi's, from everything I can gather, and are on my list to visit when I eventually make my similar trek. (And they claim to be the true originals.)

Also, for research purposes, a great site is:

http://www.sliceny.com/

I get in these same sort of arguments all the time because out here in Portland of all places we have an artisan pizza maker devoted to making pizzas in that old school east coast tradition:

http://www.apizzascholls.com

Might as well throw in one of my pics just to make you Chi-Town snobs jealous of something, perhaps.



(The owner started off with a bakery making really good breads and then switched to pizza. He does a 24 hour rise and makes a certain amount of dough per day all by hand and when it's gone, it's gone.)

Una Pizza Napoletana

The first time I visited Una Pizza Napoletana, I was struck by the construction of their pizza. On my return, however, I was awestruck by its taste. I have never had a pizza anywhere that was truly harmonious and as balanced as this. The sparing use of drizzled Sicilian olive oil, light hints of sea salt flakes, intensely flavored concentrated fresh basil, sweet cherry tomatoes, along with the beautifully subtle fresh mozzarella made each bite, regardless of its location on the pie heavenly. However, what really separates Una Pizza Napoletana from the pack is Anthony Mangieri’s bread. Besides its perfect texture to the mouth, it is unquestionably the finest tasting crust I have had the pleasure to ingest anywhere. Even on this last visit, where the crust was overly charred in some places on the pie, the bread was so tasty that this blemish was completely irrelevant (at least for me anyway).
Whereas many pizzaioli have scholarly knowledge of pizza making, Mangieri is an artist who happens to also be a student of his passion. If you are a fan of authentic Neapolitan pizza and happen to be in Manhattan, don’t screw up and bypass this gem of the pizza world.





Joe’s Pizzeria (7 Carmine St. - Soho)

If slice pizza joints were what New York pizza was all about, I’m pretty sure that I’d never waste my time eating very much of it while visiting. I’ve always found that eating reheated slices that have been hanging around a shelf for awhile isn’t a good way to go. Even if you’re lucky enough to be trying a slice that happens to be well made, the character of the crust will change dramatically even after just a few minutes. Initially crisp, pliant, chewy bread quickly becomes saturated with the sauce or even worse, soggy. After eating too many poorly made slices that have been sitting too long, I'd pretty much given up on slice places whenever I visit New York….until I was introduced to Joe’s Pizzeria.
Firstly, Joe’s moves their slices due to high turnover. Because of this, it is almost irrelevant whether it’s coming from a full pie or is a slice.
Secondly and more importantly, this is a sensational pizza. It has perfect proportions of slightly sweet tomato sauce to crust with wonderfully subtle and light mozzarella. Although the crust is quite thin, it never lost its integrity due to sogginess.
I loved visiting this place on many levels. Apparently, a lot of others agree with me since, as we were leaving, the line went out the door.





Demarco’s (146 West Houston – at MacDougal)

My all time favorite persona in the pizza world unquestionably is Dominick Demarco from Difara’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that many others within the New York pizza culture would strongly agree with me about this pizza legend. In my mind, in New York’s pizza community, he takes on a similar stature as Babe Ruth does in baseball. Read a bit about New York pizza and you’ll see what I mean.
From what I gather, Dominick’s son decided to cash in on his father’s great name by opening up Demarco’s Pizzeria in more upscale Manhattan…..sans Dominick. His father hasn’t missed a day of work in over forty years (except until recently where he was hospitalized shortly for foot surgery). Word has it that he has never been seen helping his son at Demarco’s.
Another slice joint, Demarco’s makes perfectly respectable pizza but certainly not anywhere near the creations his father puts out.
I found the tomato sauce overly sweet and his crust, although quite enjoyable, to be undercooked in its core. Intrinsically, the crust itself is pretty damn close in flavor (from what I remember) to what the master in Brooklyn is dishing out.

Certainly tasty (for a slice) but not inspirational.

This is a case where the apple fell a little too far away from the tree.






Five Roses (173 1st Ave #11)

I initially heard about the Five Roses pizzeria from a New York friend of mine who takes pizza about as seriously as anybody I’ve ever talked to. The last time I saw him, we talked pizza for at least 7 innings at Wrigley Field, which wasn’t difficult for me since I’m a Sox fan (last season and so far this season). Nonetheless, he couldn’t stop raving about the Five Roses Pizzeria in the East Village.
This is another slice joint with a wonderful old world feel. It appeared to cater mostly to locals who give you the impression that this was their go-to neighborhood place.

We tried to the sausage with peppers, beef with peas, and a straightforward cheese slice. A beautiful crust was to be found somewhere under the grossly disproportionate amount of sausage and beef toppings. Although the meat toppings were quite good, the topping/bread ratio bordered on the obscene.
The cheese slice in its simplicity was quite good but suffered from hanging around on the shelf too long. Since this place doesn’t have the customer base that some other slice pizzerias have in New York, I highly suspect that this was one of their major obstacles.
The quality of their crust was much more apparent with the cheese since it had less topping. The cheese itself was decent but certainly not memorable.
I did love the homey feel of these slices, taking on an entirely different pizza experience than anywhere else I’ve ever tried there.
I struggled to connect with these slices even though the ingredients they used were quite good and the crust more than adequate. However, if the proportions of a pizza are wrong, no matter how great the ingredients they use or the how beautiful their bread, the pizza can only get to a certain level of greatness.

If I’m up ever up for an on-the-run, informal slice late night and happen to be in the East Village, I wouldn’t hesitate to revisit the Five Roses.







Luzzo’s (211 1st Ave)

I can’t help myself. If I hear about a New York pizzeria that uses coal, I’m all over it. I’m not sure that coal-fired ovens produce pizzas that are any better than wood-fired ones, but the novelty alone gives me enough motivation to seek them out. The other pizzerias using coal in New York are John’s, Totonno’s, Lombardi’s, Patsy’s in Harlem, and Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn. Luzzo’s was the only coal burner I hadn’t hit yet and knowing how much I’ve enjoyed most of the other operations using coal, I was very anxious to check them out.
Having come from Naples, Charles LoPresto and Miguel Luliano purchased this longstanding pizzeria 3 years ago from an old Italian bakery called Zito’s.
Their pizza is very traditional in style, staying true to the classic Neapolitan traditions of pizza making (as far as I could tell). We tried the prosciutto and arugula pizza as well as their basic Neapolitan pizza. Visually, these pizzas were spectacular looking and the craftsmanship of the pizzaioli was evident by just observing him at work.
Unfortunately, I found their pizza to be extremely uninspirational. Great Neapolitan pizza is about the bread and if the bread is lifeless, the pizza can never reach the highest levels. I also struggled a bit with its goopiness, not just in the center but throughout the pizza almost to the outer crust. This was more of a mess, where the saturated under crust paired with its above sauce and cheese was just a messy goo on the palate instead of a pleasant unity of components, truly working together.
I couldn’t get excited about either of the pizzas we tried, regardless of its beauty or their use of fine ingredients. I really wanted to love this place but it just wasn’t in the cards.
Although these guys are straight from Naples and create pizzas in a strict traditional sense, I don’t believe that guarantees that you’ll produce inspirational pizza. To make great pizza, one must be part artist, part chemist. There are many ways to produce quality pizza and I believe the best pizza, in all its different forms, truly comes from the combination of the two.

I had the pleasure this past Tuesday of a very short trip to NYC--my first-- bookended by early morning and late evening rides on the Chinatown bus from DC ($35 round trip!).

Amidst a bit of work and a bit of drinking, there were two meals on the agenda, lunch at Joe's Shanghai for soup dumplings and dinner at Totonno's.

I don't have a great deal to add to PIGMON and trixie's description; it was spot on. This was one fantastic pizza pie.

We visited the Upper East Side location as well, and being only two, and torn between the margherita and the napolitana, the waitress kindly offered they would do half-and-half. This may violate some pizza code, but it worked splendidly for us. If I had to choose one, I'd go with the margherita. I like cheese on my pizza.

As an aside, we were very thirsty, despite splurging on an Old Potrero (18th-century style version) and a Dunkelweiss at a bar in the Waldorf before hopping uptown on the subway. There were fewer places for an enjoyable drink than I would have hoped in the immediate vicinity. We made do with some beers at Brother Jimmy's BBQ, Doc Watson's, and some other place of which I can’t recall the name.

So, I'm working in our midtown Manhattan office this week and last night I'm having a couple after-work drinks with some co-workers. During drinks, I'm hatching a scheme to get a few people in a cab and hit the upper east side Totonno's. About 15 minutes before I go to find a cab, my cell phone rings and who should it be but PIGMON. He didn't know I was in NY or planning to head to Totonno's for that matter.

To make a long story short, he offers the suggestion that if I don't want to head 40 blocks north, there's a place on 57th that he's been meaning to try: Angelo's Coal Oven Pizzeria.

Well, it was much easier to find a dining companion when I said that I was only going to walk six blocks, so I dragged one other guy to Angelo's.

Angelo's has a nice, old, seasoned coal oven and serves up a nice crust with appropriate blackened spots, crisp exterior, softened center, and just a light kiss of sauce. We tried both a pizza with sausage and mushroom and white pizza with prosciutto. For my tastes, the crust itself lacked a bit in the flavor depth department (perhaps too little salt) but still very good.

As we were leaving, my co-worker (a Chicago resident and Detroit native) said to me that he really enjoys pizza crammed with tons of cheese and toppings, but this pizza really made him appreciate the bread. He said that he's not used to going back and wanting more of the crusty edges.

I told him that I'm sure Angelo (if he's still around) would beam with pride to hear him say that.

Thanks for the rec, PIGMON. I owe you twenty bucks for saving me a round-trip cab ride

Best,
Michael

Angelo's Coal Oven Pizza
117 W 57th St (between sixth and seventh)
NY
(212) 333-4333

eatchicago wrote:About 15 minutes before I go to find a cab, my cell phone rings and who should it be but PIGMON. He didn't know I was in NY or planning to head to Totonno's for that matter.

The sweet kiss of serendipity.

Michael,

I've noted that Angelo's (I think there are 2) a couple of times. It's really convenient to lots of things, and pretty darn good. Not sure why it is rarely mentioned in the discussions of NYC spots. A few doors down from Carnegie Hall, it's easy to get to.

Speaking of convenience, see if you can try a burger at the original PJ Clarke's. And, if you don't have time to get down to Chinatown, there's a fancy Midtown branch of Joe's Shanghai on 56th.

JeffB wrote:I've noted that Angelo's (I think there are 2) a couple of times. It's really convenient to lots of things, and pretty darn good. Not sure why it is rarely mentioned in the discussions of NYC spots. A few doors down from Carnegie Hall, it's easy to get to.

Sorry I missed your rec, Jeff. I did find a mention here. Silly of me not to read that thread earlier.

JeffB wrote:Speaking of convenience, see if you can try a burger at the original PJ Clarke's. And, if you don't have time to get down to Chinatown, there's a fancy Midtown branch of Joe's Shanghai on 56th.

Good tips. Thx. Joe's has been on my list and PJC's just got added to it

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:Angelo's has a nice, old, seasoned coal oven and serves up a nice crust with appropriate blackened spots, crisp exterior, softened center, and just a light kiss of sauce. We tried both a pizza with sausage and mushroom and white pizza with prosciutto. For my tastes, the crust itself lacked a bit in the flavor depth department (perhaps too little salt) but still very good.

As we were leaving, my co-worker (a Chicago resident and Detroit native) said to me that he really enjoys pizza crammed with tons of cheese and toppings, but this pizza really made him appreciate the bread. He said that he's not used to going back and wanting more of the crusty edges.

I told him that I'm sure Angelo (if he's still around) would beam with pride to hear him say that.

I'm glad you enjoyed Angelo's, Michael.

Angelo Angelis' nephews, John and Nick Pashalis, own both Angelo's pizzerias in midtown. Apparently, they learned from Angelo's son, Nick Angelis from Nick's Pizzeria (originally from Forest Hills, Queens), one of my absolute favorite pizzerias in all of New York.

I've tried to hit as many coal oven pizzerias around New York as possible (Lombardi's, Luzzo's, Grimaldi's, Totonno's, Patsy's in Harlem, and John's) and have unfortunately not yet made it to Angelo's. Of the coal oven pizzerias in Manhattan, I have only Carbone and Arturo's left to try. Going to any one of these places is always a great thrill just for nostalgic and historic reasons, let alone the often times great pizza they produce.

By now most of the classic New York pizza outfits have multiple outlets, and as a result it may be hard to know whether the pizza being served is as good as that from the "mother church." Obviously DiFara is the exception. But Lombardi's, although much larger and less artisinal than DiFara, still has its single outlet on Mulberry Street on the edge of what used to be Little Italy (and is still called such). It is outstanding New York-style bread-crust pizza. In my last trip to Manhattan, I ordered an excellent Sausage, Mushroom, and Anchovy pizza. If not the most platonic pizza, it earns multiple mozzarella stars.


Lombardi's Pizza - New York - December 2010 - Sausage, Mushrooms and Anchovies by garyalanfine, on Flickr

...not for nothing, but Lombardi's is about 1/2 a block east, at Spring and Mott. I believe there's a playlot at Spring and Mulberry, and of course, Spring Lounge/Sharkbar, a corner tavern that's a respite in NoLita... But the point is a good one-- Lombardi's is very good. I especially like the clam pie.

Good post. I always say I never met a pizza I didn't like.............having said that I wouldn't give you 2 cents for some of the pizzas I see on these pages...big slabs or slices of cheese undercooked....just wrong in my book. Being served a pizza coated with fresh basil (is it a salad??)...nope not for me as much as I love basil. Frankly the pizza from Patsy's looks a little like Sbarro's on a good day, paper plate and all. Nothing wrong with that but not the greatest. I'm sure there are some really good pizzas in NY. But give me a party cut thin crust made in Chicago with the dough made from Lake Michigan water and I'm a happy girl.

toria wrote:Frankly the pizza from Patsy's looks a little like Sbarro's on a good day, paper plate and all.

Patsy's tastes nothing like Sbarro's.

Speaking of good NYC pizza. If in the East Village, I highly recommend picking up a slice (Sicilian or margarita) from South Brooklyn Pizza on 1st Avenue. Flavorful, artisanal ingredients atop a nicely charred crust. Now if only I could poach one of the Central American pizza-makers and move back to Chicago. I'd be rich!

On that same note, if in the E. Village ignore the hype and avoid Artichoke like the plague. Artichoke dip on mediocre, flavorless, way-too-thick crust? Hellnaw.

South Brooklyn Pizza
122 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10009
(212) 533-2879

GAF wrote:

Gary's photo captures a few of the key differences between NY and Chicago pizza. No, not the crust. The crap crust on a NY utility slice is no better or worse than the run of the mill Chicago pie in this regard. Only good pizza shops have good crust. (And Lombardi's is a good shop.) I think the folks on this board, among others, have made a strong case that several crust styles, when done well, are praiseworthy. I'm broaching commonly accepted regional standards for toppings now. Any random ass NY shop is likely to use much better sauce, like that pictured here, because the standard in NY is to use good crushed tomatoes on pizza, while the baseline here is a pasty overly sweet cooked concoction. What's so hard? Crushed tomatoes come in cans. Surely the added expense of using decent tomatoes isn't much. Conversely, just look at those slices of "Italian sausage" atop an otherwise exemplary NY pie. I'm sorry. I like Lombardi's, but that stuff's garbage. How can it be that even storied old NY stalwarts use industrial, mealy-textured (like commercial gyros, really) Italian sausage, sliced thin and kept cold until use. How can that be thrown on top of 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes and local mozzarella then finished in a 100 year old coal oven? In Chicago, on the other hand, even takeout places that pre-make and freeze greasy crust that has been run through a wringer and cut with a scallop-edged form more apt for apple pie, use Pastorelli pizza sauce (WTF is it?), and employ institutional cheese take the time and expense either to make or purchase good, fresh Italian sausage and apply it properly, in little balls, to the pie. This is one of the great paradoxes of pizza, friends, never to be fully understood. See also canned mushrooms, much more likely to appear on your slice in NYC.

Jeff's point is interesting in several regards, but I think that in one way it misses the heart of pizza as urban food (not as urban cuisine). Jeff wants pizza to be an artisinal product, a Michelin-worthy comestible. However, pizza is both a working-class staple and what is, essentially, street food. Pizza is a cheap date. Perhaps we can wish for imported mozzarella or little sausage-marbles with organic sage, and I wouldn't object. But a place like Lombardi's is not about that. The night after we ate a Lombardi's we ate at Del Posto. No, they don't use the same ingredients, but the meal at Del Posto was about 30 times more expensive than the meal at Lombardi's. That means for the price of one of Mario's meals I could eat sausage pizza for a month. Now that's an idea . . .

No, either you've missed my point or I just didn't make it. Lombardi's is doing most everything right. Why not use decent sausage? None of the Chicago places my bit was intended to evoke are artisnal anything. They just grind pig meat with some salt and garlic (maybe a dash of pepper flake and oregano) or buy it on the corner before throwing it on the pie. The answer seems to be that it just isn't done there. The same place puts pristinely fresh clams on this urban street food.

Robert Johnson wrote: You can't give your sweet woman
Everything she wants in one time
Ooh ooh you can't give your sweet woman
Everything she wants in one time
Well boys she get ramblin' in her brain
Some monkey man on her mind.

I believe this somehow applies to pizza as well.

JeffB wrote:No, either you've missed my point or I just didn't make it. Lombardi's is doing most everything right. Why not use decent sausage? None of the Chicago places my bit was intended to evoke are artisnal anything. They just grind pig meat with some salt and garlic (maybe a dash of pepper flake and oregano) or buy it on the corner before throwing it on the pie. The answer seems to be that it just isn't done there. The same place puts pristinely fresh clams on this urban street food.

I've done some work for a few of the better known pizza chains (whose pizza I wouldn't eat even if they paid me, as born out by the fact that they paid me and I didn't eat their product). One of the most interesting things I learned is that sausage is but a bit player in most of the country. Pepperoni is far and away the most popular topping for pizza in the USA; except in Chicago, where sausage is king and pepperoni is for those not native to our fine pizza culture. This could help explain the "sausage as afterthought" phenomenon in places even as cosmopolitan as NYC.

Was in NY this past weekend and looking for a new pizza spot to try. Consulted Slice and decided to go with Fornino which is right off the Bedford Av stop on the L Train in Williamsburg. We ordered the Calabrese with tomato, mozz, and sopresatta and the Siciliana with tomato, eggplant, olives, and anchovies. Both pies were delicious and very reasonably priced at around $11. I especially liked the sopresatta which was suggested in the Slice profile. They were doing a brisk takeout business on Sunday night and the interior is nice and cozy too with the oven visible in the rear.

http://www.forninopizza.com/Menu.html
Fornino
187 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: 718-384-6004

Did two Brooklyn pizza joints recently. One old school, and the other new school.

Batting for Team Old School is Di Fara Pizza. Plenty has already been written about this joint and its 73 year old pizzaiolo, Domenico DeMarco. He uses "only the best" ingredients. Mozzarella di bufala, olive oil, and parm all imported from Italy. We took a couple of trains to J St. to give it a try.

Even though we showed up about midway between lunch and dinner on a weekday afternoon, Di Fara was slammed. Line out the door slammed. As it turns out, this is the downside of DeMarco topping and cooking each and every pizza by himself (very, very slowly and deliberately). Since this was a mid-afternoon snack for us, we just wanted a slice each. So, we plunked down our nearly $20 for two slices and soft two drinks and waited (and waited). For 45 minutes. And...




... it was good. Not great. Not amazing. But, good. I appreciate the integrity of this man and his pizza and the authentic hasn't-changed-for-50-years grit of the place. I even applaud him for reacting to his (relatively) new-found success by jacking his prices. But, I'll leave it for nostalgists and future tourists. Once was enough for me.



Representing Team New School is Roberta's. It's a converted industrial warehouse in pretty much the middle of nowhere in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Their architect describes the place as shooting for an "'industrial farmhouse chic' aesthetic." They run a cherry-red, wood fired oven and maintain a garden, where, in season, they grow many of their pizza toppings. Painfully hip.

We ate...

The Crispy Glover (tomato, taleggio, guanciale, onion, breadcrumbs, chili flakes).


The Axl Rosenberg (tomato, mozzarella, double garlic, mushrooms, jalapenos, sopressata picante).

Usually, when I really like a pizza, the crust is the star. Not so much at Roberta's. The crust was fine here (sort of midway between the styles of Great Lake and Spacca Napoli, but not as good as either), but this place is about the toppings. These were creatively well-topped, richly flavored (and cutely named) pizzas. (Taleggio works extremely well as a pizza topping. Who knew?) There were good beers on tap, interesting appetizers, and a frenetic, fun vibe. We had a good time.



Di Fara
1424 Avenue J
Brooklyn, NY

Roberta's
261 Moore St.
Brooklyn, NY

--Rich