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DiFara's pizza is by far the best pizza in New York, Italy, Earth.
http://vimeo.com/16077855 Unfortunately, it's in such a remote location, and it's only open 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, and there's ALWAYS a line, and it's $5 per slice....What it takes to get it makes it a chore. All the reasonably close second choices are downtown. Motorino and Keste are great, Olio is unique and very good, but the best everyday, no BS slices that a knowledgeable Village resident goes right to are at Joe's on Carmine St and Pizza Box on Bleecker (outstanding pizza recipe by the Florentine owner) and a backyard garden. These are places that make a few simple varieties with great old-school ingredients. Another great pizza place is Arturo's. Sitting in their dining room or sidewalk tables listening to their live Jazz bands is special way to spend an evening in New York City. |
Wait a second, Neopolitan and Florentine pizzas are popular in NY?
Or they've just carved out a niche with a differentiated product for the cosmopolitan populace? |
There's a branch of Totonno's on the Upper East Side, on Second Avenue between 80th and 81st. It was once pretty good (not fantastic), but it has gone way downhill. I can't comment on the original Tontonno's, because i've never been there, but the UES one is to be avoided.
If I were a true pizza aficionado who had never been to DiFara before, I think I'd make a point of going there, and soon. The pizza is incredible, and it's not going to be there forever. It's only a matter of time before old age and/or the Health Department finally catch up with Dom DeMarco for good. Here's a wonderful video about Dom: http://vimeo.com/16077855 |
Oops, didn't notice that ciaony had already posted the DiFara video. Oh well, I'll watch it twice!
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scrb11, I can't speak for Florentine pizza - but Neopolitan pie is as second nature to NYC as the San Gennaro festival. Think about where most NY Italians originated from and you'll understand why... (FWIW, the classic NY "slice" is claimed by the Greeks - and most of the old-school counter service joints used to be run by them. Being neither Greek nor Italian, I'm not getting in the middle of that one!)
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hawksbill, that's terrible to hear about the UES Tontonno's. Having only ever been to the BK original, I was looking to taste-test the other locations!
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Well do they serve those Neopolitan pies unsliced with knife and fork then?
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When I was a kid in Brooklyn, there was Sicilian pizza. It had a thick, doughy crust.
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That video of Dom brought tears to my eyes. A million thanks to those who posted it here.
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Aduchamp1, Sicilian Pizza is still there. Everywhere.
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Hmm, that's not the same place where they cut up dead guys on the Sopranos to dispose of their bodies, is it?
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Luzzo's and it's coal burning oven in the E. Village, makes an excellent pie. Joe's is the best 'by the slice pizza' around.
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I loved that video; what a great story.
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Adding to the list:
Fornino in Williamsburg, Frannys, Lucalis all in Brooklyn. Slice has pizza maps by each Borough with reviews: http://slice.seriouseats.com/pizza-maps/ |
two Murray Hill neighborhood favorites:
Libretto's on 3rd between 36/37th, great by the slice or pie. love their pizza a la vodka sauce. not much ambience but yum. Vezzo, very very thin crust on Lex around 30th |
Mario Batali's OTTO never disappoints, and it's a great space with a party atmosphere. Be prepared for a long wait, but the bar area is fun too.
NICK'S on the Upper East Side and LOMBARDI'S are both excellent. GRIMALDI'S makes for a fun field trip. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge before or after your pizza. |
Had my first taste of Angelo's this past weekend, at their location on 2nd Ave/55th Street. Yuck - I'm not sure what the fuss is about! We ordered 2 pies, one with red sauce, sausage, mushrooms; and the other a white pie with veggies. The former was tasteless: cardboard crust and the meat was undistinguished. The latter was weighted down with so much ricotta that the crust went soggy - and again no flavor to the toppings... Pasta was a slightly better choice, but also felt made with a heavy hand.
Oh well, it's not like there aren't plenty of other pizza joints to choose from! ;) |
I have a friend who moved down here from NY. She said that the first time she went into a pizza place here, she said she ordered a pie, and they told her they didn't sell pie!
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LOL volcanogirl ~ where I grew up, a whole pizza was just "a pizza" and calling it a "pie" took quite some getting used to. I must really be a New Yorker by now, because I'd forgotten all about that distinction, and never think to call it anything else! :D
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Does Angelo's have a reputation? I live just a few blocks away and have never heard that..???
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Just happened on Eataly. Decided to go for the pizza and pasta. It's okay Neopolitan but so overpriced for what it was.
Seems like the place was more about sampling foods while trying wines more than eating. They obviously kind of copied how markets turn to a big wine bar at night in cities like Madrid. |
gg, that does make you an official New Yorker. Do you fold your pizza in half when you eat it too?!
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They obviously kind of copied how markets turn to a big wine bar at night in cities like Madrid.
Do you mean a tasca or tapas bar? |
eks, I hadn't heard Angelo's having a rep either, but in the (albeit earlier) part of this "great pizza" thread, it was recommended...
volcanogirl, thanks! But no, I've never been part of the folded-pizza club. (And for that matter, never learned that clever way of folding a newspaper to read on a crowded subway...) I guess linguistics are easier to change than other habits! :D |
How to fold the NY Times:
The key to folding the Times or any standard-sized newspaper is making sharp creases. Take a section, not the entire paper. Turn half of the section behind itself, so you are looking at half of a page. Take two fingers and run it down the paper to make a sharp vertical crease. Fold the paper again behind itself to make a quarter page, but do not make a crease. To turn the page, open the paper to a half again and just turn that half of a page. I found this illustation on-line http://www.realsimple.com/home-organ...253/index.html This is all easier to do and demonstrate in person. |
Ah Aduchamp1, I should have known you would know how! And actually, your instructions make sense! I've (surreptitiously) watched people doing it on the train, including making the sharp crease. The part I could never figure out was how they could turn the pages so neatly - now I understand!
As for folding pizza, for me I think that's more about the way I like to taste my pizza - specifically all that glorious cheese! But of course eating it "open faced" means I burn the roof of my mouth more frequently than my pizza-folding boyfriend... |
Now if I could just figure out how to read.
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"Do you mean a tasca or tapas bar?"
No the main market in Madrid (off Plaza Mayor) on certain nights, maybe all nights, has a lot of wine and food tasting activities. Traditionally it's open in the mornings to sell meats, produce, etc. |
You are referring to Mercado San Miguel, I believe, which was recently rennovated and re-opened in 2009.
Eataly is modeled after the Italian versions including the one in Milan. And Mario Batali spent some of his youth in Spain when Mercado San Miguel was much different. |
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