So what do you get when Bret (aka The Meatball Maestro) and his brother Brian have a little bit of spare time on their hands? Well, the Brooklyn Pizza Tour, of course. Check out the highs and the lows of this epic odyssey as they and their faithful friends search for pizza greatness. Click on the pie to embark.
I think ranking these pizza places is really complicated. If I’m giving points for the pizza experience, I have to go DiFara’s all the way at #1. I mean, the man pulls the pizza out of the oven with his bare hands and nothing on his face registers “ouch”. But I have to say that the last pie I had at DiFara’s wasn’t the best pie I had at DiFara’s. Sorry, it’s true.
Bret’s pizza appraisal lacked one key piece of insider info about DiFara’s — ALWAYS order a whole pie & don’t try to get fancy toppings. Two trips in a row I’ve been rewarded with a speedy standard pie while rows and rows of suckers waited for slices with toppings. Basically, it seems like people order pies & then go out for a smoke. If you’re not there when they call your name, they go to the next pie requester on the list. Yes folks, twice in a row that’s been me!
I’ve only been to Totono’s once and I was really hungry when I got there but that was a damn good pie. DAMN good. If I were rating these places based only on my most recent experience, I think it would edge DiFara’s out for my #1 slot. I’m anxious to give it a second try to see if it lives up to my memory. Totono’s is certainly cleaner than DiFara’s, but that’s not saying much. It has all the charm of the classic brooklyn pizza experience (folks with accents, cokes in tiny glass bottles, cash only) but I’ll admit that it’s not quite as charming as DiFara’s.
The best thing about Grimaldi’s is the location. Let me sum it up this way, when bret’s Italian relatives are in town we take them to DiFara’s to watch the craftsman at work. When my WASP relatives are in town we take them to Grimaldi’s because they’re so busy being wowed by the Dumbo views that they don’t notice that it’s a bunch of latino dudes making the pizza. Still, if I don’t feel like getting in the car to drive to BFE Brooklyn, Grimaldi’s is a great bet. I’m putting it in at #3.
#4 is the place on Henry St. The key downside is that it’s usually about 110 degrees inside the restaurant because the pizza oven is cranked & there’s no AC. It’s a cozy place to go for pizza in February, less so in July.
#5 is the grandma square at Spumoni Gardens. I mean it really hits the spot sometimes, but it’s really apples and oranges to the rest of these pizza’s. Having said that, I should mention that I’m a dough girl & these squares have serious doughy appeal.
I think what we really need is a side-by-side blind taste test. That’s the only way we’re ever going to settle this.
Ok, I have to admit, Brooklyn may have some of the finer slices to be found (I’m in the Grimaldi’s camp, on a good day, or any other day), but I’ve noticed a pattern here: the harder it is to get to, the more props it seems to get. DiFara’s – sure the guy makes a good slice, and sure you’re starving after that epic train ride to Midwood, but how good does that slice taste after you watch the guy stick his finger in it to check the oven temp for the 3rd time? Unique pizza eating experience? Hell yeah. Best pizza in NYC, fuggetaboutit.
By the way, I love your Coney Island video. The only thing it’s missing is a plastic bag circling around in a little wind tornado…
Todd, why do you always have to Eeyore all over everyone else’s joy?
Just had to leave an update … I picked up a couple of pies from Lucali to bring to the hospital where my daughter was born on Sunday, and I don’t know if I had on new-papa-colored glasses, but that shit was good. I now officially move Lucali up my ratings ladder ahead of Grimaldi’s. Over and out.