NYC /Brooklyn pizza tour (PICS)

On Sunday 9 of us met up in Brooklyn for a 6 stop pizza tour.
Here's the gang in front of our 1st stop
Difara's is in the Midwood section of Brooklyn.
It was on a busy retail street of little stores in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.
I slipped off to have a slice of kosher pizza, and a homemade pretzel,
while we were awaiting for the one man Difara's operation to open around 12 noon

l-r Debbie's"pool boy", Debbie, me , Steve Koe, Margaret, "Wandering Jew", and Mrs. and Mr. T-bird,

Difara's slice in it's full glory

we got around by subway and walking..
there's Chisler and Steve Koe waiting for our next Pizza train!

next stop was Totonno's , near Coney Island

Totonno's pizza....as a bonus, we ran into the celebrity chef Mario Bitale (from the Food Network, etc) chowing down with his family (pizza , of course).... he was very cordial to us


We noticed this catchy looking place while we were eating our "pedestrian" style (aka: nothing special) slices at Fascadi's,
also in Brooklyn. (notice their signage that "aliens eat free"; cute, huh?!


That's when I slipped off for some homemade ice cream next door at the Blue Pig. (the dark choc. chip was great)
I also had a few bites of a falafel and some chickpea salad from another place almost next door.

my wonderful chickpea salad.......(not meant to outdo Wandering Jew's "Long Island chickpea salad" pic on an alternate website
there's "the traveling man" waiting in line at Grimaldi's for pizza.
We must have waited close to an hour in that line.

Grimaldi's (pies only, no slices) . It seemed to be the overwhelming favorite. I was a vocal minority for DiFara's, our first place

Mr. and Mrs. t-bird. (t-bird is one of our newer "posters")
with the NYC skyline in the background. We are in Brooklyn Heights

The pizza has arrived ! ( and the cameras are ready!)

there's "Wandering Jew", who I was so glad to finally get a chance
to meet in person! I love his posts! (hi there Wandering Jew!)
The Empire State Building is visible in the background

"2 bridges"......the Brooklyn Bridge up front and the Manhattan Bridge in the background

And then there we were down to the "final 3", like the show Survivor.
Steve Koe, Wandering Jew, and yours truly did the walk across the
Brooklyn Bridge to eat at the only Manhattan pizzeria in our days plans. Lombardi's on Spring St.

There was a place across the street that only served Rice Pudding...
a very "cutting edge" place.

I love whenever I see the word "obsessed" used in a fun way like that!

I got to explore parts of Brooklyn I had never been to before, as I mostly know Manhattan. It was not only a pizza tour, but served as walking tour as well. (which gave us a chance to burn calories after
each pie!!)

Special thanks to all my Roadfood/Roguefood buddies for a fun day!
Hope we can stay in touch...

Ellen

Great Pics (again), and awesome looking crusts... But toppings look extremely thin.. Is this typical of the east coast pie? (Ones I had out there back in the early 90's where loaded, but thats what I was looking for..). Also, whats a pie run out there nowadays on the average?

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

Great Pics (again), and awesome looking crusts... But toppings look extremely thin.. Is this typical of the east coast pie? (Ones I had out there back in the early 90's where loaded, but thats what I was looking for..). Also, whats a pie run out there nowadays on the average?

Vic,

There were no toppings on these pies and slices. Just Cheese and Sauce, although fresh basil was applied to DiFara's pie when it came out of the oven. Remember, contrary to Adjudicator's opinion, we don't put half raw crunchy vegetables on our pizza.

Thanks Dale! (But then some of us love half raw crunchy veggies on our pie).. Good to read, see and learn about the variations of pizza thru the various regions!

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

Great Pics (again), and awesome looking crusts... But toppings look extremely thin.. Is this typical of the east coast pie? (Ones I had out there back in the early 90's where loaded, but thats what I was looking for..). Also, whats a pie run out there nowadays on the average?

A large pie at the places we went to were $15.00-$18.00....
(NYC prices)
With 9 of us, our M.O. was to order 2 pies....
so we each ended up with a slice or two. (perfect)

And by the time we split the bill 9 ways , it was rather inexpensive NYC dining...

And much more efficient than my standard M.O.
I live on my own, and when I get a pie delivered, I usually just have a few slices, and throw the rest out.

Excellent report, Ellen! You are slowly convincing me to visit this fair city !

DD

quote:

Originally posted by bill voss

who? don't know em.

You probably are familiar with "the traveling man", who's had upward of 1500 posts on Roadfood...

Also another big fan of mine, Dale (aka Wandering Jew)
They both love going to baseball stadiums, and taking in the game and the food, etc.....plenty of their posts revolve aroudn their baseball expeditions.

Love both their posts! So it was a lot of fun to share laughs in person with them...

And it was a pleasant surprise to run into Debbie from Maryland who I had not seen since the Roadfood "NJ hot dog tour" a year and a half ago.

quote:

Originally posted by desertdog



Excellent report, Ellen! You are slowly convincing me to visit this fair city !

DD

little by little, we've got you "coming around", desert dog...!

That shot of the Brooklyn Bridge structure is awesome! I crossed it once, but was pretty much in the bag at the time.. The pie at Grimaldi's (Last pie pic posted I beleive) looks as good as they come (Less the ones with half cooked raw veggies on them).. Glad to hear all had a great time!

Great pics! I live right at the foot of the of the Brooklyn Bridge and walk across it all the time. One of my favorite walks in the city! Haven't made it to Grimaldi's yet, but the pics look great! The River Cafe behind Wandering Jew is amazing and has a great view of Lower Manhattan. The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory right there has great scoops of the freshest ice cream I've had in a long time. What did you think of Lombardis? My girlfriend and I get it delivered from time to time and its always good. The crust is blackened and the toppings (especially the roasted red peppers and the pepperoni) are fantastic. I had their "white clam" pizza once though and was not impressed. Way too many clams that weighed down the pie and they were somewhat rubbery. Less is more. I've been to Rice to Riches many time and they do let you try samples before buying the pudding. Really good stuff and great for eating and walking in that neighborhood on the way home on a summer night.
Gotta be honest, the Siggy's slice looked like the standard Ben's/Ray's slice found all over the city. How did it taste? You're killin' me though wit the Totonno's!! My favorite place hands down. The fresh sauce, browned cheese, the crust, fresh mootz. If you do a pizza tour again, Joe's in the Village does an decent slice, as does the Ray's on Prince Street east of Broadway. Bleecker Street Pizza on Bleecker and 7th Ave South does a wicked 'Grandma" slice. adrienne's pizzabar on Stone Street in the Financial District does a really good pie too.

Hello all ,

How did I miss this one , I guess I'm on that darn Hot Dog Forum all the time Hahahaha .
Wish I would've known you folks were out on a tour as I was working a little OT that day and could've given you all a police escort , sans lights and sirens of course .

Benzee

Great report, Ellen. That shot of the river Cafe brought back a pleasant memory.
About 15 years ago Gail and I had spent a long but wonderful day in the Brooklyn Museum and in late afternoon we drove down under the BB and there was the River Cafe beckonning to us. (and 'by the way, they were setting up for a concert on a barge next door) We entered the Cafe and they were not yet ready to serve food, but the very friendly bartender offered that it was not too early for a drink and why not stay and watch the sun set over Manhattan? So we did and enjoyed one of the best Martinis I've ever had outside my own home, watched the sun set and even had the bonus of the piano player warming up for the evening. Brooklyn does have its charms!

Cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

Great report, Ellen. That shot of the river Cafe brought back a pleasant memory.
About 15 years ago Gail and I had spent a long but wonderful day in the Brooklyn Museum and in late afternoon we drove down under the BB and there was the River Cafe beckonning to us. (and 'by the way, they were setting up for a concert on a barge next door) We entered the Cafe and they were not yet ready to serve food, but the very friendly bartender offered that it was not too early for a drink and why not stay and watch the sun set over Manhattan? So we did and enjoyed one of the best Martinis I've ever had outside my own home, watched the sun set and even had the bonus of the piano player warming up for the evening. Brooklyn does have its charms!

Cheers, John

Some of my memories from the River Cafe
[img][/img][img][/img][img][/img][img][/img]

sounds great and loads of fun but cheez whiz louise (or ellen) get yourself up to the upper west side to sal & carmines (broadway between 101 & 102) for some mighty fine slices. as well as many other roadfood choices. i mean ya can stop at grey's papaya on 72st. if you get hungry going so far uptown. everybody does the same ol brooklyn lower manhattan stops. get to the upper west side and by all means get out to queens. astoria is a goldmine of roadfood places. not to mention all the indian resturants in jackson heights and etc etc. well next time your hungry and you've got some time on your hands and ya want to drift off the beaten track take a chance......

Sal & Carmine's
The Scene
Raised in Italy, Sal and Carmine have been in the pizza business forever. They know their product is among the best, and they don't have to gussy it up by smiling at the customers, letting it suffer through delivery, or any of that nonsense. There are a few tables in the back, where pizza connoisseurs can be seen huddled over their pies.

The Food
This is the pinnacle of the classic Neapolitan-American slice. It's worth the trip uptown, without question, just for the plain pizza. There's nothing out of the ordinary, just the most excellent, fresh ingredients, including superbly creamy full-fat mozzarella, sauce with a rare tomato-y tang, and crisp-but-chewy flavorful crust, all combined in an exceptional whole. The pizza is not over-cheesed like that of many competitors, nor is the sauce too sweet or raw-tasting. The standard array of toppings is available, but hardly necessary.

I'm so freaking jealous of your trip. It's hard to squelch my NY pizza craving here in DC. O do alright, but pizza is always tops on my list whenever I get to the city.

Hillbilly, dont know why but I cant open your pics.

cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

Great Pics (again), and awesome looking crusts... But toppings look extremely thin.. Is this typical of the east coast pie? (Ones I had out there back in the early 90's where loaded, but thats what I was looking for..). Also, whats a pie run out there nowadays on the average?

A large pie at the places we went to were $15.00-$18.00....
(NYC prices)
With 9 of us, our M.O. was to order 2 pies....
so we each ended up with a slice or two. (perfect)

And by the time we split the bill 9 ways , it was rather inexpensive NYC dining...

And much more efficient than my standard M.O.
I live on my own, and when I get a pie delivered, I usually just have a few slices, and throw the rest out.

Ellen-eat a few pieces and throw the rest out????? Never! Left over pizza-it's what's for breakfast!

I had the great pleasure of meeting "Wandering Jew" and "Travelling Man" on the Austin BBQ tour. They are great eating companions for sure.
This ex-New Yorker is sooooooooooo jealous not to have been able to do this NY pizza tour. And, I would love to meet Ellen too!

Do any of you know of Franny's in Brooklyn? If so, what do you think? Going to Brooklyn and want some opinions. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by pmrkr2

sounds great and loads of fun but cheez whiz louise (or ellen) get yourself up to the upper west side to sal & carmines (broadway between 101 & 102) for some mighty fine slices. as well as many other roadfood choices. i mean ya can stop at grey's papaya on 72st. .

Too funny, as "Louise" just happens to be my middle name! I think we're on to something here.

I will definitely try Sal & Carmines, ASAP.
(I love getting hot tips like this, PMRKR2)

And I already love Gray's Papaya, so you don't need to twist my arm about that one! I am definitely a hot dog gal!

Hey wow. I grew up in Brroklyn so it's great to see the fab photos of "home" - and the pizza of "home."

If anyone wants to see a good "slice 'n' a coke" of NYC teenage fame, these pix do it well!!Th anks (hey, I just saved me some calories with Virtual Pizza!)
Dolores

quote:

Originally posted by twinwillow

I had the great pleasure of meeting "Wandering Jew" and "Travelling Man" on the Austin BBQ tour. They are great eating companions for sure.
This ex-New Yorker is sooooooooooo jealous not to have been able to do this NY pizza tour. And, I would love to meet Ellen too!

Thanks for the nice plug! Got to warn you, I'm VERY bubbly, with lots of mostly good neurotic energy. (I've even scared off a few that claim not to scare easily !)

But I've got a kind, Jersey girl heart.

Very carefree and spontaneous. (helps being single with no kids!) Lots of fun traveling... visiting friends all over the country, etc..

Yes, traveling man and wandering jew were lots of fun to hang with and eat with. Hope I can meet you soon, too, twinwillow...

That has got to be one of the best pizzas I have ever seen, with the fresh mozzarella.
I am a margherita pizza girl, so I was drooling at that one.
Sorry, Vic, I dont do the veggies either.
And love a thinner crust... No deep dish or pan pizza for me.
(Ellen, being single, I used to take the leftover 'za and wrap it in foil and stick it in a freezer bag, then pop it in the oven when I wanted a slice)..
Great photos and write up AS usual from you!

Man am I sorry we missed this- great report and photos. Ellen -you're hair go so long!! You look great! So does everyone else! Sue