Our big pizza adventure in Brooklyn

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

@Marty L.

Love Di Fara’s. John—just one other correction: Sal’s last name is DeMarco, not Di Fara.

And, to be totally correct/precise “Sal” isn’t his first name, either. It’s “Dom”.

I think of DiFara as “pizza theater”…you get to watch the pieman of alcatraz in his cell slowly, infuriatingly slowly…doing his act (which is probably more of a shtick, as it’s seemingly genuine.) Ten+ years ago when I first went there…the premium for the theater over the regular price of a NYC pizza/slice was manageable. But, then they wised up…and charged Broadway prices to view Dom in action. Now, the prices are so high…why would anyone want to go there (except for photos and autographs).

Pies are good…not really any better than lots of other NY slice places (not the ubitiquous 900-degree Neapolitan style wood-fired pizza). As Sarah reports, some find the amount of oil dripping off the Sicilian slices off-putting (one of my friends said, a long time ago, he wasn’t going back, as his dry cleaning bill was too high.)

A while back, someone “chose” Pizza Beddia as "the best pizza in the US (I think it was Bon Apetit). Never been, as the guy is also a pieman like Dom. He makes 40 pies a day; no reservations; no phone; 2 hour lines, etc. (Don’t know if Beddia himself is on display like Dom is). So, Beddia writes a pizza book that comes out 2 weeks ago: “Pizza Camp”. And, in it, who does he say his pies and making are modeled after…yes…Dom. (I did , nevertheless, follow some of his dough-making suggestions this weekend when I made some to make pizza, though. But, the book is going into the JV shelving. Someday, I’d like to try Beddia, but I’m not sure I ever will bother.)

And…speaking of Philadelphia, it seems to have cleaned up at the 2017 James Beard awards in Chicago this week. Pretty amazing…Steve Starr was a great producer of rock concerts, too…in the '80s and '90s…until that fizzled. Good guy…and happy that he reinvented himself/adapted. Philadelphians win big at James Beard Awards

[Dan_Hammer]

@Stuart BeauneHead Niemtzow

I think of DiFara as “pizza theater”…you get to watch the pieman of alcatraz in his cell slowly, infuriatingly slowly…doing his act (which is probably more of a shtick, as it’s seemingly genuine.) Ten+ years ago when I first went there…the premium for the theater over the regular price of a NYC pizza/slice was manageable. But, then they wised up…and charged Broadway prices to view Dom in action. Now, the prices are so high…why would anyone want to go there (except for photos and autographs).

Bolding mine. To eat the pizza. But let’s keep that our secret.

Even when you factor out all the tourists, there are plenty of locals that still go to Di Fara’s. I agree that the prices are high, but that’s offset if you go with another couple or two. You can split the cost of the pie (a New York reference to pizza) to a reasonable price.

I also agree with the oil comments above. This is why you lean in and over the plate.

[Stuart_BeauneHead_Niemtzow]

I think "eating the quality of the pizza isn’t among the 5 top reasons to go there…and suffer, let alone pay through the teeth.

He and his son opened a pizza place on Canal Street some years ago. I went there a few times. Same recipe; same pizza ingredients, methods, etc. It was called “DeMarco’s”. Never crowded; and didn’t last more than two years, I think. The pizza didn’t carry the day, and IMO, doesn’t at Di Fara either. It’s good, for sure, but…not that good. There are many better slice places in NYC…and, the Hasidim who live in Dom’s neighborhood don’t even eat there anymore.

[Peter_Kleban]

@Stuart BeauneHead Niemtzow

…
As Sarah reports, some find the amount of oil dripping off the Sicilian slices off-putting (one of my friends said, a long time ago, he wasn’t going back, as his dry cleaning bill was too high.)

…

A bit OT*, but this reminds me of a great book called “Wicked Italian,” full of feisty phrases (in Italian, of course) like “one taste of that oil tells you the olives grew in sight of a cathedral.” It also informs you that every resto in Italy has a bottle of borotalco (unscented talc) to sprinkle on the inevitable olive oil stains. Seasoned travelers, it seems, can tell what someone had for dinner by the size, shape and location of his/her talc marks. “Slippery, round pasta like rigatoni tend to drop and roll, leaving the ever popular linea incisa (hatch mark) and classic ellissi (ellipses).”


*or better, On shirT.

[John_Morris]

Which reminds me of one of my favorite t-shirts: the wine stains of Italy. It has maybe 20 red crescent-shaped stains – for aglianico, montepulciano, nebbiolo, sangiovese, cesanese, etc. I treasure mine.

[John_Morris]

@Michael Bowden

@John Morris

But the noise! Sheeesh! I seriously would think about bringing ear plugs if I return. I remembered why my wife and I haven’t been back since our one visit to Frannie’s after they moved three years or so ago. Tile walls, unupholstered wooden chairs and benches, wood floors – everything designed to amplify sound. Not a shred of fabric or soundproofing material in the place.

Why do restaurant owners and architects do this to us?! It was a relief to walk out the door after the meal, even though the food was excellent. I’m unlikely to rush back – at least not without hunter’s ear plugs.

To get you in and out as soon as possible so that they can turn the table and make more $. A pretty simple equation.

I understood it was to give the restaurant a buzz – energy. Most people seem immune to it. It’s just us old farts who want to be able to converse across the table.

[JLee]

@alan weinberg

@John Morris

@JLee

I’m a huge fan of Frannie’s.

Have you had your hearing tested recently?

What?

Eh?

[dkwinter]

great post! Thanks!

[P_Willenberg]

you couldda hit Roberta’s too. not far from Frannie’s and wood fired pizza.

[John_Morris]

OMG! The NY Times reports today that Di Fara is going to open up in a new Williamsburg food hall at Third Street and Wythe.

[Paul_Jaouen]

@Sarah Kirschbaum

Be warned on the Sicilian that the crunch comes from the crust essentially frying. The pizza is also doused with a lot of oil. Some people, obviously, love it. I found it inedible. A matter of taste for sure, just think people should know what they are getting into.

I’m with you!

[John_Morris]

@John Morris

OMG! The NY Times reports today that Di Fara is going to open up in a new Williamsburg food hall at Third Street and Wythe.

It’s hard to see how Di Fara can stay Di Fara in this setting: https://www.6sqft.com/vendors-unveiled-for-williamsburgs-new-food-hall-set-to-open-next-to-radegast-hall-this-month/