NY Pizza Tour

[spacelooper]

Hey,

     I need help from the NY Pie Guys (or NY pie aficionados)... I am planning a "NY Pizza Tour" and wanting to hit all the right spots... I have a few that I know I wanna hit. DiFara, Grimaldi's, Lombardi's, John's, Patsy's. I am curious though of other "must try" spots. Old, new, whatever. Help me out guys. This trip is ALL about the pizza, so I need the "religious experience" places.

thanks,
Todd

[scott123]

I'm probably going to ruffle a few feathers here, but here's my thoughts.

Skip DiFaras. The toppings are great but the crust is mediocre- the only thing you're getting is ambiance and you can get that elsewhere, without having to stand in line for hours. DiFaras is pizza theater, not great pizza.

Do you really need to go to four coal joints?  Just do Patsy's in Harlem or Lombardi's.

You need a slice place. Right now, there is no truly great slice place in NY.  Joes is famous, but the reviews are a bit mixed.  That's pretty much all you've got, though, so that's where I'd go.

Is this a NY style only tour? What about Neapolitan? Keste or maybe Motorino would be worth a visit.

Co. is a bit hard to classify, but I've heard great things about it and I have tremendous respect for Jim Lahey.

How are you getting around? Car? Subway? If you've got the transportation, I'd go up to Johnny's in Mount Vernon. Out of all the New York style pizzerias in the metro area, Johnny's is the only one I have any interest in visiting.

[pizzablogger]

Todd, Scott touched on an important question:

How long will you be in NYC?
Where in NYC are you staying (as in which borough and neighborhood)
Realistically, how many hours do you have to visit pizzerias?
How are you getting around (subway, car, bike, etc)?

Some of the better pizza joints may be as long as an hour or more subway ride one way, depending on where you are staying.

[spacelooper]

We'll probably be there a week. It's all about the Pizza though, so the trip is planned around pizza places. When I say New York Pizza I basically mean Pizza joints in or around New York. I am up for all styles except Deep Dish. Old places New Places. Where we stay kind of depends on our pizza list..smile. We will be using NY public transportation...taxi's buses etc.

I don't think I could skip DiFara though. Domenico DeMarco is a TRUE pizzaioli (how many are left out there?). Every pizza is important to Dom, he treats each like a work of art. He has a Love and passion for his craft that few can match. I just wanna eat a pie from the hands of such a talented and dedicated pizza man before he is unable to make them anymore.

thanks again for the input,
Todd

[scott123]

Domenico DeMarco is a TRUE pizzaioli

If, by 'TRUE pizzaioli' you mean a guy that takes as long as 5 minutes to dress a single pizza, maintains a filthy restaurant and has no clue how to properly ferment dough, then, by all means, he's the TRUEST  

Seriously, though, I took a quick look at a subway map. The last stop on the number 2 train (Wakefield 241st street) will get you within a mile from Johnny's and then you can take a taxi for the last bit.  Since you'll be a bit outside the city, you'll want to have a local taxi company phone number handy because you might not be able to flag one down.  There's buses that go to that area as well, but the subway will most likely cut your travel time in half.

[olsonmatt]

If you go to DiFara's, which I agree, you should, you'll also get to hop over to L&B Spumoni Gardens which is worth the trip for Sicilian slices.  A relatively new Brooklyn slice joint worth visiting is Best Pizza in Williamsburg -- it's a really cool place that I don't think could exist in any other city.  You're right on about Patsy's in Harlem -- got to hit that.  What about Totonno's in Coney Island?  Denino's in Staten Island.  I've had good trips to both of those. 

[Pete-zza]

scott123,

As I reported in Reply 330 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5541.msg49626/topicseen.html#msg49626, I once discussed the subject of fermentation with Dom DeMarco and he was well aware of the benefits of long fermentation. As I also reported elsewhere on the forum, Dom also told me that he relied on the toppings for flavor, not the crust. I think it is worth a visit to his place, even if it is for the theatrics of the occasion. Like him or his pizza or not, he is an icon of the NY pizza scene.

Peter

[spacelooper]

Olsonmatt thank you for the suggestions... I will try to hit several of those... fortunately I could eat pizza 24/7...smile. Peter, thanks for the post, I agree. Regardless of the fact that his pizza might not be your personal preference... you can't sluff off Dom as some unknowledgeable pizza hack.

Here is a short Docu about Dom and DiFara.

<a href="http://vimeo.com/16077855" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://vimeo.com/16077855</a>

[norma427]

Todd,

If you are interested, this is where I asked for suggestions for a day trip to NY.  I really liked Keste’s pizza and also the different pizzas at Sullivan St. bakery.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,12388.0.html

Have a great time trying all the pizza you can in NY!    If you can, report back on the pizzas you get to try.

Norma

[pizzablogger]

If you are in NYC for a week, and that week is indeed all about pizza, you can really get your teeth into the pizzascape there.

I will send some suggested itineraries that help focus on helping you maximize travel.

I am no expert, but do take day long subway pizza eating extravaganzas in NYC a couple of times a year.

On the cell now, not much time to type.

[spacelooper]

Pizzablogger, thanks... looking forward to it.

[jimbodeluxe]

I can't personally vouch for all of the ones at Jeff Varasano ranked but Luzzo's at 1st Ave between 12th & 13th Streets, Patsy's on 1st Ave up at 117th St and Totonno's (Coney Island) are AMAZING. For his full ranking, go to the bottom of this page: http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

Of course the pizza Chez Moi at York Avenue is about as good as any you could get anywhere in NYC but you never know when the oven will be on. 
 
Jimbo