Food and Drink: July 2006 Archives

Slowly but surely, I am eating my way through Brooklyn's best pizza. First was Totonno's (fab), then came L&B (won't rehash that debate), and now we have Di Fara's. (To give you a full view of pizza eating experience, you should know that among other well-known spots, I've been to Manhattan's Una Pizzeria Napoletana (lovely) and Lombardi's (good, but maybe not amazing) and also Grimaldi's (disappointing trip, haven't been back to re-evaluate).

First, I must report on a most tasty celebrity sighting. No sooner had we walked up to Di Fara's, than Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri walks out. This may seem obvious, but there's nothing that makes you feel more like you've chosen an appropriately old-school spot than having a "Sopranos" cast member sighting. But about that pizza ...

The owner of the shop, Mr. DeMarco knows he's good--very good--at what he does, and he's right. He knows that customers will endure a stifling hot store (interior room temp must have been hovering near the 100 mark) for their turn at a perfect pie, handmade with love. He knows that the oven smoke filling the restaurant and burning the eyes is all part of the payment. He knows that bussing one's table is small penance. He knows that eventually everybody will leave happy, and despite what I had read elsewhere, he does smile!

The pizza is otherworldly, and unlike other pies, it's not one ingredient that makes it good--it's the combination of many good ingredients. The building blocks are fresh dough and a light but flavorful tomato sauce made in the back from canned San Marzano tomatoes. Watching Mr. DeMarco work may be half the fun. Every pizza gets the same slow-motion attention, which includes meticulous hand-slicing of regular and buffalo mozzarellas, and a dusting with the much sharper grana padana.

What emerges from the oven (gas? electric?) a short while later is a bubbling pie, edges crisped, bottom browned. But, Mr. DeMarco isn't done yet. He labors to the herbs in the windowsill and, scissor in hand, he tops his creation with fresh basil and/or  thyme.  Though his son was on hand to help relay orders, nobody touched the pizza but him and nobody complained about the wait.  We managed to land two pies in under 45 minutes, and that was without much of a line.

All agreed that the cheese ($15) was best for its perfect melding of crisped dough, tomato and rich cheese combo and because the crust better maintained its integrity without heavy and potentially wet toppings. Still, nobody complained about the pie topped with sausage and porcini mushrooms ($22). Though four adults could eat a pie and leave happy, we ordered two, and the happiness followed us home--this is one pizza that almost gets better the second time around.

Happened upon the new Bocca Lupo (the phrase is meant to convey good luck but literally means "in the mouth of the wolf") at the corner of Warren and Henry streets. It's serving mostly Italian-leaning dishes, tapas style--a multitude of bruschettas, many panini, little "finger" sandwiches called tramezzini and those small plates like roasted artichoke, seared baby lamb, slow-roasted pork, seared scallops, and a risotto and pasta of the day. The best part about the restaurant is the truly affordable wine list--we had a cheap but good bottle of Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva for $26. The neighborhood's procreators will be glad to know that there's a kids menu. While there are some menu kinks to be worked out, for now, the cheap wine and fab cheese plate can't be beat. Plus the wait staff is superbly friendly.

ABL finally got to the outdoor space sandwiched between Gravy and Pacifico, known as Trout. There's already a semi-amusing thread at Brooklyn Record about the outdoor drink haven run by the same dude who owns half of Smith Street, but on a Monday night, ABL found it to be pleasant.  Besides a misguided purchase of a beer whose name I forget but I did not like (whitestone ale?), all was well.

Yep, the space that formerly was Tuk Tuk Thai is poised to become Ghang Thai Kitchen, which will, in case you were wondering, be serving Thai food. In other Smith Street restaurant news, we'd like to solicit some commentary for restaurants that are semi-newly opened that ABL hasn't been to yet, they include ...

Dunkin' Donuts (just kidding!)
Ki Sushi 122 Smith Street
Coco Roco 139 Smith Street
Pane e Vino 174 Smith Street

I know, everyone has already jumped on the Stinky Brooklyn bandwagon (including me), but I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the dedication these people are bringing to the neighborhood culinary scene. When we stopped by a few weekends ago, they had a whole cured (smoked, I think?) pig leg on display, and they were giving free samples to all.  We also picked up some pickled green tomatoes--very interesting! Stinky is at 261 Smith and run by the Smith and Vine wine people.

Being as I spent about six years of my life in the South, there are a few things I appreciate about that region of the country, and a few things the North could note. One of them is the size of the glasses in which one's iced tea or coke is served (it's all coke, by the way). Did I mention that refills are free? This particular monster of an iced tea was served at Mellow Mushroom in Destin, Fla. (Fun fact: I worked at a Mellow Mushroom in Alpharetta, Ga., during the summer of 1998--don't you feel like you know me better now?)