The Short List — Pizza!
by: Todd Shaw
Creating a list of your top five favorite pizza joints is like to trying to rank your children. You could probably do it, but something in your gut tells you not to. . .or at least not to put it in writing and e-mail it around.
The truth is I can’t possibly do the New York pizza scene justice with a list of just five spots. From classic spots like Lombardi’s and Grimaldi’s to relative new comers like Emily and Co., a comprehensive list of New York’s top pizza spots will run at least 20 or 30 deep. So for this list it isn’t about ranking the top five pizza joints nor is it about being the only list you’ll ever need. Rather, its about some damn good pizza spots that should be on your SALT pizza lists.
PAULIE GEE’S: 60 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, New York
Lists to Add to: Greenpoint, Pizza, Date Night, No Reservations
Paulie Gee’s features elevated, wood-fired, Neopolitan pizzas in a setting that could also be where they shot the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. Candlelit (you’ll need your cell phone flashlight to read the menu) with wood tables, the star of the show is undoubtedly The Hellboy Pizza. Every table in the place had at least one. But don’t skip out on the Ricotta Be Kidding Me, made with fresh mozzarella, Canadian bacon, sweet Italian sausage and fresh ricotta dollops applied after the pizza is cooked. Flip the menu over to see their fairly extensive vegan menu.
ROBERTA’S: 261 Moore St., Brooklyn, New York
Lists to Add to: Brooklyn, Pizza, No Reservations, Good for Brunch, Garden Dining
Roberta’s is a sprawling space featuring amazing wood-fired pizzas. Winter is coming (killing it with the Game of Thrones references) so go now and enjoy their beautiful garden while noshing on their Bee Sting Pizza. A must order is their stracciatella with grilled bread. Picture a perfectly rich, creamy, buttery cheese topped with olive oil and pepper, which you can smear on fresh bread made at Roberta’s own bakery. Top off the meal with some cornmeal pancakes and you have yourself a perfect brunch.
UPLAND: 345 Park Avenue South, New York, New York
Lists to Add to: Manhattan, Pizza, Good for Brunch, Date Night
Upland is definitely not a pizza joint. It’s an Italian restaurant with a little bit of American influence; or an American restaurant with a lot of Italian influence. Either way, Upland has some mighty good pizzas. I don’t even like kale, and their sausage and kale pizza with pecorino, stracciatella and parmigiana blew me away. Their brunch, lunch and dinner menus all feature about 4-to-6 pizzas which can be shared … or devoured by one really hungry person. I’d recommend going for brunch and getting a bucatini cacio e pepe pizza and adding a roasted porchetta and egg sandwich on the side.
DI FARA: 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, New York
Lists to Add to: Brooklyn, Pizza, New York Classics
Unless you live in Midwood, the odds are Di Fara’s is not going to be your weekly pizza stop. However, if you live in New York, or are just visiting, you should make the trek at least once in your life to see Domenico DeMarco make your pizza. Yup, he makes every single pie; and you can’t doubt it because he makes them all right in front of you. A regular pie is going to run you about $30, so it ain’t cheap. But when you see your pie being made the same way it has been for the last 50 years (or so I’d like to imagine because I’m only 35), you don’t mind paying a little extra for the magic. And once you get your pie, you’ll start contemplating spending another $30 for your “to go” pie.
MOTORINO: Multiple Locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Across the World
Lists to Add to: Pizza, Good for Groups, Emerging Empires
Truth be told, I couldn’t say Motorino is the best pizza on this list. It’s the sort of spot where you can get dressed up and go on a date, or maybe not really shower and go in what you wore the night before. Your choice. But, if you live near a Motorino, the odds are you’re eating it frequently and enjoying some excellent pizza. Motorino has that perfect crust which is both chewy and charred. I recommend the Brussel Sprout pie which features some smoked pancetta. Also, they have locations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. I don’t really have a point for telling you that . . . I just thought it was cool.
Lastly, we always love to hear from you on places you think we should be featuring. Feel free to send us your thoughts, foodie photos, and reviews and we will try and get them in future volumes, with the credit to you, of course. You can send emails to our SALT NY blog writer, Todd Shaw at ToddScottShaw [at] gmail [dot] com.
