Grimaldi's Pizzeria

Grimaldi's Pizzeria - Exterior

People like me call it downtown Brooklyn. Fancy people may call it Brooklyn Heights or whatever the heck else they call these areas downtown. Personally, I don't care what you call it. Get anywhere near the Brooklyn Bridge, start sniffing for pizza and follow the scent. If you find an enormous line near a velvet rope, you've come to the right place.

"Nothing is worth that kind of wait." That's what the ignorant will say without ever having taken a bite of the coal fired awesomeness that is Grimaldi's pizza. Thin, fresh, delicious. There's not much else like this in all of NYC and let me tell you, there's a reason the big G ranks at or near the very top of all the "Best Pizza" lists for the 5 Boroughs.

Grimaldi's Pizzera - You know the rules

Loyal followers know that I am not fond of the pretentious "No slices" places, see Chipp, however there are pizzerias where this works. How? Well, for starters they have the rep to back it up. Secondly, the pizza is that good that you should want a minimum of 8 pieces so that even if you don't gorge you can gladly enjoy them later. Re-heated, not cold, of course.

Call it what you will but I go here for their signature pie with no toppings to litter the taste of the amazing sauce (light, sweet, and full of flavor), fresh mozzarella (this is mmm, mmmm good), and basil. The thin crust, coal fired masterpiece is served fast and HOT as their pizza man churns out pie after pie in record time to serve the masses.


Rating - 5/5 - This is the best of the best. I hear that eating this will make you look younger, act smarter, live forever, and give you cool points with even the most harsh critics. Remember the girl that would NEVER go to prom with you? Should have told her you eat here regularly and she'd have been convinced that you're not the loser she thought you to be.

Directions, hours, menu at - Grimaldi's own site.

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Chipp

Ever notice the rash of pizzerias that are so self-important that they dare not serve you a slice of pizza. Some have earned that degree of status (Lombardi's and Grimaldi's come to mind and they often exchange the top slot for the best pizzeria in the 5 boroughs). Some of the New Pizzas On The Block (NPOTB if you will) are coming up and claiming that they too can sell you a full pie, no slices commoner!

Venturing through the old hood, I saw this place Chipp that was on Ocean and Z, right at my old bus stop. Naturally I had to go here. Inside, the place is gorgeous! Very clean, modern, and had a good looking interior. Let's not forget the brick oven. I wander in and gave the menu a once over and was impressed with what they had to offer - particularly this dessert pizza that featured a nice mix of fresh fruits, why more place do not do dessert pizza is beyond me. BE CREATIVE! Chipp gets points there. Where Chipp loses points is when I go to the counter and ask for a slice and the girl said, "we don't do that here." To which I replied, "I figured. That's too bad." She said, "get a pie, it's small. Maybe the size of two slices." I told her, "No thanks. It's a little pricey for two slices." Nearly $9 for the equivalent of two slices of pizza. This aint DiFara's and that's hardly worth it either.

Rating - N/A - I'd love to just say 0. Maybe I'll get here one day. Maybe not. Probably not. That's a lotta dough for 2 slices of pizza.

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No More Games - Tony's (431A Dekalb Ave - Brooklyn)

Tony's

Word on the street, that street being Dekalb Ave, is that Tony has been rockin' the spot since 1969. He's a one man show, cooking up hot and delicious pizza inside his tiny pizza joint that's big enough to hold a handful of people at most, including Tony on his side of the counter. You want no frills, this is no frills. But do not mistake no frills for no good because that's just silly, you silly goose.

Red Drink

A staple in the BK pizza scene is not the crunchy, thin crust I've raved about. It's not the delicious sauce. For me, it's actually the machine you see at right. This is not a common find outside of Brooklyn and I'm not sure it's truly, fully appreciated by the transplants. There are three things that I want from my pizza spots. Pizza, red drink, and ices. It's a very simple formula that I was spoiled by as a child. Moving away from BK, one thing became strangely obvious, red drink was really hard to come by (same goes for orange and purple but I'm a red fan myself).

That's a damn good slice

Seeing this machine puts me right back to my childhood when, many moons ago, you could get a cup of red and a slice for a buck. At Tony's, that same combo ran my $3.25 and I was not complaining. I visited here right as I finished my slice from Luigi's (the good Luigi's) and I was ready for what I had heard was another good slice. Tony delivered. Hot, fresh, delicious. The sauce really stood out as the flavors really popped when it hit my mouth.

Rating - 5/5 - Red drink and pizza. A big slice that might be good enough to fill you up with a large drink.

Editor's Note - Eatercising at it's finest is taking the train to downtown BK and hitting up Luigi's and Tony's for some great pizza. There's a lot more to do and if I may sneak something non-Pizza your way, it's filled with Nutella and it's from Dough...

The Other Brother - Luigi's (326 Dekalb Ave - Brooklyn)

Sticking with yesterday's theme, I needed to give the plumber in green a shot at redemption. No, I'm not crazy and did NOT return to that Luigi's. Instead, I found my way to the train, found my sister on said train, and hit up BK. Brooklyn, not NYC at large, has a reputation for the BEST pizza your precious pennies can buy. It has that rep because it earned it. It earned it from the most discerning critics you can imagine. It's often emulated but unless you eat some real deal Brooklyn pizza, you know it's rarely duplicated. Please keep in mind that our other Luigi's is NOT related to this Luigi's, things don't work that way thankfully, just ask the folks at Ray's in NYC. In my world, we call this, the build up. Well, we're building up to Luigi's. A tiny, neighborhood spot on Dekalb Ave (near Pratt if that means something to you) that's not much more than a store front. But who needs more? It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood so why not grab one to go and then walk and eat? I call it eatercising.

I was urged to try Luigi's by a longtime friend that calls Luigi's his go-to pizzeria. I gladly obliged and was happy that I did. The slice here is perfect. Thin but not too thin. What does that mean? There's some depth to the dough and it's not razor thin, ready to cave from the weight of the sauce and cheese. Speaking of the sauce, it had flavor and the appropriate consistency. It was thin but not watery. The cheese provided the proper final layer and was melted nicely and not too heavy sitting on top. Unlike the OTHER Luigi's that deserves no more props who had cheese that settled so heavily on top that it laid there like Marv Albert's wig - YES!

This is the Brooklyn I know. Not that I grew up anywhere near there but you can find this perfect pizza by strolling just a couple of blocks from home. I've read some reviews that mentioned "this pizza isn't good cold" and some other nonsense. If you are gauging food that is meant to be eaten hot, (so hot that it will cause the roof of your mouth to blister) on how it tastes when cold, you are an idiot. I say to that fool, get Elio's if you want cold pizza because you surely don't deserve this. This is your basic, not so many frills pizzeria that serves up a perfectly cooked, flavorful slice without a ton of options to overwhelm the user. Want something with pineapples or any exotic toppings, save it for those chains that will satiate your every whim.

Rating - 5/5. It's neighborhood pizza at it's finest and perfect to grab a slice and go for a walk through Pratt's grounds to enjoy the artwork.

Editor's note - Dominic was often "forced" to play as Luigi as a child. We don't feel this had any impact on his psychological development and did not swing his opinion of this pizzeria in any manner.

Returning To My Roots - Totonno's (Neptune Ave.)

Whoever said you can't go home again lied. They lied right to your pretty little face. They probably lied when they told you they love you or when they complimented that sweater you wore to work last week. I'm not one that looks for reasons as to why the liars lie, I just look to punch their lying mouths until the truth comes out. Why? Because the truth hurts.

So my latest and greatest Brooklyn adventure took me back to where I will always consider home, Coney Island. It was there that my mom was raised and my grandparents and great-grandparents lived when settling in this fine country. No, CI is not nearly the same place it was back in the 50's and 60's but I'm happy to say it's not nearly the dump it was when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's either. The renaissance continues with new rides, interest, and enthusiasm for the south side of BK.

They, above right, used the sauce to the left to make the masterpiece seen to the right.

There are three CI constants for the last 75+ years - Nathan's, the Cyclone, and Totonno's. Totonno's is a really small, unassuming pizzeria located on Neptune Ave near W. 16th. If you're not really looking for it, you may not find it - unless the line is out the door, then you know where to go. Since 1924, Totonno's has been serving up a premier, thin-crust, Margherita style pizza. Everything here is fresh. The sauce is perfection in sauce form.

You owe it to yourself to go here and eat this true NY Legend. Why it's not mentioned more in all the "Best Pizza in NY" talk is beyond me but maybe they should start asking people who know a thing or two about pizza. I've had almost all of the so-called best and this is better than most.

Rating - 5/5 - Maybe there's a hint of nostalgia and pride added in here but there's absolutely nothing bad to say about pizza that is perfectly made, fresh to order, and sold only as a pie. Trust me, even YOU can eat one of these pies. Just wear your sweatpants and go eat it on the boardwalk.