Chef Anthony Bourdain has called Di Fara's pizza "the best of the best." That alone would be all I needed to try this pizza place located in Brooklyn. But it's also been labeled the best of the best by Zagat, the New York Times and Serious Eats and many other places.
We arrived just 15 minutes after the pizza shop opened, and there was already a long line around the corner. It was a little crazy, actually. When we finally reached the window to order, we were told it would be more than an hour for regular pieces, but less for the square. So I went with two square pieces.
We stood outside for a bit, not really sure if we were to wait outside or go inside. We did ask to eat in, but there was a cord across the front door. We eventually moved it to the side and came in to sit down. We waited inside for quite some time -- it makes me wish I would have gone ahead with the regular slices because it probably would have been about the same amount of waiting.
Each pizza pie is handmade by DeMarco, so the pizzeria is closed when he is not available.[4] He "believe[s] only one guy should make the pizza.”[5] Three of his seven children work in the back area of the restaurant.[4] He makes 100 to 150 pies a day, and does so by cutting fresh basil over the pies with a pair of kitchen scissors.[5][6][7][8] DeMarco uses imported ingredients – flour, extra-virgin olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella cheese from Casapulla, freshly grated grana padano (a slightly salty hard cow's milk cheese), three types of mozzarella cheese, and hand-grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese are all from Italy, and the basil and oregano are from Israel.[5][6][8][9][10] In a windowsill flower box, he grows thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, and hot peppers.[4][11][12][13] The pizzas bake for a few minutes at about 800 °F (427 °C).[8][14] The pizzas are described as thin-crust and crispy, slightly shy of burnt, with a thin layer of savory, subtle, tangy sauce.[5][9][15][16][17] It is served over a sheet of wax paper, which is in turn over a paper plate. DeMarco serves classic New York-style pizza and Sicilian-style square pies.[5] In July 2009, Di Fara raised its price for a plain slice of pizza from $4 to $5, becoming the first $5-a-slice pizza place in New York City.[6][18] [Source]
I bit into the pizza and realized it was, uh, pretty dark. Like, the entire bottom was black. So black that the texture of the crust was off and it really affected the flavor. BUT, the actual sauce and cheese and fresh basil were amazing. I just wish I could have had a better judge of the crust itself.
Serendipity 3 is the scene of a few movies, including Serendipity, where a couple meet shopping at Bloomingdales and later share a dessert at the restaurant. The restaurant is also known to have been frequented by Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol and First Lady Jackie O.
They are known for their famous frozen hot chocolate. Unfortunately, you can't make reservations for just dessert, so you have to wait in a crazy long line. We actually tried to go here one night, but the wait was too long and would've made us miss dinner, so we had to come back the second night. It was OK, though, while waiting, we got to check out Dylan's Candy Bar.
When it was our turn, we arrived at our table and placed an order for the frozen hot chocolate. Was it good? Yes. Was it great? It was OK. I didn't love the shaved chocolate, because it made for an odd texture. And I think I was expected a milkshake? This was less sweet than a milkshake. But, it's still tasty.
Grade: B
Katz's Delicatessen is a Kosher-style deli known for huge pastrami sandwiches and as a New York City institution. It's also often cited as the location of Meg Ryan's famous fake orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally.
This may have been the most heavily tourist-frequented stop along our trip. We waited outside in a huge line for what seemed like forever. Once we finally got to the door, we received a ticket. This, they said, is very important and to hold onto it for dear life. Got it.
Then, we were sort of funneled into makeshift lines at the counter. There weren't single-file lines because it was just an ocean of people struggling to make their way to the front. We sort of aligned ourself to one line and waited our turn.
I put in my order for half a pastrami sandwich and a bowl of matzoh ball soup. The man behind the counter chopped off a hunk of pastrami, plated it and set it atop the counter so I could have a bite. Is this to just get a taste of what you ordered? It was the little bits, so maybe they just don't want to use those on a sandwich. I dunno. But I had a bite or two and braced myself for how much more was to come.
You go down to the other end of the counter for any sides or drinks. It was so packed in here, we had a hard time finding three seats together. Finally, as some people were standing up, we snuck in and had a place to eat.
These sandwiches are massive. Even just the half sandwich has nine or so slices of pastrami. It's a lot of meat. I was very generous with the mustard to help cut through all that meat. And yes, it is very good. It's moist and flavorful. It's just a lot.
I mixed bites of my sandwich with bites of my matzoh ball soup, which is delicious. I love matzoh ball soup.
Oh, and the pickles! Very good. And a nice, cold, refreshing bite after all that heavy food.
For just a half sandwich, a matzoh ball soup and a water, it was $20. I was pretty surprised at how expensive sandwiches were. A full sandwich is around $20 alone. But, as you can see, you do get a ton of food. Prepare your stomach and your patience.Grade: A
Macarons have become serious business lately. And, no I'm not talking about the coconut dollops ("Macaroons"). Instead, I'm talking about the French delicacies ("Macarons" which sounds like MacaRONS or MacaRONES). They are meringue-based confections made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder and food coloring. The macaron is filled with ganache, buttercream or caramel (my favorite!) between the two cookies.
While we had our fancy lunch in New York City, Josh was actually taking a class at Mille-Feuille Bakery on how to make these macarons. And, he brought us some from Mille-Feuille back! So, I didn't get the chance to visit this bakery, but I did get the chance to gobble down some of this macarons!
I can certainly see why people are on the macaron train. The texture is so much different than I would've imagined. I've only have a few of these before, and these were by far the best. It is just a a light crumble-melt-in-your-mouth characteristic that makes me want to eat 1,000 of these. I had the caramel one, which was heaven. An actual layer of caramel in the middle. And I also had the rose one - which tastes like, well, rose. They're pricey. So make every bite count.Grade: A
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