OT: HFNYR Official Foodie Thread including Craft Beer, Wine & Liquor

[GoAwayPanarin]

OMG...How have I never heard of this place...this looks incredible!

Brooklyn has the best pizza in the world. It's not debatable.

It's expensive but worth it.

Ops in Bushwick is also really good. Others have mentioned Di Fara's and L&B which are also top tier.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

I just researched Ciccio's & Delmar. Both look outstanding! Thanks for sharing these.

Joe's has unfortunately taken a bit of a nose dive. Last 3 times I've been there it has been extremely average. No love left in that pizza, sad to say. Joe's was my favorite pizza on the planet for 20 years. Once they expanded, I guess they stopped caring.

Two of my most trusted pizza allies have reported the same experience. It's heartbreaking, almost to the point of having a good friend die.

damn - sucks to hear about joe's pizza quality declining. i haven't been there in about 5-6 years as i haven't had any real reason to head out to the village.

note: i only put down l&b spumoni gardens on my list as i wanted to see what another person from brooklyn thought of that place. me personally i think that place is highly overrated and frankly sucks. i 've tried their regular and square slices - uhh nah. they're a real bad version of suprema pizza of ny. if you want to try it out that's up to you. l&b is walking distance from ciccio's. delmar and lucia are also within walking distance from each other.

one more place to add to the list: antonio's pizzeria and restaurant in brooklyn.

enjoy

 

[Kane One]

Di Fara's square is the great. Other great pizzas are from Italy. I don't know if Dominic is still there but he was the last time I went there.
If you like thin pizza and you are in the Dallas area, I can recommend Cafe Baonecci in Frisco.

Nope, Dom passed away a year or two ago.

 

[LORDE]

Made crab cake BLTs last night. Incredible

 

[Mandar]

OMG...How have I never heard of this place...this looks incredible!

Brooklyn has the best pizza in the world. It's not debatable.

How far do they deliver?

 

[Leonardo87]

So when I am unsure of what I want for lunch or dinner will come to this thread , lol

 

[Megustaelhockey]

My partner and I also love to cook and bake. Anyone who wants any recipes or pics or inspiration, feel free to hit me up.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Everything in California is terrible. Been twice, their food is awful. They pride themselves on Mexican food but Texas Mexican is way better.

BBQ Texas is tops. There's a place not far from me that does Texas Style (in NY and it's amazing) - one of the owners is actually from Texas and 100% legit. NY BBQ is generally pretty pathetic though, brought to you by the people who think "Dallas BBQ" is actual BBQ. Someday I'd love to learn how to do it right, but if I'm going to do that, I'm going to invest in actual good smoker and not one of those cheap Chinese made ones that litter the aisles of the big box stores.

That's absurd. California has some of the best cuisine in the country.

 

[bhamill]

Eh, you have crazy stuff like taco pizzas, gluten vegan pizza, and pineapple.

No, *I* do not. But you guys are all free to like whatever you want. At some point is it even actually pizza though? Someone is going to throw ketchup and American cheese on an English muffin and call it pizza… not worth me a spending energy telling them it’s not…

New York pizza is overrated as the New York rangers. It’s a fact.


The best pizza places you’re going to find are in New Jersey and Connecticut with Rhode Island a close second.

LOLZ

 

[bhamill]

John's on McLean added to my list...I love classic pizzerias that have somehow survived unaltered from the '60s & 70s....so few of them left these days. The Sicilian looks like the star of the show here.

Here's my list of Classic Pizza Parlors (in no particular order) that have gone mostly unchanged since the 80s. Please feel free to add to the list....there has to be some I'm not thinking of or that I've never been to.

List will be continuously updated with places still operating.

Amore Pizza --- Whitestone
Pizza Garden --- Flushing
Luigis Pizza --- Park Slope
Tommy's Pizza ---Throgs Neck
Margherita Pizza --- Jamaica Ave
New Park Pizza --- Howard Beach
John's Pizza --- McLean Ave Yonkers
Patsy's Pizza --- Harlem (pizza has gone downhill, sadly)
DiFara Pizza --- Midwood
Angelo's Pizza --- Flatbush Ave
John's of Bleecker (even though they don't sell slices).
Brothers Pizza --- Fresh Meadows
L&B Spumoni Gardens --- Sheepshead Bay
Lucia Pizza --- Flushing
Circle Pizza --- Parkchester
Knapp Pizza II --- Gravesend
Brothers Pizza --- Staten Island

Nice to see Brothers on SI mentioned. Staten Islland has an embarrassment of pizza riches. Especially per capita.
Denino’s
Jimmy Max
Pier 76
Joe & Pat’s
Lee’s Tavern
Cicero’s
Campania
Reggiano’s
and my FAVORITE, walking distance from my house (actually the last two are within a mile as well) NONNA’S.
The above are all better than Brother’s these days, though their Sicilian pie is legendary. And a few of these have actually opened up successful Manhattan locations the last few years (Which I haven’t tried).
Im sure I’m leaving a few out and the legendary Nunzio’s recently closed after 50 years.

 

[Leonardo87]

That's absurd. California has some of the best cuisine in the country.

Yes it does. Just have to know what to eat. Pizza and Italian not so much. But Mexican, Seafood, and have found some really nice Japanese and steak houses in OC. Also have some nice farm to table places.

I get so busy it’s hard for me to get around the area when only in town a week at a time . So have only scratched the surfaces.

 

[Boris Zubov]

No, *I* do not. But you guys are all free to like whatever you want. At some point is it even actually pizza though? Someone is going to throw ketchup and American cheese on an English muffin and call it pizza… not worth me a spending energy telling them it’s not…

Shit like that has been happening for decades. Wolfgang Puck became famous with his salmon pizza or whatever he called it. IMO, Korean BBQ on flat dough is not pizza, Salad on dough is not pizza, & I know it's all the rage in New Haven, but garlic & oil with steamed clams on dough is not pizza.

I won't spend time arguing the point with anyone, it's certainly not worth the energy, but I also will never take a pizza recommendation from a person who would order something like that.

It would be nice if the Italians in Naples protected what can be called pizza like the French classify what can be called Champagne.

 

[Megustaelhockey]

My partner and I also love to cook and bake. Anyone who wants any recipes or pics or inspiration, feel free to hit me up.

Some recent examples.

 

[n8]

Nope, Dom passed away a year or two ago.

that's sad but not unexpected. Is the pizza there still good. I saw a Di Fara's in Vegas and it looked terrible. It made me think the kids sold out.

 

[redwhiteandblue]

My partner and I also love to cook and bake. Anyone who wants any recipes or pics or inspiration, feel free to hit me up.

+1. Always willing to share. I've never made this, but I'm going to do a teriyaki salmon with a pistachio sauce drizzle and candied brussels next week. Looking forward to trying that.

That's absurd. California has some of the best cuisine in the country.

I would never ever live there, but I've always found great food. One of my favorite restaurants in the country is in Pasadena. Union Restaurant

 

[Boris Zubov]

that's sad but not unexpected. Is the pizza there still good. I saw a Di Fara's in Vegas and it looked terrible. It made me think the kids sold out.

The DiFara's in Caesars Palace is literal trash. It's also probably $13 a slice by now... it was $10 pre-covid.

The Demarco family first ventured out into "expansion" back in 2011. They licensed Dom's name to a gentleman in Vegas who paid them for the rights & the recipes to the pizza. It felt like the gods smiled upon me....I had moved to town about a year prior. I tried to temper my expectations, but I'd be lying if I wasn't fired up when they announced it.

The restaurant is called Dom Demarco's Pizzeria & Bar & it opened in late 2011. The pizza was good for Vegas, but it tastes nothing like the Brooklyn DiFara's. Nothing like it whatsoever. Supposedly they use all the same ingredients, but the oven & the water make it impossible to replicate, even if they had a pizza maker who knew what he was doing...which they did not. I will say the restaurant itself was a pretty cool spot with a great happy hour. They made an above average chicken parm, excellent salads, & a few decent pasta dishes. When I moved to that part of town, my GF & I would go quite often..we became quite friendly with the staff. Unfortunately during covid the place went downhill in a big way & we never went back before moving out of town.

In 2015-2016 they opened the slice shop in Caesars that's called DiFara. The same guy who owns Demarco's runs it & could care less about the quality. I've overheard conversations while sitting at the DeMarco's bar where he basically stated how much of a cash cow it was with minimal effort. Good for him, but I'm sure that's not what Dom had in mind when he let his kids make the deal to use his name.

I also just saw DiFara's also has a location in Cary, NC of all places. From the pics I've seen online, it doesn't look good either.

I'm curious if anyone has tried the new DiFara locations in NYC & if it measures up? NYers are more discriminating about their pizza & won't put up with the shit food that middle American, Vegas tourists will eat on vacation.

 

[Kane One]

that's sad but not unexpected. Is the pizza there still good. I saw a Di Fara's in Vegas and it looked terrible. It made me think the kids sold out.

It’s just as good now. The one in Vegas was apparently started by one of his sons without his permission even before he died.

 

[Kocur26]

No, *I* do not. But you guys are all free to like whatever you want. At some point is it even actually pizza though? Someone is going to throw ketchup and American cheese on an English muffin and call it pizza… not worth me a spending energy telling them it’s not…


LOLZ

25 years ago you’d be able to giggle - no longer - like everything else in New York their pizzas gone to shite .

 

[bhamill]

25 years ago you’d be able to giggle - no longer - like everything else in New York their pizzas gone to shite .

I’m 61. I’ve lived here my entire life. I’ve eaten NY pizza my entire life. The pizza has never been better than it is right now.
If you like a different style better, perhaps with velveeta and pineapple on it, that’s okay, ENJOY… but it doesn’t make NY pizza any less great. That’s just an agenda driven false narrative. Just people trying to build up their own by coming at the King. And yes I’ve tried pizza everywhere I go, as far away as Australia, some of it is very good, some of it is excellent, a majority of it is trash. No where is as consistently great as NY.
And it’s not just pizza, the cuisine in NYC is as good as, if not better, than ever. I was a line cook and/or chef in Manhattan and SI for decades, doing everything from high end catering at the Central Park Boathouse to mom and pop spots to yacht clubs. I know my way around food, I’m not just talking out of my ass.
Can you find shitty pizza/food in NYC? Of course. Like anything else you have to know where to go.

 

[Peltz]

Go to apalonias

It's far from me. If you have to drive 30 minutes to get good pizza in a major city like LA, then it's not a good pizza city. It's fine. It is what it is.

I'll be back in NYC in a month and I can move on with my life properly.

 

[LokiDog]

Shit like that has been happening for decades. Wolfgang Puck became famous with his salmon pizza or whatever he called it. IMO, Korean BBQ on flat dough is not pizza, Salad on dough is not pizza, & I know it's all the rage in New Haven, but garlic & oil with steamed clams on dough is not pizza.

I won't spend time arguing the point with anyone, it's certainly not worth the energy, but I also will never take a pizza recommendation from a person who would order something like that.

It would be nice if the Italians in Naples protected what can be called pizza like the French classify what can be called Champagne.

There’s a space for that shit, and that’s fine. I’ve enjoyed a chicken Caesar salad slice but I’m not under any delusion that it’s a measuring stick for whether or not you make good pizza. It’s fine. It’s food, and if it tastes good, I’m probably going to eat it because I’m a disgusting glutton, but I’m not judging your pizza place based on anything but your cheese slice, or maybe your grandma slice. Buffalo chicken pizza is good. But just because a place makes a good Buffalo chicken slice, doesn’t mean they make amazing pizza. I’m okay with “innovation” and this stuff being out there… no problem. But do not tell me about “the best” pizza place if it isn’t based on a cheese slice.

Conversely, I am a WHORE for pizza made with vodka sauce. When I say whore, this is what I mean:

If I was dying of dehydration in the Sahara desert and you had a vodka slice in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, I’d die with a half eaten vodka slice in my hand. It is my kryptonite.

 

[LokiDog]

Yes it does. Just have to know what to eat. Pizza and Italian not so much. But Mexican, Seafood, and have found some really nice Japanese and steak houses in OC. Also have some nice farm to table places.

I get so busy it’s hard for me to get around the area when only in town a week at a time . So have only scratched the surfaces.

I agree with this, but TexMex (in Texas) destroys Cali-Mex, in my opinion. I don’t give a shit about mahi fish tacos with radicchio and chipotle aioli… give me that asada with cojita cheese on a good corn tortilla. Or brisket.



Also… I do cook quite a bit and make a few bangers. My wife is a cake pro - she sells custom wedding cakes and other events. They’re incredible.

 

[gravey9]

It's far from me. If you have to drive 30 minutes to get good pizza in a major city like LA, then it's not a good pizza city. It's fine. It is what it is.

I'll be back in NYC in a month and I can move on with my life properly.

What part of town are you in?

LA is not a great pizza town but there are better and better options.

 

[bhamill]

The DiFara's in Caesars Palace is literal trash. It's also probably $13 a slice by now... it was $10 pre-covid.

The Demarco family first ventured out into "expansion" back in 2011. They licensed Dom's name to a gentleman in Vegas who paid them for the rights & the recipes to the pizza. It felt like the gods smiled upon me....I had moved to town about a year prior. I tried to temper my expectations, but I'd be lying if I wasn't fired up when they announced it.

The restaurant is called Dom Demarco's Pizzeria & Bar & it opened in late 2011. The pizza was good for Vegas, but it tastes nothing like the Brooklyn DiFara's. Nothing like it whatsoever. Supposedly they use all the same ingredients, but the oven & the water make it impossible to replicate, even if they had a pizza maker who knew what he was doing...which they did not. I will say the restaurant itself was a pretty cool spot with a great happy hour. They made an above average chicken parm, excellent salads, & a few decent pasta dishes. When I moved to that part of town, my GF & I would go quite often..we became quite friendly with the staff. Unfortunately during covid the place went downhill in a big way & we never went back before moving out of town.

In 2015-2016 they opened the slice shop in Caesars that's called DiFara. The same guy who owns Demarco's runs it & could care less about the quality. I've overheard conversations while sitting at the DeMarco's bar where he basically stated how much of a cash cow it was with minimal effort. Good for him, but I'm sure that's not what Dom had in mind when he let his kids make the deal to use his name.

I also just saw DiFara's also has a location in Cary, NC of all places. From the pics I've seen online, it doesn't look good either.

I'm curious if anyone has tried the new DiFara locations in NYC & if it measures up? NYers are more discriminating about their pizza & won't put up with the shit food that middle American, Vegas tourists will eat on vacation.

They opened a DiFara’s on SI during the tail end of the pandemic. The pizza was excellent. But they opened practically right next door to Lee’s Tavern which has been an excellent pizza spot and neighborhood institution for 83 years. DiFara’s lasted like 6 months.

 

[LokiDog]

Also, since this is the food AND drink thread… Zywiec is a Polish brewery that generally is known for pretty average lager and pilsner, but they make a dark lager and a lighter porter that you can find around NYC and Polish enclaves of NJ that you can usually buy in the 20oz bottle for like $2.49 for some reason that is deceptively good for the price and clocks in at around 7.5% ABV and I’ve become pretty fond of it since the spot around the corner sells the singles and I can grab 2-3 on the way home from the train on Friday and be toasty (current status) for $7.