elevating the slice: countertop basil & in house mozz

Brooklyn's DiFara Pizza certainly sets the bar on high end ingredients.  The owner, Domenico DeMarco, 73, loads every pie with at least three types of cheese (including fresh mozzarella), drizzle after drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and several snips of fresh basil as a final touch.  But DiFara is closed two days a week, and tasting its pizza — though worth the time and expense — does require a solid commitment due to huge crowds.

My Little Pizzeria, a slice and pie spot on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights, is not in any way a replacement for DiFara's decadent pizza, but it does offer a fine enticement for its decent enough regular slice, and a top-notch fresh mozzarella pie as well.

First, in addition to the standard countertop pizza condiments -- oregano, parmesan, garlic, crushed red peppers, salt & pepper — this place also offers up a self-service container of sprigs of fresh basil leaves. The experience of eating a non-margherita, non-DiFara, stand-up slice with fresh basil is disorienting but worth pursuing.  It had me wondering, hmmm, there's no need for oregano.

Also, My Little Pizzeria makes an incredible premium pie called the Supreme, which — get this — is topped with house made fresh mozzarella!  According to owner Benny Fontana, his pizzeria makes a fresh batch of mozzarella every day, and has been doing so for decades.  And while fresh mozzarella pies have become rather ubiquitous — appearing in the display cases of many shops in the city — MLP's Supreme stands out.

Besides the more convenient Court Street pizzeria, Fontana also has two other shops in Brooklyn. Both are called Original Pizza — one is in Canarsie, the other in Bay Ridge — and both offer countertop basil and house mozzarella.

[I recently discovered a 2009 New York Times article about Fontana's first place, Original Pizza in Canarsie. Though Canarsie is a bit of a hike from just about anywhere in NYC (pizza, I recognize, does not inspire lengthy travel for most), consider this: there are exotic birds and rabbits in the backyard!  I'll be heading over soon to snap a few photos and double-check on the Supreme.]

Map My Little Pizzeria;  Map Original Pizza (Canarsie);  Map Original Pizza (Bay Ridge) (call ahead for days/hours).

di fara on facebook - gotta love it

No better way to keep up with Di Fara these days than to be a fan of their Facebook page.  Through it you could have ordered one of their limited run tee shirts, found out when hours would be reduced due to the heat, who's been in lately, and more.  

What's striking to me is the massive amount of love that people have for this well deserving place.  Nowhere could there be a pizza man more devoted to his craft and his fans than Domenico DeMarco.  His support staff, all of whom are his kids, are equally devoted to those things, and to their father.  It is a trek well worth making, regardless of the wait once you're there.  Spend your time watching Dom make these pizzas, one at a time, and don't worry about how long it takes.  Try a regular slice and a square - see which you prefer.

Here are a few recent exchanges from Di Fara's FB page:

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July 25, 2010 -

Di Fara Pizza: "is opening today with reduced hours due to the intensity of the heat........"

Arthur Knoqout: "make sure Dom is well hydrated :)"

Jack Naftali: "how come you guys dont buy a new air conditioner?"

Louie Gatanas: "It's not as easy as it sounds, the 900〫oven presents a huge challenge but viable solutions are currently being explored."

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July 19, 2010 -

Di Fara Pizza: "was happy to serve pizza to Fonzie yesterday (Henry Winkler)"

Meir Taub: "Did he fix the ol' jukebox?"

Cory Bonfiglio: "EEYYYY!!"

Danny Levy: "How long did he have to wait?? Lol"

Louie Gatanas: "I wonder if there's a similar thread on Fonzie's FB page? 'Aaaayyy, I was at Di Fara yesterday... can you dig it?' :)"

Kevan Given: "I don't know who to be more thrilled for...you for getting to feed Fonzie your great pizza OR Fonzie for getting to eat your great pizza!! Wish it would have been me getting to eat!!!"

Di Fara Pizza: "the fonz took his pizza to go ..hopefully he loved it.  We are open thursday but will begin service at 1 p.m. as we have a very large pizza order..."

Nicole Pauley: "i was standing next to the fonz, and grabbed a pic with him. he was super nice. then i ate my pizza, and forgot i had even met him."

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July 16, 2010 -

Cathy Armstrong-Carrabis: "I grew up almost literally in Di Fara Pizza (hmm explains alot now) I have been told that they are coming to Las Vegas.  Any news of were the location is?"

Di Fara Pizza: "Dominick Jr is in the process of a location in the Summerlin area expected to open early 2011 ... other Vegas areas and/or states also included in the project to follow..."

Michigan J. Pickle: "Ohmigosh.  Is my Vegas gf ever gonna plotz when she hears this ...!!!!"

Tom Futey: "Lots of love is waiting in the Cleveland area!"

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Lot's of love in NYC too, Tom!  It's so heartening to watch this 74 year old pizza magician make pizzas daily, enthralling nearly all comers, liberally employing expensive ingredients that typical slice joints don't dare to use.   Take the Q train, baby!

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Link to Di Fara on Facebook.

dom demarco / di fara - pizzaman theatre

As DiFara Pizza has gotten busier and busier over the years, owner Domenico "Dom" Demarco seems relatively unphased. No matter how many customers are waiting, patiently or not, in his shop, Dom barely looks at them and he never speeds up. As far as he's concerned, you can't rush quality.  The wait for a slice, which currently goes for $5!) can be longer than an hour.  That people wait so long for his pizza is not only a testament to the quality of the Dom's pies, but also proves that people will pay good money for slow food!

(Click above photo for audio slideshow featuring Dom Demarco.)

Map DiFara (call ahead for days/hours).