rdewald's Journal: Brooklyn-style Pizza? Fugghedaboudit.

Because of the mid-term election I have been watching a little TV the last couple of weeks and I notice that Domino's is selling something they call Brooklyn-style pizza. By way of disclosure, I should mention that I was a Domino's employee 1980-1985.

WTF is a Brooklyn-style pizza?

Does Brooklyn have good pie? Sure. The best? Well, pizza is like sex. So much depends upon the time and place of the particular encounter, it's hard to say.

Is there anything different about a slice one might obtain in Brooklyn and a slice from Manhattan? Or The Bronx? Or Queens? Or Staten island? Or Long Island? Or up-state? No.

I lived in Brooklyn for two years when I moved to NYC. I ate a lot of pizza. I have lived in Manhattan since. I have eaten a fair amount of pizza here, including this very day, and while I could tell a slice from De Faro's or Grimaldi's, legendary Brooklyn pie shops, from a slice from any of the thousands of rank-and-file pizza joints anywhere in the City, I couldn't tell a DeFaro's or Grimaldi's slice from a slice from Joe's or Aiello's, legendary Manhattan joints.

There's nothing Brooklyn about pizza!

I asked my friends who were born, raised and still live in Brooklyn. They have no idea what "Brooklyn-style pizza" is, either.

So, put the phrase Brooklyn-style Pizza right up there with Compassionate Conservatism, Congressional Ethics and Windows Security. Sounds nice, sells some bullshit to people who don't know any better, but it has utterly no meaning.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Didn't Pizza Hut try this a few years ago?

[Some Woman]

"The Big New-Yorker" or whatever they called it. It just seemed like a larger version of a normal Pizza Hut pizza except much grosser. A former Pizza Hut insider (incidentally the best pizza they have ever made, it was discontinued) informs me that this is because they put sugar in the sauce.

New York Pizza

[turg]

Pizza Pizza [pizzapizza.ca], which is (by far) the dominant pizza chain around here, offers a choice of having your pizza "New York Style" or "Montreal Style." I get confused which name goes with which but one of them has the tomato sauce on the bottom, then the cheese, and the other toppings on top of that, while the other has the tomato sauce, then the other toppings, and the cheese on top.

Re:

[rdewald]

Domino's goes you one better, they put HFCS in the sauce.

The absolute BEST for me

[btlzu2]

and I *do* love Grimaldi's (when it's not too overcooked) is Patsy's in Harlem. OHHHH. FABULOUS. :)

Whenever a chain does "something"-style it makes me weep for America's fucking of everything that's good about America.

yay! senate goes to dems. democracy worked.

Re:

[rdewald]

Interesting, thanks for the linkage. I've been to Franny's, too, it reminds me of Grimaldi's. Must be the coal fired oven. So, that's what Domino's needs to do, put coal flavoring on the pies.

Re:

[rdewald]

New York Style is hand-stretched, thin crust, sauce on the bottom, cheese, then toppings, if any. That's pretty much a universal standard. Here in NYC we have a Sicilian style, which is pressed into square pans, thick crust, crispy, more oily, sauce, cheese, then toppings. Montreal style sounds something like Chicago style.

Re:

[rdewald]

Grimaldi's is awesome. We need to go there next time you're in town.

The election results are welcome news, that's for sure. The Democrats had a real landslide in New York State: several "safe" republican seats were turned over to Democrats in the US congressional delegation, my rep is Chairman of Ways and Means now, all the state-wide races went to Democrats. I haven't had a win this big since 1992.

I might be desperate enough to try it

[Mantorp]

Having recently moved out of the northeast and been unable to find good pizza in spite of trying every place within a 10 mile radius.

Two-Boots

[Shadow Wrought]

While visiting a friend in Manhatten several years ago, we ate at Two-Boots Pizza and it was really, really good. Don't know if its still there (I know its close to NYU), or if its still good, but I was wondering if you've ever eaten there.

meh

[dubiousdave]

I figure that anyone who eats Domino's with the expectation of authentic or good anything is unlikely to appreciate what a crock of shit it is anyway. I seem to remember Domino's being better than the other shitty pizza chains when they first opened and had the 15min delivery or it's free offer, but it seems to suck even more than most now. Of course, back then I lived in a place where it was mostly the big chain pizza places. I may have simply been ignorant. Even way the hell out here, there are dozens

Re:meh

[TechnoLust]

We have a Johnny's New York Style Pizza in ATL and it is VERY VERY good. (But their subs are even better.) And we have some Chicago Style pizza places that are great too.