After two failed attempts at trying to give Lucali a shot in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, a friend and I finally managed to grab a table and order one of their highly acclaimed pies (call and put your name in, then kill an hour at the bar). Unfortunately, my camera died after taking my first shot (damn you Fuji!), so I'm going to have to do some photo borrowing-
Whadd'ya know? It's the same table I sat at, so pretend you're there with me. We ordered a standard Margherita, and were encouraged to order a calzone as well. How any two people can scarf one of these pizzas and a calzone is beyond me. Minutes after ordering, it arrived.
So much bigger than I had imagined! I suppose I was expecting a 12" Neapolitan-sized pie, so I was stoked by its actual size. The cornicione is two inches wide, crispy and bubblier than anything I'd ever seen, while the crust was thin and chewy (to get specific, a one inch "tip sag" after folding the slice). The end crust tended crack and crumble towards the end but the pizza was fantastic. They brought us an extra plate of basil (I wish it had been more evenly distributed) and we chowed down.
Mark Iacono, with next to no experience making pizza, opened Lucali's doors in 2006 to reportedly preserve his favorite childhood candy shop from becoming a fast-food franchise. The atmosphere was really spectacular; it felt like an old true pizza parlor. It's decorated with some sparing choice pieces of Americana, a tin ceiling, and Mark right in plain sight stretchin' dough and throwin' cheese.
Like many NY pizzerias, many swear by it while others are underwhelmed. I personally thought it was a delicious and unique take on the "New York Neapolitan." And check out that oven!
Unfortunately Lucali isn't having the greatest year. A fire closed it's doors for a few weeks in July, and there is word that a member of the Colombo crime family is falsely employed at Lucali while on parole. But every silver cloud has its lining (I still don't get that phrase)- the fire allowed Mark to fix up and open a back garden, and a second Lucali is rumored to be opening in South Slope.
Definitely worth checking out, just don't forget to BYOB!
Update: Chris Iacono's new South Slope pizzeria is to be called Guissepina's on 20th & 6th ave.- not sure when it's opening, but the space looks a lot better than it did a few months ago.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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Great post - the phrase is every cloud has a silver lining. It still makes little sense, but at least easier to glean the meaning.
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