Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Only One Style of Pizza??? Round???

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Grimaldis, is a legendary Italian restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge, But I respectfully disagree with one of their workers who state there are NO different Styles Pizzas. Has he not heard of Thin Crust, and Deep Dish, at least, among other favorites?

 

He says : "We got One Style Pizza:.......... Round.  :) :)    [Funny, because a SQUARE Pizza has recently been introduced :)]

 

 

THIS PIZZA AIN’T BROOKLYN 

 

The Associated Press

By Lisa Tolin

November 7, 2006

NEW YORK  Memo to Dominos: There is no such thing as Brooklyn-style pizza. Or if there is, thats not it.

We also dont lean out our windows in Brooklyn and yell fuhgedaboutit! to each other. Nor do most of us drive cabs. In fact, most of us dont drive at all. We have the subway, and we like it.

Brooklyn is a huge and diverse borough. If you cut it off from New York, it would still be the fourth-largest city in the nation. So its hard to generalize.

But my neighborhood is known for tree-lined streets, spacious brownstones and a lush park. Strollers and dogs outnumber rats as far as I can tell, and youre more likely to spot a yoga studio than an auto-body shop. Celebrities live here and name their children after it.

But stereotypes persist, and Dominos is capitalizing on them. Their Brooklyn-style pizza commercials feature an Italian ma who chastises a suburbanite for not knowing what Brooklyn-style pizza is (what are you, nuts?); a body-building Martin Scorsese extra (you tell em, ma); a vaguely foreign cab driver and his shrewish passenger (fold it like a man).

To be fair, Dominos Brooklyn-style pizza is a decent approximation of something that does exist: New York-style pizza. The crust is thinner (but not crispy) and less spongy than a typical Dominos pizza. Its sliced thick and its got plenty of grease. As it should.

Its frankly quite tasty for a company based in Ann Arbor, Mich. But is it Brooklyn?

I decided to ask the masters of Brooklyn pizza, starting with Grimaldis, a legendary restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge.

We got regular pizza. There is no style, said a worker who identified himself as Victor. There is no such a thing like style pizza. We got round pizza.

What makes Grimaldis pizzas distinct, according to its Web site (Victor had no time to chat or give his last name) is its coal-fired oven. Manhattan doesnt allow those, and neither does Dominos.

How about up the road at Frannys, named one of the best pizza places in the city by New York magazine?

I suppose the truest Brooklyn pizza, historically speaking, would be a coal oven-style large pie, said Francine Stephens, who owns the restaurant with her husband. Or perhaps, Brooklyn pizza is produced by Brooklynites.

Frannys uses wood-fired ovens and seasonal ingredients from local farms, with toppings including sea salt, buffalo mozzarella and homemade sausage. Stephens hopes her focus on sustainable agriculture and fresh ingredients is the future of Brooklyn food.

But Dominos is dwelling on the past. Theyve created a contest asking people to submit their best Brooklyn bits, to be posted on YouTube. The winner will win a trip to New York or the fake New York in Las Vegas (which is probably more appropriate). Note to contestants: The Sopranos live in New Jersey.

Dominos signs off the contest, Good luck to all of yooze!

Cmon. Any good Brooklynite knows its youse. You cant be Brooklyn when youre in Ann Arbor.

Might as well fuhgedaboutit

 

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