December 30, 2004

The Grimaldi's gotcha

Somebody please tell me, does every guidebook to New York talk tourists into a romantic night stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge with specific directions on getting to Grimaldi's Pizzeria? At 10 p.m. last night I was by the place and I swear there were at least 40 people standing outside in the cold waiting for a table. (And mind you, this isn't an uncommon scene there.) I can only suspect they'd made the commitment to cross the bridge and had no idea where else to eat once they'd arrived at Fulton Ferry and discovered the daunting line.

Here's what SliceNY, "America's favorite pizza weblog" -- has to say about the coal-oven pies at Grimaldi's:

It would be difficult to surpass the quality and flavor of the first slice (from the pepperoni half) I ate. The crust was pleasingly chewy and crisp, the cheese is probably the best quality fresh mozzarella in the city, and the pepperoni was spicy and top-notch.

Such was not the case with the second slice, this one from the mushroom half. Whereas the crust on the pepperoni slice held up fairly well (there was some sagging at the tip), that of the mushroom slice was disappointingly soggy with no discernable crispness whatsoever. I can't say whether this was the result of an inattentive pizziola failing to turn the pie for even cooking or whether it was just the crust reabsorbing steamy moisture from the hot sauce.

December 30, 2004 09:53 AM in Foodology, Out of Manhattan, Romance

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