Pizza Pizza Pizza

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Comment by Paul Pancoe on August 15, 2010 at 8:53pm

Has any one tried Brooklyn Boyz in Vista Ca. besides me?
The place is amazing, legit NY pizza. The brothers are from Brooklyn.
Top notch ingredients, hot oven ect.
You can fold it over and the oil runs down your arm.
The best NY pie I have tasted out here.

Comment by Brent Courier on June 5, 2010 at 11:54pm

Curious why Bronx gets the kudos it does. I'm pizza snobbery, personified, I guess. I think I get Andrew's "good" response, as he is being a gentleman--and I'm good with that, for sure. Coming back to the OC, there is an oddly delicious cheesy pie at Doria's Haus of Pizza. (Il Dolce isn't in this conversation, only because they are at a different level. We are talking about a completely different product.) It (Doria's Haus) bears no comparison to New York or Napoli Pies, but it has an oddly delicious Americana-touch. Doughy crust, saucy, slightly sweet cheesy (in a good way) tastiness to it. Since no one has ever written them up, I guess I'm on my own on this one. I'm okay with that fact. They are probably one of the "homiest" and most affordable restaurants in the OC. Sometimes it's fun, to dine out at a kitschy establishment. I can say this, too: they have been busy every time I've dined there. Nice servers, food well prepared. . very satisfied. I recommend them. Don't forget to try a slice. "Hmm. . . I love fresh cheese and fresh dough, that's not manufactured at Domino's."

Comment by Andrew Davey on May 31, 2010 at 10:30pm

Yeah, Bronx Pizza in Hillcrest is GOOD. Another great SD pizza place to try out (especially when you don't want to commute the whole way down toward Downtown!) is East Coast Pizza in Cardiff (the southern stretch of Encinitas). IMHO it's the best quality ingredients coming together for the closest you'll get to real NYC pizza this far west of The Hudson [save for Rao's here in Vegas ;-) ].

Comment by Brent Courier on May 7, 2010 at 1:53pm

Michael, I'll check them out next trip to S.D. You'd probably be pleased with Luigi's in Golden Hill area of S.D. as well. Very good pie. Not DiFara's in Midtown, but very good.

Comment by Michael on April 28, 2010 at 2:37am

Here is a cut and paste that got my attention.

My Favorite NY Pizza in San Diego
I've been reading on chowhound for years now and when I moved to San Diego from the Bay Area last year I scoured the boards looking for the bests of my favorite foods. I hadn't been able to find really good NY style pizza until I found Bronx Pizza in Hillcrest. Bronx is good I guess but not really like the places I used to go to back east (I was born in Brooklyn). Last night however I found the place! No one has mentioned it on the board yet so I have to give everybody a heads up if you want genuinly good pizza in San Diego. Next to Toro Sushi on mission gorge rd. is Pizza Etc, A taste of Brooklyn. Its a real pizzeria...seriously. They even have zeppolis which I've never seen in california before. The owner Nunzio is a wiseguy type from Brooklyn himself, he's got the NY attitude for sure but he's a nice guy if you chat him up. All his recipes are family recipes even the cannoli cream. Couldnt recommend trying the pie here enough.
Cheers

Comment by Michael on April 28, 2010 at 2:34am

Found this review, anybody ever check it? I gatta go.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/389723

Comment by Brent Courier on April 24, 2010 at 9:26am

Michael, unfortunately, you won't find an iteration of Grimaldi's or Di Fara's in the OC or LA, for that matter. You can find a quality product similar to a Keste Napoli-style, though, at Il Dolce in CM and Pizzeria Mozza in Hollywood. (I highly recommend both businesses.) I haven't tried Pizzeria Ortica in South Coast Plaza, but it gets very favorable reviews.

I haven't found a true NY-style with the right oven, crust, freshly made mozz, and San Marzano sauce, yet. The OC must not be ready for $5 / slice--like at Di Fara's. (It takes time and reputation to command that kind of price-point.)

A funny aside, I just watched a Sundance Film award winner, and in the film, one of the characters mentioned buying 7 or 8 Di Fara pies, and Dom De Marco in the third person. Small world.

Closest good quality "fold over" pizza on my radar is Al's on Irvine Ave, just West of 17th, (near Blockbuster/La Cave/7-11) Buy it by the slice for best results. Good pizza, owner, and friendly employees, as well.

Comment by Michael on April 23, 2010 at 7:37pm

Found myself in the OC and noticed a place called Zitos NEW YORK style pizza. Right away I imagined the thin type crust you would get at Grimaldis or any of the many variations of Rays. The thin crust that you fold in half with the cheese all gooey. The place did have a pizza oven, however the crust was not thin. So far I like NY's upper crust in Long Beach, and Perrys in Garden Grove. Any tips or insights???

Comment by Michael on April 22, 2010 at 9:24pm

Hey thanks for the tips, as a transplanted NYr any tip is welcomed.

Comment by Brent Courier on March 10, 2010 at 10:51pm

I was having a car worked on today that was way too close to Il Dolce. 4:30PM? "Dressed" like I was going to play in a basketball game with flip-flops (Kamaaina call them slippah's--much better word) and threw time management to the wind. Great call. I had the restaurant and the chef and wife team all to myself. First of all, they were nice, hard-working people. They were very open, friendly and appreciative of the accolades and welcoming arms of the OC and critics. I didn't want to pry too much, even though I asked if I could have a look at the oven/kitchen in the end. If it must be known, at the time I checked the oven out, it was running at about 811 deg. F and he told me that my pie took about 2.5 to 3 mins to cook. -- He uses Almond Wood, as it has a dense charcoal burning characteristic, assisted by gas--with cooking stones being utilized as the "flat-top" inside his kiln. FYI, 800+ deg F: is hot. I'm laughing to myself because the chef laughed as well. We both agreed, "it's hot in that area."

Moving along,

I apologized for my appearance, and after some friendly conversation, I asked if I could order the Margherita (I'm with fellow OCF blogger Michael Dean, gotta start with a benchmark, regardless of what I've read at Chowhound, Weekly, et. al) to go, "but," I just wanted to have one of my pieces of pizza without the box top being closed. Of course, "no problem." She then asked me, "would you like it crispy?" I replied, "sure, sounds great." I pretty much like the masters of their art to present to me, what they believe is their best work--because usually one gets the best outcome.---(In the end, his wife said she liked the pizza cooked just the way mine appeared.) While we waited, we talked about how business was going (ans."very well"), S. Irene (she said that the LA Times came out after S. Irene's visit to take pics, so she still has no idea what the fairly famous critic looks like: though she wanted to--as she's a fan), and what her, and her customer favorites/most popular items were, on the menu.

Her favorite pizza is one that she said was just added to the menu, simply named: "Bianca." Described as: "parmesano, red onions, pistachios and rosemary, gruyere. ($14)" She said that the popular items on the menu revolve around S. Irene's article, but other pizza choices include the "Patata, Salciccia." The "Asparago and Al Funghi" came into conversation, as well.

I believe that the owners are mostly of Argentinian descent (but don't quote me), hence Empanadas and the Skirt Steak entree lit up the conversation. Might be great items to try--after the pizza.

The Pizza arrived, and it looked beautiful. The special flour used to make the crust, the simple and tasty brushed San Marzano tomato sauce, close to perfect balance of fresh mozzarella to sauce, and perfectly charred crust all made for a very pleasing picture that I didn't take, because I didn't know I was going to their establishment at 4:30PM, on a Wednesday after picking up the car.

I second Michael Dean again, the crust was light, chewy, full of flavor with bites of salt at the right time. It was light, charry, flakey, chewy, deliciousness. You'll see. As with any fine Margherita, no single flavor trampled the other. They worked simply, and harmoniously. The beauty was in the Chef's touch. He understands timing, flavor, balance, and execution.

This is absolutely not a pie that we are used to here in the OC. However, if you want a little taste of a different part of the world, the Chef delivers. It was special, not just because it was different, but because it was really good. (Such a crass way to end, but appropriate.)

BTW, I ended up eating 3-slices on a corner of a table at the restaurant (1/2 the pie.) Whether you end up loving or liking this style of pizza, you'll appreciate their effort to take our taste buds, and sense of quality, to another level.

Enjoy!

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