JosephB

Based on what's been said above, you can't be talking about the same Grimaldi's. Or perhaps you went there at an off time, like 4:00pm, when the oven was cooling down and the pizza maker had to resort to dough straight out of the fridge. I think that combination could result in what you described, but it wouldn't be typical of Grimaldi's pizza.

Doc, It would be a real treat if we could go back to Grimaldi's or Totonno together. I'm sure we'll get to do that soon enough. Next time I'm at Grimaldi's I'll ask them about the tomatoes and cheese. Based on my experience, I don't expect to find out exactly what they're using, but they may be willing to tell me whether the tomatoes are San Marzano, etc.

Absolutely the same Trish. Very simple solution. We were 8 people. We ordered one pie. When it arrived, we ordered the next one. We did this four times. I ate each of my four slices at the optimum moment. Obviously, if you have a smaller group you have to eat fast to get perfection!

Any interest in reviving the plan to get together to make cheese?

Rachel, The sauce is definitely a simple preparation of uncooked crushed or peeled tomatoes with probably nothing more than salt and pepper added. It has a natural tomato taste with good acid balance. I can't speak to the Hoboken store, but it may be that Jason prefers a pizza sauce with more zing, which is often achieved with garlic, thyme, and/or oregano. I prefer the purer and simpler tomato flavor of the tomato sauce at the Brooklyn Grimaldi's. At first, Pan was in Jason's camp. But then he saw what the addition of a topping or two could do to spice up the pie. The sausage was excellent, as was the sausage and roast pepper combination. A few bits of it permeated the pizza with a delicious spicy fennel flavor. The oil-cured black olives (pitted on premises) and onions were a delicious salty-sweet combination that really brought the pizza to life. We'll have to go together sometime.

I respond very badly to a cold welcome, but I made the best of the chill that greeted us at Grimaldi's today. Sam was fortunate enough to get one photo of the oven before he was shut down by the fellow making the pizzas. I spoke to the guy who appeared to be in charge, thinking he would veto the pizza maker's edict, but he told me that he couldn't help us. When I settled for asking a few questions about the operation, initially there was a silence from the rather glum looking staff. Finally, the in-charge guy broke his heart and provided Sam and me with answers to a few of our questions. Here's what we learned: 1. Grimaldi’s receives 2-five thousand pound shipments of coal per year from Penn., which it stores in a coal bin in the basement. 2. The coal-fired oven prohibition in NY only applies to Manhattan. 3. The oven at Grimaldi never cools to more than warm, and it only takes one-half hour to fire it up at the start of the day. After that, the fire is stoked only once before dinner. 4. The sausage is from some shop in Astoria. 5. Grimaldi's recently opened a store in Scottsdale, Arizona. The code there requires that coal shipments be sealed in plastic. At that point, Sam rightfully thought we had over-stayed our welcome at the pizza prep area, so we sat down. For the next two hours we enjoyed superb pizza in a classic pizza parlor atmosphere. With Luciano Pavorotti singing on the jukebox, for a moment it felt like we were in Naples. Excellent photos Sam! And thanks to all for another delightful afternoon!

8 looks like the final tally. I called Grimaldi's this morning. The woman I spoke to wouldn't take a reservation, but told me that we should have no problem getting a table at noon on Sunday. She also told me that someone named Chris would be happy to talk to us about the pizza making operation at Grimaldi's. See you tomorrow. As an aside, while we're in Brooklyn Heights we may want to consider getting a cone at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory -- it's excellent. Or we may want to take a stroll over to the Jacques Torres chocolate place in Dumbo.

I have a friend, whose opinion about Italian food I highly respect, who thinks La Locanda on 9th is an excellent rustic Italian restaurant.

The web site has some information. By public transportation, it looks like the way to go is to take the A/C to High Street (first stop in Brooklyn) and do the short walk down to the bridge. Keep tuned to this station. Speaking of the Grimaldi site, it's worth noting their thoughts on "What makes a great pizza."

Reconstitute, puree, and incorporate into an Apricot Soufflé (Pepin, Art of Cooking, Vol. II)

The oven area is definitely open, and can be approached without too much interference. I will definitely contact them about a behind-the-scenes look.

For $20 you can apparently operate a virtual restaurant. The March issue of Saveur reviews "Restaurant Empire," which allows users to pretend that they are creating and running a serious restaurant. The reviewer worked for nine years as a video game producer, and thinks "Restaurant Empire" is "realistic enough to make you wonder whether you really want to own a restaurant." Buy it from Amazon

Dear fellow pizza surveyors. Can I please have votes for next Saturday or Sunday lunch at Grimaldi. BTW, I spoke to a someone at Grimaldi who told me that a line often develops by noon on the weekend. I think we may be able to reserve, especially if I can flash some eG credentials. If we can't, it may be very hard to get one table for more than 6 - 8 people. For now, I need a show of hands.

Perfect. 260 lbs/hr. You can service the entire UWS of Manhattan.

I read the Asimov review this morning and had the same thought. I sear meats before braising to give depth of flavor to the braising liquid. I assume Alias does the same. I don't think you can restore the crust by grilling afterwards. I think you're more likely to get a glazed effect from the reduction of the braising liquid, which I assumed is brushed on during grilling (like Sam's ribs under the broiler).

That sounds good. I assume you tried it, right? BTW, with the first of four wild boar shoulders I ordered from Broken Arrow Ranch, I made a boar ragu, which I shared with a few friends. Hey, welcome to eGullet! It's great! The stuffing used to be lamb shoulder before and they recently changed it to wild boar. They are breaded and fried and served with a side of lemon confit aioli. It's definitely a great snack I'm trying to picture stuffing a sage leaf. These must be some pretty big leaves.

That sounds good. I assume you tried it, right? BTW, with the first of four wild boar shoulders I ordered from Broken Arrow Ranch, I made a boar ragu, which I shared with a few friends. Hey, welcome to eGullet!

Actually, 1/15 won't work. Let's try for a weekday.

I'd be happy to host the cheesemaking session. West 70th near West End. I'm away this weekend. How about next Sunday, 1/15? If the weekends are not good for folks, we can do a weekday evening. Of course, we want Sherri's great photos! What about doing this on eGCI? We should certainly copy it to the Cooking Forum.

Lupa. It's what Batali does best: rustic and uncomplicated; and at the right price.

Last Thursday, my wife and I joined Docsconz and his wife for dinner at Amma. We were warmly received by Suvir and Hemant, and treated exceptionally well by the very attentive staff. Like the endless number of diners before me who have posted detailed accounts of the exquisite cuisine at Amma, I urge you all to go to this restaurant to see, smell, and taste for yourself. We will return very soon.

I suppose the UES Totonno is an example of a coal fired pizza place with mediocre ingredients, and a poorly executed pie.

It's really hard to argue with Sam's logic. When we argue about coal-fired v. gas-fired, I think we presume that the quality of the ingredients is superior, and the pizzaiolo is adequately skilled. However, these are not always true premises. In my opinion, all three elements cited by Sam are present in at least one kind of pizza prepared by Grimaldi and Patsy's in Harlem (I haven't been to Totonno or Lombardi). For that reason, I think they are superior.

That's interesting. You had to go through the kitchen to use the bathroom at DiFara. Same situation at Patsy's in Harlem, at least for one of the dining rooms. Cash is also common at these old pizza joints. So far, I know that Totonno, Grimaldi, DiFara, and Patsy's in Harlem only accept legal tender as payment.

Boy, that's an understatement! It's worth noting that Grimaldi is much closer to Manhattan than it is to most of Brooklyn -- it's one subway stop from Wall Street. So K, does that mean you'll be joining us?