1097 replies to this topic

[nuxvomica]

the other day we found ourselves with a car and time on our hands while returning from a trip with friends. i remembered that a newish pizza place in Bushwick, which had an impressive xmas menu. unassuming but fun place in a former garage (which still looks like a garage outside, only the name above the door tells you you've found the place, although there isn't much on that block that could be a restaurant so you won't miss it).

the seating is beer hall convivial and the opposite of Tonda's sleekness. pizza toppings are non-traditional, except for the very good margherita, which is the only classic. we enjoyed everything we had, including The Good Girl with kale, taleggio and berkshire pork sausage, as well as Specken Wolf with speck (of course), mushrooms, onions and mozzarella. all well seasoned, good crust. i could have eaten more but it was an afternoon and others in the party were "not that hungry" (what's up with that?) there were some terrific looking calzones, a guanciale and egg pizza, another with sopressata, plenty of fantastic meats for toppings, as well as meat and cheese plates, house cured duck prosciutto and whipped lardo, bone marrow, cheeseburgers with benton's bacon... i could have had a lot of fun with all that but will have to go back. i happen to like the Franny's model - pizza plus a few salads and meaty apps - good stuff when you have good ingredients and know what to do with them.

small but pizza- and wallet-friendly selection of mostly Italian wines - the majority of bottles in the 20s and almost all available by the glass. or, rather, a mason jar. plenty of beer options as well. And they offered to bring tastes of both to the undecided, which i wouldn't have expected.

laid back, no frills decor but comfortable, no upselling a la Co. i'd love that place in my own neighborhood. cash only. nothing's more than $15, including pizzas, dinner specials, etc. tax included in prices. 261 Moore St.

[SethG]

Thanks for posting this. I will definitely be checking this place out one weekend with the kids. It's about a ten minute drive from my place.

[nuxvomica]

i think there is a patio or some outdoor space in the back too. oh, and a radio studio. i bumped into a guy from Heritage Foods there, they are doing something radio-related but i was too distracted by the pizza to remember the details.

on weekends, they open at 11 for brunch and stay open throughout the day. hours and stuff on the website

i just looked at the menu, wow, they totally expanded the non-pizza parts of the menu, adding porcelet coppa di testa and tongue, and they doubled the dinenr specials since were there. there is pasta with wagyu oxtail ragu, sweetbreads, hen of the woods mushrooms, half a chicken, double cut berkshire pork chop (Heritage Foods, i bet!) and a steak for two ($42 total) - most of it from the wood oven. aaahhh, i want to go, i want to go!

[AaronS]

I would like to try the non-pizza here too. My one meal (right after the NYT write up) was tasty.

[djk]

i've been very curious about this place and glad to hear more about it. sounds very inviting. too bad you had to be with those that claim not to be hungry. i think they have cake in their pockets.

[Daniel]

Had a really lovely dinner here last night.. We arrived around 9 pm to a restaurant that was rocking.. Rocking out of the large speakers, playing such things as metalica, lou reed, and then into disco classics and Stealy Dan type music.. The list was kind of shitty actually but, I guess we came at some random time.. Last night in the back, they had a fire pit going.. It was a lot of fun sitting out in the freezing cold right over a fire.. Very cool, actually..

We ordered the Kalezone.. All the ingredients are a little fuzzy but, Kale, onion, and a few different cheeses were inside an amazing Calazone shell.. I asked for a side of tomato sauce and the waitress paused and left.. She came back with a freezing ramakin of sauce.. Apparently, I was the first to have made this request..

We also had a plate of orichiette with oxtail ragu.. Dish was very solid.. Perfectly tender pasta with a rich oxtail and tomato sauce.. Lots of percorino cheese melted on top.. Enough for two of us to happily share.

Miss A then was on a mission to try some pizza.. We ordered the brussel sprout pie.. We were very happy with the pie..

For dessert we ordered a 4 dollar cookie plate.. Very happy with our decisions.. Rosemary butter cookie, a couple of biscotti, a peanut butter cookie, and a I think a chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin..

A few glasses of langhe a couple of beers, dinner was exactly 100 with tip..

I love the space, service was not very attentive (i kept grabbing busboys) the coffee was freezing cold, but all in all, I loved the food and space..

[nuxvomica]

i loved it and have been meaning to go back but didn't have a chance. goes on new year's resolution list

[The Princess]

Got on the L-train with the BF the other day to check out this place. The pizza with the butternut squash, red peppers, tomatoes and cheese was tasty but not over the top. My pizza with mushrooms and cheese was suppose to have artichoke hearts on it although I couldn't find any. Nontheless, it was good as is.

The room was rather noisy, so you actually kind of have to shout to hear the person across the table. Nonetheless, we had a really pleasant conversation about Tiger Woods with a cute Brazilian couple on my right. I only wish I could mute the snow bunny on my left that was expounding the virtues of Rachel Ray.

The highlight of the evening came when the BF asked the server what kind of beer Oskar Blues Gordon is. "It's a 8.7% alcohol beer," she replied. "Yes, but what style?" the BF shouted from where he was sitting. "I don't know. It's...wellll...a beer."

Overall the pizzas are good. But, are they better than Motorino around the corner from my apt? or Keste? No. If you happen to be in the hood? Hell, yeah!

[Wilfrid]

I have seen high praise for the fried chicken, but it seems to be brunch only.

Not to mention, one of their desserts topped the Bon Appetit cheap eats of the year list, linked to elsewhere.

[Steve R.]

I have seen high praise for the fried chicken, but it seems to be brunch only.

Not to mention, one of their desserts topped the Bon Appetit cheap eats of the year list, linked to elsewhere.

I understand that the fried chicken is made by the former owner/chicken maker at Pies and Thighs (which was great fried chicken) and that she's not at Roberta's regularly enough to ensure that you'll get any at either meal. I havent been so this is by word of mouth only.

[Wilfrid]

That explains it. About time the new Pies & Thighs opened.

[nuxvomica]

the kalezone Daniel mentioned is terrific, easily the best thing we had. incredibly fresh, house-made mozzarella - so creamy and fresh, almost like burrata. the orecchiette with oxtail also very good. the rest sounded better on paper than it was executed - pale sweetbreads needed a bit more time in the fryer, the wilted chicory was not very wilted and the poached egg on top was cold - although the crisp guanciale and marconas almost saved it. wood oven pork chop sounded great and was highly recommended but, surprisingly, it came sliced and some of it was unpleasantly fattly. the margherita was a little bland and the sauce soupy.

no fried chicken (although there was a wood-oven roasted half chicken special).

franny's it ain't

[Daniel]

Went here for brunch today.. we were some of the first people in the door.. Place has a lot more relaxed vibe at 11 am.. We ordered the calzone with ham, it was awesome.. Porchetta was very, very enjoyable.. Slice of pork, some pesto, served on a toasted bread.. Really good, enough for four people to get a couple of bites when split.. For pizza, we went with meatball and the squash pizza.. Squash was very sweet.. I dont think it needed roasted pepper too, it was all very sweet.. Very interesting but, it needed something else.. Maybe some ham for salty.

Our waiter was super nice. the chick that sat us must have forgotten that she is neither a cook, or an owner, and the place is empty and she needs to chill.. But getting past that, really enjoyed the place..

[Wilfrid]

The Pink Pig stakes its claim as the internet's number one source on Bushwick dining with a full review of Roberta's, fuzzy pictures and all.

[Lex]

The Pink Pig stakes its claim as the internet's number one source on Bushwick dining with a full review of Roberta's, fuzzy pictures and all.

Why don't they just serve the beer in dribble glasses and be done with it. This would drive me nuts.


And I'm with you on pizza in general. It's too simple to constitute a transformative dining experience. The New Pizza Orthodoxy leaves me cold - the one that says that pizza is really all about the bread and we're going to give you a 3 inch ring of crust before we get to the stingy topping just to prove it to you. Behold the glory of our bread!

I'm not buying it - it's as unbalanced as those cheese bombs served by Ray's down on 6th Ave.