Nation, it’s your friendly neighborhood JFG here, and let’s continue with my pizza tour of New York from a few weeks ago. Part 1 definitely brought out the opinions (still waiting for my Chicago vs. New York throwdown), so let’s see how excited/pissed off you get at today’s post! FUN!

Remember how I said EVERY meal other than what was eaten at the Summer Fancy Food Show needed to be pizza? I tried to stick to it:

I mean, I haven’t eaten cold pizza for breakfast since…well, ok I did it recently, but not REGULARLY since law school. Say what you want about the cold skin flap of a pizza slice you see above, IT HIT THE SPOT AND YOU KNOW IT. Of course, I did break my rule a bit – I didn’t just have this for breakfast. I also had some of the sub from the night before. And a bagel with cream cheese. I HAVE A PROBLEM OK LOOK AWAY.

After getting Di Fara’s last year, know as one of the best pizza places in the New York metropolitan area (as well as up there in the country), I was DYING to go back. Gimme some of that fresh made pie, Di F* Wait, why are people lined up outside the window??

WTF!!!!???? When the JFG team arrived at the local Brooklyn spot, it was still almost 45 minutes before they were scheduled to close. SOLD. OUT. SON OF A B.

But, but…I wanted it. :'(

A group of people were huddled outside the window, and the workers inside were just making pizzas (presumably for people who had already got their orders in) flat-out IGNORING everyone outside. One guy asked, “Are you guys still taking orders?” Blank stare. “So you’re done? Closed?” Blank stare. “Uh…ok, thanks!” Yawn, goes back to rolling dough.

With no hope from Di Fara’s, we headed for another Brooklyn historic eatery – L&B Spumoni Gardens!

L&B Spumoni Gardens is really three eateries in one –  there’s an outdoor pizzeria, a ice cream (spumoni) parlor, and an indoor super-classic Italian restaurant. You can order pizza and hang out at one of the picnic tables outdoors, grab a cone, or head inside. It was sweltering, so we ventured indoors.

As this article notes, “founded in 1939, L & B Spumoni Gardens is Brooklyn’s quintessential summer hang. The restaurant is really three institutions in one — a pizzeria, an ice cream parlor, and an informal red-sauced Italian restaurant — all situated in three connected brick buildings surrounded by outdoor seating at distinctive red picnic tables. On warm summer evenings the place throngs with customers who come on foot from the immediate Gravesend neighborhood, and by car and subway from more remote parts of the borough, like a carnival and high school reunion rolled into one.”

For close to 800pm on a Sunday night, the place was PACKED. The wait staff was great and moved SUPER quick, and we were seated in no time.

Despite selling circular pizzas, L&B Spumoni Gardens is REALLY know for their large Sicilian square slice pizzas. THICK STUFF. The line for people picking up a slice from the outdoor window was also jam packed, but moved quickly. The staff – they knew how to move people.

The indoor restaurant, like I said, was CLASSIC. I mean, it was everything I imagine when I think of an early 80’s Italian joint – mirrors on the ceiling, heavily lacquered tablecloths, small Italian statues in mirror bays along the wall…

Plus, simple white plates and smoked-plastic cups for ice water. The TVs (unseen here) were playing old news clips from the local stations, most of them profiling the restaurant. It was completely bizarre and I couldn’t stop smiling. It felt like my childhood.

Like I said, I wanted pizza, and I was eager to eat some Sicilian, SO WE DID IT UP.

BAM! Order #1: a pepperoni 12-piece half-Sicilian pie. This pizza had a thick crust, and was baked backwards – crust, then cheese, then sauce on top. It looked and SMELLED delicious. The top is then covered over with a generous sprinkling of dried cheese for extra creamy and salty accents.

When the pizza arrived at the table, it was piping hot, and semi-molten. The pizza came with a BOWL of Parmesan cheese (not seen) with a spoon, and shakers of red pepper flake.

So how was it? Um, effing great. Not everyone likes Sicilian slices, but even the JFGal, who is a thin crust girl, enjoyed this pie. The crust was soft on top with a nice crisp undercarriage, topped by a melted cheese that kept the whole thing super chewy. Sauce wise it was SUPER tomato-y, which I really liked, and had decent seasoning. The sauce on this was way better than any of the pizza I had had the previous couple days.

The topping was SUPER salty (pepperoni and the added cheese), but honestly, I loved that. Really flavorful and ensured that the larger crust didn’t drown out the pizza taste.

You KNEW I had to get a traditional 12-slice pie with no pep for comparison, right? Cmon now – when you dine with the JFG, you better be prepared to EAT. There were four of us eating, so only six slices a person. No problem, right?

This pizza looked just as luscious as the pepperoni one, although maybe a tad bit overcooked on the top. Still, the sauce looked incredible – when you spread two pieces apart, it would just run and rip over the edge. I loved that.

These slices were substantial – whatever my picture looks like, each square was approx. 5″x5″. And they were HEAVY too. More on that later. AWKWARD PIZZA POSE TIME!

BAM. Look at that smile! Look at that smirk! GQ, I’m available. I know you love sleeveless shirt look.

But I digress. Let’s get to WORK.

I managed to crush down 3.5 slices of the pepperoni pie. 3.5 because halfway through my first slice, I fell victim to the super-lacquered tablecloth and knocked my glass of Pepsi ALL OVER MYSELF. Dude, it was like the tablecloth was an air hockey table. One nudge and my soda cup went flying into my lap. Now that’s talent…and it ruined one of these precious squares! 🙁 I was bummed.

The cheese slices were really good too – because there was no pepperoni, the top of the pizza wasn’t as covered in salty oil like the pepperoni version, so the overall feel of the slice was a little different. These slices were less salty and allowed me to focus on the sauce a bit more, which, as I said, was a nice balance of tomato and spices. I ate one of these too. 4.5 slices! I did my part, but we clearly had LOTS of pizza leftover.

When we left L&B Spumoni Gardens, all over our leftover squares went into this box. It was one of the heaviest pizza boxes I’ve ever carried. It wasn’t 100 lbs or anything; I’m saying compared to OTHER boxes I’ve held? THIS WAS HEAVY. When the waiter handed me the box, I thought, “Dude, is there a textbook inside this thing?”

This is the photo from the next morning, after I ate a cheese square for breakfast. Cold, this pizza was pretty friggin amazing! The sauce got even sweeter, and the colder texture made the crust REALLY chewy, which I liked – it was like the best pizza bagel I’d ever had.

L&B Spumoni Gardens – HUGE thumbs up. I definitely want to go here again. Even if it wasn’t the best pizza in NYC, it was seriously tasty and improved my view on Sicilian slices. Plus, the whole thing was just an EXPERIENCE. Really really enjoyed it. I just wanna drink beer and eat slices in at their picnic tables for hours. Sigh.

If you’ve been here, let me know what you think in the comments below! And keep letting me know about local joints in your hood.

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy