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@bareneed Warsteiner = beer, Wertheim's=lousy

The Hofbrauhaus in Newport, the Munich-style beer house is a replica of the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. This used to be the only Hofbrauhaus in the U.S. until they built one in Pittsburgh. Hofbrauhaus and Mecklenburg Gardens are Cincinnati's better choices for German food. (Or come back for one of the many Oktoberfests).

cgorange- You (or someone else) said that about the "50 or so other joints" before. I'd like to see that list.

The regular pie at DiFara is still one of the best in the boroughs, oil or not.

loved all the comments, i am among the group that difara's is a miracle here on earth
dom is a master to be cherished
i am spending my summer on the pizza patrol for the newark star ledger
our conceit is that we will taste pizza in all 21 counties of the state.
let me tell you someone said it best 90 per cent of anything is crap, i am a little more generous i say 15%.
so far i say mr nino's in harrison nj, semolina in milburn and a mano same consultant as keste ,in ridgewood are to die for
if you don't like di fara's it's you.
usually i say to each her own, but not here
good pizza hunting all

Chowhound is still around?

that's too bad

"What's stopping you from buying or building the real deal?"

My inner-city rowhome's "backyard" is not big enough to do so (and is taken up by an old fashioned claw foot tub filled with dirt and planted with rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, chive and tarragon....not to mention the "Ghetto Bucket Basil"....8 five gallon paint buckets that are my mini forest of basil. I plan on moving in the not too distant future, have been drooling over the Forno Bravo pizza oven plans for several months now and Mrs. Blogger has given the definite two thumbs up to begin construction as soon as I have a home with a little bit of a yard to it.

"as is one from a Cooperstown brewery named Ommagang (pronounced gong)."

Paulie, I definitely recommend taking a tour of Ommegang. That part of NY is beautiful in the fall and the brewery itself is really cool.

@ PGee: my natural yeast poolish was rocking after a 12 hour room temperature rise on Saturday night followed by another feeding and a 4 hour rise at 85°F on Sunday afternoon....creamy, rocky headed, craggy, nappy goodness! The dough balls have been cold proofing for 2 days now and look ready to go......I'll be firing the oven (my pizza stones lack the atmosphere of a brick oven, damn you!) tonight as well.

Beer is something definitely in my wheel-house, so to speak. I've worked in a home brew shop for a few years and have been a "beer snob" for 20 years now. BTW, many pale ales go very well with pizza, as I'm sure you have discovered. Have you ventured into the treasure trove of styles that is Belgium yet? Enjoy the pizza tasting and tip a limoncello back for me! --PB

@ Paulie Gee: what kind of beer research effort?

I agree atmosphere can enhance the experience of visiting a pizzeria, and yes great pizza can definitely be about more than just the pizza itself, but I can't taste atmosphere. And to me you simply cannot have a great pizza without great crust and great toppings and without a balance between the crust, sauce, cheese and other toppings.

As far as DiFara's, I have not been yet, but am going very soon. I'd be surprised if his pizza is indeed what I would personally call great, given his penchent for fermenting his dough for only 1-2 hours (which is not nearly enough time to develop the more complex flavors from fermentation by-products which help to make a great crust), but I am very much looking forward to watching him in person!

Spot on about Di Fara's. Sopping wet mess of a pie. They should serve it a bowl with a spoon.

@Paulie: I'd love to do a mobile version—but I think I'd almost need two versions ... one that was strictly posts, like the Serious Eats one. And another that was a simple pizza guide sortable by location and/or rating.

@paulie -- while i'd love to take credit for that one i borrowed it from the cgorange post directly above mine.

good write up, though. i definitely put crust ahead of atmosphere and toppings but i know that it's just my personal preference and i can see where you're coming from.

by the way, you should check out toby's if you haven't already. i was pleasantly surprised by the pizza and the ambiance (and the relatively cheap beer).

@pizzancomedy & WikiAdam I think a great pizza experience is a combination of a great crust, great toppings and great atmosphere. It's difficult to find places that do all three well. As much as I love UPN's crust, his toppings leave something to be desired. His space, although a little cold has the feel of a shrine to Pizza Napoletana (saint and all) that I love. Lucali has a great combination of cheeses (better than DiFara, IMO), but I'm not as big a cracker crust fan as many others seem to be. I still can't tear myself away though because of the dramatic and mysterious atmosphere. I love the toppings at Roberta's, but the crust comes up a little short for me. I still love going there though because the atmosphere is so kick ass. Motorino can feel a little too buttoned up, especially in the daytime, but has my favorite pie overall with a killer crust and great toppings. Love going there too. Pizzeria Bianco wooed me with their uniquely appealing crust that is a little snappier than a good Napoletana but not crisp, very good toppings (although pretty standard except for the imaginative and delicious Rosa pie) and a very special atmosphere outside and in Bar Bianco while you wait around for hours getting famished and drunk. I only wish I could have enjoyed the comraderie in the cool of the evening with only his festive lights brightening the area. I love Difara's slice as well as his square (although I've recently discovered that I like the one at Artichoke as much), but I just can't tolerate the cramped unorderly wait (maybe if I brought my own it would make a difference). One thing that I found each and every one of these places have in common are very gracious hosts who make me feel more than welcome. They all seem to thrive on providing their guests with a very special experience.

Now back to work.

Ciao,

Paulie Gee

@sanfrandan: THanks for the info. I actually know someone in Ithaca who might be up for researching that bit on microfilm. I will see if she can do it.