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Anyone else also fry up some diced shallots with the pork? I got that idea from Mario Batali's first book, and I've never looked back.

I made this for the first time a couple of nights ago. It was mostly satisfying, but something was 'off' about it (I didn't really adhere to a recipe - maybe that was my problem). My boyfriend adored it, so I will be making it again, but maybe I'll give this version a whirl - it looks much more appetizing than what I'd conjured up.

Had it tonight and it was superb. Skip the cheese when ordering this one, this meat stands on its own. Fries were a bit undercooked, oil not hot enough, but the fried scallions were great.

When I've had pizzas made by the brother, they have not been as good. But then again, I haven't been in a while so perhaps he has improved with time.

Mangieri is just an arrogant SOB and nothing more. He makes good pizza, nothing spectacular like he believes as there are many in the NY area that do just as good if not better than him. The only reason he has the business he does is because Ed L. put him on the map otherwise he would probably been out of business by now. The guy talks like he has paid his dues and done this and done that but how long as he actually been making pizza in a resturant? His pies are not close to being in the same league as Chris Bianco's. He sounds more like a child that needs to grow up and stop putting other people down just do your own business and stop worrying about if anybody else's pies taste like shit. What does that have to do with you anyway.

@pizzablogger
i know it's crazy right
and rents will go UP
cuz they are going to RAISE PROPERTY TAXES AGAIN
and guess who pays that? the tenants and businesses
and guess where the businesses get their extra money to pay for the taxes...front he consumer!!!!!!!!
it's ridiculous!!!!!
you're right, it takes away from your family and for what??????
however just as a side not i wouldn't be surprised if those number
were UNDERreported
Gianluca

OMFG, the rents in New York City are INSANE.....and Motorino is not even in Manhattan.

Does anyone know if the $9,000/week in salary for 20 employees mentioned in that article includes any salary for Mathieu?

$90k a year is not a bad salary, but for the time, focus, passion and effort I would be compelled to lay on the line for the pizza, if I were to open my own pizzera (no one else would be cooking the pizzas), that's not that much at the end of the day....particulalry when considering education costs for a kid and the time away from my family the job would require.

My god, did I mention those rents are steep for a 1,400 square foot space?

first of all, I live in California, which is great for surf, but mostly a pizza wasteland. there are some terrible places charging way too much for their awful product out here. one place, unfortunately across the street from where I work, is a chain called Pizzeria Venti ("America's Only Authentic Sliceria") -- more like authentic garbageria, and they charge $4 a slice for their pathetic soggy version of Ellio's.

so to me, $5 a slice for the greatest pizza in the universe is no big deal. it's more than twice as good as an average slice.

for all the people who feel it is too expensive... please go ahead and eat elsewhere... i don't think those of us who think Di Fara is worth it at any price will mind less people there.

Dom is Love!

Top Tier is relative I guess, especially with the lack of truly great slice places in Manhattan, but I will use one Manhattan place as an example. Pizza 33 serves a respectable Margarita slice that is now $3.75 just below the $4.00 mark that Di Fara had established. They use San Marzano tomatoes and a quality fresh Mozzarella. They may not run out tomorrow and publish a price increase over what Di Fara has done, but I am sure that with the next up surge in dairy, or other ingredients they will use it as a pretext to bring their prices closer to the $5.00 price point that Dom has now established. Others places that are spending more on their ingredients will follow suit as well. The places that are already using shitty Sysco products will keep their prices the same, because cheapness is their only strength.

Moving on to whole pies... how long do you think it will be before Mangieri at Una Pizza will be raising the price of his Pizza's to the $30.00 level? He already has gone on record as stating that he feels his pizza are worth $50.00 if the market would bear it. This might be hyperbole on his part, but I do not think his ego would allow him to stay at a "paltry" $26.00 price point for very long.

The problem is many of the top tier slice places in Manahattan took their cue from DiFara and raised their prices just below the old $4.00 plateau that he established. Even pizza places in NJ posted articles surrounding his last price increase almost using it as justification for any moderate increases that they had considered.

Many places are already charging $3.50 to $3.75 for Fresh Mozzarella slices. These places may not be as good as DiFara's, but they feel that they invest a substantial portion of their overhead into their ingredients and have higher rents to maintain, and will now be emboldened by the move.

When the prices were raised the last time he had some compelling circumstances that were dictating an increase:

1. Soaring cost of dairy.
2. The increasing strength of the Euro against the dollar, that impacted imported products like Mozzarella Di Bufala and imported Olive Oils etc.

At this point the price of dairy has fallen significantly and the currency situation is more stable, so the only reason for the increase is to max out the profits and subsidize the new 5 day schedule.

The unintended consequences of this move is that he is actually setting the market for other vendors and thus making decent pizza more expensive for everyone.

@Adam Kuban: My whole pizza and San Pellegrino Limonata came to a total of $27, so I think you are on the mark with the new price

@Paulie Gee: My friend lives on Franklin Street....that area is definitely way cool!

I am having a hard time not taking this personally

@Mooner: Eight slices to a pie—at least most standard NYC-style pies. So, yeah, theoretically a $40 pie. But at the old price of $4 a slice, the pies were $20—a $12 discount for whole-pie purchase as opposed to by-the-slice. Doing the math, I'm guessing the new whole-pie price is somewhere in the neighborhood of $25.

$4 slices (at old price) x 8 slices = $32
$20/pie (old price) ÷ $32/by-the-slice = 0.625
0.625 x $40/by-the-slice = $25

Someone can doublecheck me on that math, tho.