Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

glad to see HB in there...i was afriad i was the only one who dug their burger. they get mucho points for using the potato roll too!

Thanks Adam .I admire your honesty.It had bugged me for a while thinking that you had the luxury of doing a hatchet job of a review and then seemingly,unapologetically pulling it after the damage was done .Hindsight is 20/20 and though I'm neither a journalist nor restaurateur I think that the ethical and courteous thing to have done would be to have left the Story Header and put up a footnote disclaimer such as the explanation you have given here.
Yours respectfully,
seriouspizza

@Paulie Gee.....I look forward to seeing how you handle such a situation,should anyone EVER give your output such negative scrutiny.....being from Brooklyn and all !

@Slicemeister You have a talent for handling criticism with class and restraint. You obviously didn't grow up in Brooklyn.

Ciao,

Paulie Gee

@Adam Kuban "way before anyone of his stature took the site seriously. I've always remembered that and have had great respect for Robert and his work."

Adam,is that why you pulled the less than favorable review of Saraghina : A First Visit to Saraghina, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn around 8/18/09 when he published a somewhat gushing commentary on that very same day? Did you fear your diametrically opposed opinions less credible than a blogger of his stature ? Maybe that is the point I should have stopped reading or at least taking your opinions seriously ?

http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-08-18/restaurants/please-welcome-saraghina/#Comments

My knee jerk reaction was probably exactly what Sietsema had desired ! I stand corrected about him eating pizza in Naples.In his original V V article that you referenced, he sounds as though he liked what he had in Naples ( "Sublimely bland" ) and IMO the whole piece on Roberta's is a machiavellian piece of journalism,that only contributes in a less than desirable way to the confusion over Neapolitan pizza and peoples understanding of what it really is.I must say,I have a problem with evaluating "Spirit" when it comes to pizza?.
Regarding the price structure of Neapolitan pizza in the US,I applaud UPN for having the balls to charge such exorbitant prices for his product and allowing New Yorkers the indulgence of supporting him in maintaining his limited work hours,and single handedly spearheading a change for restaurant employees. I hope he charges $50 in San Francisco.It would be refreshing to think that there are people out there more foolish with their hard earned money than gullible east coast foodies.A $10 Marinara seems obscene in Manhattan these days.How is a business supposed to survive?

@seriouspizza: Wha? I'm going to defend Robert Sietsema here. He has indeed eaten pizza in Naples and was in fact kind enough to contribute to Slice very early on with a photo essay of pizza in Napoli—and this was way before anyone of his stature took the site seriously. I've always remembered that and have had great respect for Robert and his work.

I myself have not eaten "the true pie of Naples." As I've said elsewhere, it's a serious hole in my pizza game. (@seriouspizza: You can stop reading Slice at this point.) But when I started Slice it was less about "Naples-style" pizza and more about kick-ass New York–style pizza. (Lately, with the Neapartisan pizza trend sweeping the nation, I've probably focused too much on Neapolitan and "artisan" pies. I know some readers have dinged me for that.) Anyway, I think Sietsema is partially correct: If you get a Neapolitan Margherita from a pizzeria that has a flavorless dough and a dull sauce, that thing is going to be unbelieveably bland. When I find myself eating pies like that, I yearn for some inventive toppings to ease the pain.

Shinolally yours,
Adam

@seriouspizza
Easy there! Not everyone digs the neapolitan style. Although it is strange for a writer who shows a distinct lack of love for the style to write about what they deem to be 'Best Naples Style Pizza'. Does the title even mean anything at that point?
The use of quotation marks as well as the context (rest of the article) indicates the writer was talking about the trend of neapolitan pizza in NY. What seems to have been the main thrust of the blurb, was their opinion that 'naples style' is being used to sell a more expensive pizza
It's a fair point that in a crowded market, terms like 'authentic neapolitan' are now common currency used to justify the existence and alleged ethos of any given 'neapolitan style' pizzeria.
I suspect these claims of authenticity are a red herring (which Napoletanaphiles get easily hung up on) when price and quality should be the real issues for any place that makes and sells pizza.

With you on this Adam. Went there a few months ago and was not impressed with the pizza either. Not bad, and certainly a nice atmosphere in that back garden, but I can think of a dozen better places off the top of my head.

Liquid smoke needs to be used (very) sparingly in order to be effective. Otherwise, too much will absolutely ruin a dish.
I'll just wet my finger with it and rub lightly on a steak or burger I'm cooking indoors.
I like making a hickory sauce for burgers using, mayo, ketchup, sweet relish and a small amount of liquid hickory smoke to to complete the sauce.
My brand of choice: "Figaro" Hickory liquid smoke.

Liquid smoke used incorrectly is disgusting, used correctly it can be quite good. Most of your commercially prepared processed meats use liquid smoke as either an internal application to the meat, or through a variety of different topical applications. This is due to environmental laws around the US making it illegal or extremely expensive to naturally smoke meats.

For this recipe, I would cut the liquid smoke with water and shorten the marination time. Also, as liquid smoke is quite acidic, you can cut the acidity with a little baking soda to make it a little less harsh. Run it through a coffee filter to remove any tars that have formed in the smoke due to storage, this is where much of the bitterness comes from.

Thoughts about Old Town Bar's burger? Maybe just because it's near my office, but they do a great one at the bar.

Ha, I can't believe you did a review of BBQ. Pretty awesome of you guys. I've eaten at a bunch of them and I'm of the opinion that the food isn't particularly tasty, but I think the biggest draw for a lot of people is the "bowl-drinks," as my friends and I call them.
I'm not sure, but wasn't the now closed 8th street location NOT a true Dallas BBQ? I think I heard several times that they were an imitation, and I remember the name being just "BBQ" and not "Dallas BBQ." However, if it WAS a Dallas, then if they were still open they'd have to bring down the cleanliness score here---I once had a roach crawl onto my table. I work in restaurants, and I'm aware that keeping pests out of NYC establishments is a daunting task, but that was unacceptable.

Yes, the 8th Street/University Place site was a destination for us in high school (c. 1986) - it was cheap and fun. I recall the W.72nd street one being slightly nicer than the others. Never had a problem with the food - I think the last time I sampled it was after a friend and I did a "Race for the Cure," and we went to the one on 73rd and 3rd; we were starving. The onion loaf was always great, but prepare to lock yourself away for several hours afterwards.