I tried Artichoke this weekend, and really like the sicilian and the artichoke/spinach slices. Both are very good, but better than DiFara's - I wouldn't say that.
Skip the baked artichoke though, I found it to be lacking in taste and a waste of $8 or whatever it costs.
I didn't like Artichoke and am very disappointed in all who wait on line for access to so inelegant a slice of pizza. The artichoke slice is not pizza; it is a gratin. And though the toppings on the regular slice are good and the color of the crust is nicely blackened, the texture of the crust is awful: thick, heavy, charred plaster board.
To be brief, this pizza lacks both the elegance of a New York masterpizza and the thrill of a oozy, on-the-brink of a great NYC slice.
We were truly disappointed by the regular slice and the spinach/artichoke, both bad for different reasons though the crust is a universal negative - dry, thick, tasteless and cardboardy. The toppings are equally bad. Slices are huge. No place to sit. Not sure how anyone raved about this place.
When I stopped in yesterday afternoon, the fellow ahead of me was telling the pizza makers, "My sous chef says the cauliflower fritters are amazing." This fellow recently opened his third restaurant, and he wanted to extend good wishes to a new business in his neighborhood. The guys at Artichoke -- Francis, Sal, and Carl -- hadn't heard the name "Momofuku," but they were glad that this fellow, David, stopped in to introduce himself, and to pick up a few pies. No joke.
NYCviaRachel - yes, I have been to DiFara, and yes, Dom uses way too much oil on his pies too. That's the one thing that prevents DiFara from being my favorite pizza in New York. It's a specialty pie, not an everyday eater. Yet, somehow the oil at DiFara *works*, but at Artichoke it fails, imho.
ACoby - I've worked in restaurants, and I know how hectic it can be, but a little bit of organization goes a long way. Not for nothing, but encouraging them to get organized is the point. "how do you know someone didn't call up and order the artichoke/spinach pies for pick up?" - it was pretty obvious, the pies were going directly onto the counter behind glass, while delivery pies/pickup pies were going into boxes.
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