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Hey, Domino's: This pizza ain't Brooklyn |
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Written by asap
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Tuesday, 07 November 2006 |
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 Memo to Domino's: There is no such thing as Brooklyn-style pizza. Or if there is, that's not it.
We also don't lean out our windows in Brooklyn and yell "fuhgedaboutit!" to each other. Nor do most of us drive cabs. In fact, most of us don't drive at all. We have the subway, and we like it.
Brooklyn is a huge and diverse borough. If you cut it off from New York, it would still be the fourth-largest city in the nation. So it's hard to generalize.
But my neighborhood is known for tree-lined streets, spacious brownstones and a lush park. Strollers and dogs outnumber rats as far as I can tell, and you're more likely to spot a yoga studio than an auto-body shop. Celebrities live here and name their children after it.
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| A real Brooklyn-style pizza. |
But stereotypes persist, and Domino's is capitalizing on them. Their Brooklyn-style pizza commercials feature an Italian "ma" who chastises a suburbanite for not knowing what Brooklyn-style pizza is ("what are you, nuts?"); a body-building Martin Scorsese extra ("you tell 'em, ma"); a vaguely foreign cab driver and his shrewish passenger ("fold it like a man").
To be fair, Domino's Brooklyn-style pizza is a decent approximation of something that does exist: New York-style pizza. The crust is thinner (but not crispy) and less spongy than a typical Domino's pizza. It's sliced thick and it's got plenty of grease. As it should.
It's frankly quite tasty for a company based in Ann Arbor, Mich. But is it Brooklyn?
I decided to ask the masters of Brooklyn pizza, starting with Grimaldi's, a legendary restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge.
"We got regular pizza. There is no style," said a worker who identified himself as Victor. "There is no such a thing like style pizza. We got round pizza."
What makes Grimaldi's pizzas distinct, according to its Web site (Victor had no time to chat or give his last name) is its coal-fired oven. Manhattan doesn't allow those, and neither does Domino's.
How about up the road at Franny's, named one of the best pizza places in the city by New York magazine?
"I suppose the truest Brooklyn pizza, historically speaking, would be a coal oven-style large pie," said Francine Stephens, who owns the restaurant with her husband. "Or perhaps, Brooklyn pizza is produced by Brooklynites."
Franny's uses wood-fired ovens and seasonal ingredients from local farms, with toppings including sea salt, buffalo mozzarella and homemade sausage. Stephens hopes her focus on sustainable agriculture and fresh ingredients is "the future of Brooklyn food."
But Domino's is dwelling on the past. They've created a contest asking people to submit their best Brooklyn "bits," to be posted on YouTube. The winner will win a trip to New York or the fake New York in Las Vegas (which is probably more appropriate). Note to contestants: "The Sopranos" live in New Jersey.
Domino's signs off the contest, "Good luck to all of yooze!"
C'mon. Any good Brooklynite knows it's "youse." You can't be Brooklyn when you're in Ann Arbor. Might as well fuhgedaboutit.
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Find it online:
Domino's pizza: http://www.dominos.com
Grimaldi's pizza: http://www.grimaldis.com
Franny's pizza: http://www.frannysbrooklyn.com
___
Lisa Tolin is asap's deputy editor.
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