Among the scores of Brooklyn’s legendary talents is Domenico DeMarco of Di Fara’s Pizza in Midwood. The man himself admits that Anthony Bourdain‘s declaration of the eatery as “the best of the best” has added to their reputation (note that credit is widely given to the Village Voice giving them the top nod back in the 90s).
This week, Dom posted on Facebook that he met Bourdain:
Many blame him for the original start of the long lines. I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting him in person this weekend. Also sat in on a live interview he did and I was so impressed with his story but what impressed me most was his heart.
Vice’s Munchies blog took a trip to Di Fara’s in honor of their 50th anniversary in the abeetza biz:
Inside, Di Fara looked just as described in profiles I’d read the days prior: like a standard pizzeria. Linoleum floors, a few tables with chairs, walls covered in accolades and glowing write-ups. Domenico was busy creating the first few pies of the day, spreading sauce, drizzling prepared pies with olive oil and putting fresh basil on finished ones. The smell of fresh baked bread with three cheeses (two types of mozzarella!) and San Marzano tomato sauce at this place is definitely not like the pizza joint on the corner. There’s the lighter, round pie and the heavier, twice-baked cheesy square pie that a few regulars mentioned is the one to get. When you consider that Domenico is the only person who makes all the pies in this place (which follows his philosophy about how a pizzeria should be run), it makes a little more sense that slices are five dollars a piece. The place is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so the old man can rest.
YouTube user “bapfu” uploaded this video of the master in action:
Photo: “Di Fara Pizza’s Pizza” by Psychocadet – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
