My friend Aram, a New Yorker through and through (though we grew close during the years he lived in Los Angeles), is adamant that there is no great pizza but New York pizza (nevermind that Italy place), and that in New York, there is no great pizza but Grimaldi’s. Luckily, on the evening that I hung out with him and his wife, Dunia, a couple other friends from L.A. dropped by, intent on getting their N.Y. pizza fix. Grimaldi’s it was.

Aram and Henry went to pick up the pizza by car, and reported that it was a high-security operation. A line snaked around the block, and only one of them — the one who had placed the order — was allowed to enter the premises.

It is a truth universally acknowledged among pizza lovers, that pizza is really at its best on the premises. Being transported across town doesn’t do the ideal crisp crust any favors.

Grimaldi’s pie held up well, trading the fresh-from-the-oven crispness for a nice chew that carried a whiff of the coals. I had been impressed by Di Fara’s basil snippets, but here were whole leaves of basil. And the cheese, unlike Di Fara’s distinctively tangy blend, was pure, milky-sweet mozzarella. A formidable, yet utterly simple, combination.

Grimaldi’s
19 Old Fulton Street (under the Brooklyn Bridge)
Brooklyn, NY
(718) 858-4300