A friend asked me that about our recent trip to DiFara’s Pizza. After all, it is way the heck out of the way. So I thought that might be a nice summary for some of the adventures we do. I know, I’ve been bad at the blogging … if my company would get a wee bit better at the speech to text technology, I’d could knock this out from a wireless phone update on my commute home from the north … but I digress.
Now, in any good rating system, one needs consistent metrics. As we’re just beginning this experiment, I’m still open to the influence of outsiders — feel free to comment. Here’s what I’m going to start with: Time, Cost, Quality, Experience, Overall rating.
So let’s start this new blog experiment with DiFara’s. (If you’re lucky, there’ll be a second post this weekend on a new subject.)
DiFara’s Pizza (what they say | what the other guys say)
424 Avenue J, Brooklyn NY 11230
ReyesReport Overall Rating: Two Reyi thumbs up (that’s a 4 thumbs for those of you who have trouble counting fingers)
Time
- For starters, DiFara’s is not close but it is accessible by public transport, so +1 for that. But it took about an hour to get there by subway, so there goes that bonus point (-1, one hour or over).
- Now … once you arrive, you don’t just get your pizza. You shoulder your way to a wait list. Get your name on a sheet of paper. And wait. Some people bring games. Some people have children. Most of the comments on the Interweb warn to plan at least 30 minutes of queuing. That would normally garnish a -1 … but we made a special order of pepperoni pizza, which apparently put us on a special list. The woman taking orders told us if we didn’t mind pepperoni *and* mushroom (which happens to be Conrad’s absolute favorite pizza), she could give it to us right now. The people in the line were *not* thrilled. I, however, attribute +1 for just being awesome and jovial.
- Net: 0 — It’s not worth a regular commute, but on a splurge, time is on your side.
Cost
- This pizza was not cheap. Tasty, but not cheap. Toppings were all extra too. -1
- They accept only cash. -1 (Sorry, Mr D, I’m a modern girl)
- Net: -2
Quality (warning: this is one of two of the distinguishing qualities)
To me, pizza is judged in 3 main qualities. So that’s the methodology we’ll follow here:
- Crust: Thin and just the right kind of crisp. Delectable. Amazing. Even after a 10 minute walk to a park. +3, really great.
- Toppings: Pepperoni is a staple. I think it has to be the most common, American pizza topping. We used that as the topping benchmark. Honestly, DiFara’s didn’t stand out here. The mushrooms were awesome, but the pepperoni was sub-par. -1 However, Mr. DiFara has a special secret touch and adds, by hand, to each pie, as they come out of the pizza oven on that crazy board thing, a special drizzle of olive oil and a fresh cut of basil. +1, Mr. DiFara, +1.
- Taste: Put those things together, and does it all work? Yep. +2.
- Net: +5. It’s damn yummy pizza.
Experience
This is the tourism rating. The flavour. The zest. The culture. Mr DiFara has created a cultural experience all his own. And kids, he isn’t young. It’s a trek to the depths of Brooklyn. It’s a story to tell your grandchildren. It’s a tiny hole in the wall that you’d pass by on the way to the 7-Eleven without a second glance. The interior is not special, it’s a pizza joint. We went in the summer. The pizza oven was hot. There was no A/C. And every step of the experience made us feel like happy tourists at home in our city. Yep, definitely a +2.
Overall
- Rad: Definitely go do it. Now, my caveat, we didn’t have to sit for 1.5 hours to wait for the pizza. Would I wait that long? I don’t think so. But I had a great time, great pizza, don’t miss it before this guy dies.
- Reba: Do it, at least once. But make a day of it and enjoy the ride — it’s an epic adventure and not a regular commute for your daily slice.
- Score: 0 -2 +5 +2 = +5, don’t miss it!
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