New York / February 21, 2010 / dinner

Winederlust Rating (details below): 9 out of 10 / Winederlust Worthy: Yes

After Sam Sifton of the NY Times wrote that Motorino “serves the city’s best pizza” on
February 17, I had to give it a try to see for myself. I’d been to a few of
the other trendy New York pizza places – Company, Keste and, of course,
Franny’s, which is just down the block from our Brooklyn apartment – so while
I’m by no means a pizza expert, I at least had some basis for comparison.

As fate would have it, Jay’s band was practicing a few
blocks away from Motorino’s Williamsburg location (there’s also an outpost in the East Village), so I asked if he could bring back some for us to try. He wasn’t due home till after 10:30pm, so I had
to tide myself over with an empanada snack. And by the time the pizzas actually
arrived, his bandmates had already enjoyed the majority of them, but I was able
to sample a piece of the margherita ($14) and a piece of the special Brussels sprouts
pie (also $14) that Sifton singled out in his review.

Both had a delicious thin crust, though the Brussels sprouts
version was a little soggy after traveling home in a cab. The buffalo
mozzarella on the margherita was super-delicious, better than the version I’d
sampled at Keste – nearly melt-in-your-mouth. The tangy tomato sauce contrasted
nicely with the slightly sweet cheese. The Brussels sprouts version was also
really good, with smoked pancetta, garlic, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano.

Was it the best pizza in New York? Not to be a tease, but I
think I’ll have to go back and sample more to say! (Though apparently there’s
been even more of a run on the place since the Times review came out, so it’s
even tougher to get in.) So until then, I will say: It certainly was delicious.

– by Liz Humphreys, Winederlust Eater in Chief

Winederlust Rating Details (out of 10):

Food: 9.0 (preparation, presentation & taste)
Service: N/A (we had this delivered, so need to go back to evaluate service)
Place: N/A (see above)

Price Range: $ (So Cheap)

Essential Information: 

Motorino / 319 Graham Ave., Brooklyn [map]
Direct Line: (718) 599-8899

Second Location: 349 East 12th St., New York [map]
Direct Line: (212) 777-2644

Website: http://motorinopizza.com/
Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-12am; Friday-Saturday 11am-1am. Reservations in Brooklyn only for 6 or more; delivery until 11:30pm Sunday-Thursday and 12am Friday-Saturday.