Brooklyn Pizza Odyssey

Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of devouring pizza. Toppings or none, any pie spread before him, soon to be done.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria, Brooklyn

The journey begins across the Brooklyn Bridge with the steely eye of John Augustus Roebling cast upon ye merry band of travelers as ancient souls swim among the caissons still searching for the allusive bedrock never found.

Cameron Diaz

Under the bridge downtown lies Grimaldi's whose line stretches out like the famous suspension bridge and whose savory mozzarella and thin crust beckons like the sirens' song along the block where the beautiful Cameron Diaz once traipsed with the solemnity of Penelope herself. You sit and order a pie hot out of the coal brick oven and you're filled with a sense of promise and good cheer.

Dom DeMarco of Di Fara

From there, the wind blows out to Midwood and Di Fara, where another crowd gathers as the old man painstakingly puts together his pies grabbing basil from a pot on the windowsill and drenching his masterpiece in olive oil pressed in the old country. Check to make sure the shop is not closed due to health code violations, which from time-to-time will happen as a matter of bureaucracy and nothing more. Dom DeMarco is as much a part of the pie as any ingredient and nothing sits in that shop long enough to pose a health risk. One bite and you'll be transported, dazed at the thought you may never have tasted pizza until that moment.

L&B Spumoni Gardens, Brooklyn

Set sail again upon the unpredictable waters of the Gowanus to L&B Spumoni Gardens in Bensonhurst, where you want two squares, preferably the corner pieces. The sweet crust and delicious sauce and sublime cheese will remind you of all of the monumental moments you have amassed in your life. They will flash before you in the comfort of the outdoor space and relaxed neighborhood and for a moment, you are a kid again. Afterward, indulge in a spumoni or a lemon ice to cleanse the palate and cool down. Check your watch, if there's time, a quick shot to Coney Island and a ride on the Cyclone might be in order, but as the sun sets your path circles back toward to its point of origin.

Mark Iacano of Lucali

Lucali
in Carroll Gardens only opens for dinner and it's always mobbed, pun intended. This pies de resistance will conjure memories of the earlier pies and seemingly fix what ails you. It's stunning simplicity and craftsmanship achieve perfection. Weather permitting, a stroll along the nearby Brooklyn Heights Promenade is highly recommended before returning across the bridge where the evening or a much deserved nap awaits.

There are organized bus tours of Brooklyn pizza, but true pizza lovers must set out on their own and experience it at their pace. While the journey is not for the faint of heart, the reward is divine.

On this pale fear seized every one; they were so frightened that their arms dropped from their hands and fell upon the ground at the sound of the goddess's voice, and they fled back to the city for their lives.

Map of the Brooklyn Pizza Odyssey