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Brooklyn: Di Fara Pizza

I trekled two-thirds of the length of Brooklyn to come here. This unpreposessing storefront has become a regular stop for food TV video crews as an example of New York's finest pizza. Mr. De Marco was at the helm, visible in the window, making pizzas as he has done for over a half a century. Unfortunately, a sign at the door said the shop was closed for a private party. Just as I was about to trudge back to the subway, a gentleman appeared to explain that they were taking orders to be served at their satellite location around the corner. He said that it could take two hours. I hesitated, but when he confirmed that I could order slices, I signed up for two. I squeezed into the door and waited. The atmosphere as everyone waited was low-key. People tried to enjoy the wait. After about an hour-and-a-half, a pie arrived for one lucky family. I had worried that the atmosphere when a pie arrived would shift to zombie apocalypse scrambling, but everyone just looked admiringly at the pie, then went back to watching the basketball game. Time passed...
Three-and-a-half hours later, my slices arrived. I went to work with calm efficiency. Two sensations struck me. First, the fresh basil was excellent and really accented the pizza. Second, the sauce was possibly the best I've ever had on a pizza. It was a combination of sweet and tart that I just loved. The crust was classic New York, stretched very thin and chewy around the edges. The cheese took a back seat, but that is part of the tradition of pizza as inexpensive food. Was it worth the wait? Not 3.5 hours, to tell you the truth. Two hours would have been fine. It was very good, though, and for your visit circumstances may give you a shorter wait.
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