Chris H.
Yelp
A paean to the near-perfect pizza or 10 guiding principles and/or parables of the Motorino pie:
1. Pizza shall not exist as a mere delivery vessel for meat and cheese (someone please tell that to the schmucks at Paisano's)
2. Thy crust shan't be cracker thin and devoid of flavor (looking at you Cafe Deco and Pizza Express). Rather it should have a semi dense crumb structure somewhere between the upper and lower bounds of L&B Spumoni Gardens (dense) and Luzzos (floppier but acceptable)
3. Thy crust shall be blistered to a calico effect and should be pliable to fold in half (although those weirdos in Naples eat it with fork and knife - a forgivable sin)
4. Thy end crust shall sport a puffy but tamed 'corcione' (which is what pizza nerds call the end crust). Nor shall the crust be discarded, for thine is the best part of the pizza
5. Thy sauce should be made from San Marzano tomatoes and generally should be uncooked before going into the oven
6. Thy mozz should be fresh, and not that shit that comes pre-shredded in a plastic bag. Also if you call it "mooz" or "moozadell", you're an asshole or from Bensonhurst, NY. Or possibly both
7. Thy shall be limited to no more than 4-5 toppings, such as a pizza of excellently charred leaves of brussels sprout nestled with smoked pancetta and redolent of garlic and pecorino ($168) at Motorino
8. It's a sin to covet thy neighbor, unless your neighbor is tucking into a Motorino margherita ($138), a triumph of what pizza can and should be - a celebration of that perfect crust, good quality mozzarella, bright tomato sauce and a kiss of basil
9. When opening the overseas outpost of a beloved New York City staple, you shall keep all of the touches just so - an excellently curated menu of Italian spirits, reliably tender and satisfying meatballs, and cramped tables so that one might rub elbows with thy neighbor (and get a sneak peak of what they're enjoying)
10. Pizza is like sex. Even when it's bad, it's pretty good. Thankfully at Motorino, the pizza is fantastic.
rAmen