In an earlier post, I complained about the wait at Di Fara, prompted by a recent thread on Chowhound. Slice's city editor, Seltzerboy, responded in the comments section of that post. But his words are too good to be buried there. Dig ... --Ed.
WORDS BY SELTZERBOY .::. Di Fara is not the problem. It's the victim of a much larger problem. Too often, pizza is viewed as fast food. Di Fara is anything but fast food. In pretty much any restaurant, people are used to having their food delivered in less than 30 minutes. When someone says a restaurant has "good service," what they mean is the food made it from kitchen to table in short order.
The problem isn't Di Fara; it's our culture, which demands speed in everything. Yes, it takes longer for Di Fara to produce your pie—a lot longer, in fact. If time is your primary concern when eating out, there are no shortages of other places that will meet your needs. But when you go to Di Fara, you are engaging in something other than fast food. When I go to Di Fara, I know what I'm in for. I bring a book. But even without reading material, there's enough to keep you busy there. Commisserate with fellow patrons; share your Di Fara strategies with others; talk with Mr. DeMarco about his tomatoes or his family or whatever; pick your own herbs from the plants in the window; learn to speak a little Italian; uncork a bottle of wine; do some shopping along Avenue J and learn to speak a little Hebrew or Yiddish; study Mr. DeMarco's every move as he makes a pie (amazingly, this never gets old); grab a rag, and clean the tables; take out the garbage. Over the years, I have done all of these things while waiting for a Di Fara pie. It has become part of the experience—an experience I wouldn't change a bit. There's a group of off-duty cops who pass the time by playing cards. Waiting an hour for Mr. DeMarco's pie makes you appreciate it even more.
I could list a dozen ways in which Mr. DeMarco could speed up his operation. But all of them would hinder the final product. To me, that final product is what's most important. Why the hurry? Life's too short. Throw out the cellular phone, unplug your laptop and television, and wait an hour for your pizza. Slow down; you just might enjoy it more.
I agree, completely, Seltzerboy (jetlagged from your trip to the Holy Land, you still manage to be articulate). But, reading the Chowhound post of the woman who started this discussion, one sees that the problem was simply that Dominic forgot her order. That is unfortunate. And not uncommon. It's happened to me. On a 95 degree August day, with two kids in tow. The inside temperature at his shop must have been 120. That does not make you feel lovey-dovey about the process. Yet, a second visit is all it takes to forgive and forget. And that is what I wish for Madam DiFara-No-More and her hubby.
I had the same problem. I went with my wife and waited 2 HOURS for a pizza! I was cool waiting (in the heat) through the first hour, but when the 3rd woman who ordered AFTER ME - got her order I was getting pissed. There is no rhyme or reason to how this guy processes orders. If you're going to go - go w/a woman - preferably an attractive one and you'll get better service - or at least get your order processed. I was so pissed - again not solely b/c of the wait, but beacuse people (3!) who came in behind me had their orders filled before I did. The pizza was good, but NOT WORTH a 2 hr. wait for a plain pie.
Tom B: I think we're of the same mind. I know what I'm in for when I go to Di Fara. The wait is excruciating, especially when you've gone there hungry so as to cram as much pizza down your gullet as possible -- not to mention the fact that you're surrounded by the heavenly smell and the sight of other people eating. Even when the order gets dropped, I'm still patient. I know Dom is hella busy, and I know my own penchant for spacing things is high. But the thing that really gets under my skin is when someone who placed an order AFTER me gets his or hers first or when someone who arrived AFTER me somehow cuts the "line." I always feel like I'm being taken and it gets my riled.
Is this a relatively new phenomenon, because my wife and I went on a weekend afternoon (Sunday?) about a year, maybe a year and a half ago, and there was no wait. That said, it was excellent pizza. But certainly not worth a two hour wait, especially when the order filling seems to be so haphazard. Case in point - My wife and I took a trek to White Manna in Hackensack recently (see A Hamburger Today). There were a dozen people huddled around a tiny man in front of a tinier grill yelling out their orders - "A Dozen doubles with cheese, 6 singles cheese no onions, 5 doubles, onions but no cheese". I thought there's no way in hell this guy is going to remember who ordered what and in what order. Guess what? 15 minutes later we had are burgers just as ordered and n the RIGHT order. That is how it's done (and yes, I know it takes less effort to make a burger than a pie - that's not the point)!
In my experience, recent to about, oh, two, three years ago. When I started going, which was only relatively recently, in early 2001, the only press mention Dom had on the wall was the entry in Jim Leff's "Eclectic Gourmet Guide." Later that year, around Thanksgiving, Eric Asimov wrote up Di Fara in his "Under $25" column. That, to me, is the beginning of the madness. In the days and weeks after, hordes of people, driven by the Times and then word of mouth from them, swamped Di Fara. But then it seemed to die down -- a bit. It calmed down but there was an overall net gain in Di Fara patrons. Then all the other media outlets started writing about Dom over the years since. The crowd seemed to get thicker and thicker. I don't know if I've just gotten grumpier in the last couple of years or have lost a lot of patience in general, but it seems to have gotten worse than ever in the last two years. I remember times when you could go at "off hours" and have a pretty breezy meal. Now, there are no off hours. What's anyone else's take on this? Like I said, I'm relatively new to the Di Fara scene. I'd like to get a real veteran's take. --Adam
I don't disagree with any of the sentiments expressed here. I admit that I love the pizza and the whole scene at Di Fara to a fault. I'm willing to tolerate things there I, too, have had to remind Dom more than once about an order that I would never tolerate anywhere else. But isn't that typical of life in New York? I live seven miles from the office, which is at most a 15- to 20-minute commute in most of the country. It takes me 45 minutes on a good day and more than 90 minutes on a bad day, a delay that's largely unpredictable and unavoidable. That says nothing of standing on a platform at 3 a.m. watching the rats move faster along the tracks than I am. I get home to a roach-infested apartment that, while reasonably priced by New York standards, would still cost half as much anywhere else. And even when my pizza is delivered in short order, it costs $2.50 a slice. There are a lot of hardships to living here. For most people, it's not worth the hassle and expense, and I don't blame them. Di Fara is just another example of that struggle. I liked New York better before chain stores choked the streets, tourists flooded the sidewalks, and wealthy people stole the city from those who built it. Just like Di Fara, New York was more pleasant before "the word got out." I have thought about giving up on New York, but it's home. Just like Di Fara. Everything on that menu, from the pizza to the potato-and-egg hero, is better than it is everywhere else. If the answer is that we should keep it to ourselves so that we can order a pizza in 30 minutes or less, isn't that selfishness counterintuitive to a pizza Web log or Chowhound? Note to the management: There are definitely still off-hours. But I'm not sharing them in a public forum.
I myself only go during off hours. But really, maybe the solution for most people is to find other pizza places to eat at. Are we going to blame the wait times and confusion on an aging pizza chef, or on the fact that we unoriginal pizza eaters keep coming in from all over to crowd the place up? It's very good pizza, but it's not the only game in town.
why does everyone talk about Di Fara?! Listen, I have lived one block away from Avenue J since 1984 and I could tell you Di Fara is NOT the best pizza around. There are so many better pizzerias in South Brooklyn - Vesuvius, Trio, Del Mar, Pizza Time (kosher, yes, but same owner as Del Mar). I have always found Di Fara's pizza burned and had a really bad experience there when I was 10. The one great thing about Di Fara getting all this undeserved hype is that I don't have to wait 2 hrs for a pie (actually only 15 minutes) at fabulous pizzerias.
Ilana: I'd love to hear the story of your bad experience there when you were 10. Can you elaborate? Either leave it in the comments here or e-mail me at adam [at] sliceny [dot] com --Adam
haha. My best friend and his mother invited me to a slice of pizza after school. He was into the 'extra cheese'. I was not, but since they were treating, I was too shy. Anyway, it was way too cheese for me and I ended up throwing up, right there in pizzeria. I guess I will never get that image out of my head!! LOL. But my one critique of Di Fara has always been that the bottoms felt charred to me - I guess it really is a matter of taste. They do have lovely Italian Ices though. :))
It's true - it's difficult to chill out and be patient when Dom is making the pies in totally random order. I find if you sit right in front of the counter and stare at him, your order gets processed much faster. If you look willing to wait, he'll let you wait. Much as I love the guy, you have to be the squeaky wheel if you want to eat your pizza while you're still young. I'll defend the place to the death, but I, too, am sick of people trucking out from all corners of NYC just because they're blindly following the orders of whatever zeitgeisty publication most recently told them they had to go to DiFara. One or two write-ups is good for business. One or two a month for five years just makes the whole experience annoying. I blame food critics, actually, for being too lazy to branch out. I'm sure there are dozens of other places that at least come CLOSE to Dom's pizzamastery - write one of those up ad nauseam, and maybe my neighborhood will settle down a little.
i think it's all your fault for wanting to go there, i assure you, people stop going, and sure enough, he'll figure out a way to become more efficient - nothing like lean times to make you figure it all out -
Thanks for commenting! Your comment has been accepted and will appear in a moment.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
Print
12 Comments:
I agree, completely, Seltzerboy (jetlagged from your trip to the Holy Land, you still manage to be articulate). But, reading the Chowhound post of the woman who started this discussion, one sees that the problem was simply that Dominic forgot her order. That is unfortunate. And not uncommon. It's happened to me. On a 95 degree August day, with two kids in tow. The inside temperature at his shop must have been 120. That does not make you feel lovey-dovey about the process. Yet, a second visit is all it takes to forgive and forget. And that is what I wish for Madam DiFara-No-More and her hubby.
Slice famdoc at 2:31AM on 06/23/06
I had the same problem. I went with my wife and waited 2 HOURS for a pizza! I was cool waiting (in the heat) through the first hour, but when the 3rd woman who ordered AFTER ME - got her order I was getting pissed. There is no rhyme or reason to how this guy processes orders. If you're going to go - go w/a woman - preferably an attractive one and you'll get better service - or at least get your order processed. I was so pissed - again not solely b/c of the wait, but beacuse people (3!) who came in behind me had their orders filled before I did. The pizza was good, but NOT WORTH a 2 hr. wait for a plain pie.
Slice Tom B at 4:03PM on 06/23/06
Tom B: I think we're of the same mind. I know what I'm in for when I go to Di Fara. The wait is excruciating, especially when you've gone there hungry so as to cram as much pizza down your gullet as possible -- not to mention the fact that you're surrounded by the heavenly smell and the sight of other people eating. Even when the order gets dropped, I'm still patient. I know Dom is hella busy, and I know my own penchant for spacing things is high. But the thing that really gets under my skin is when someone who placed an order AFTER me gets his or hers first or when someone who arrived AFTER me somehow cuts the "line." I always feel like I'm being taken and it gets my riled.
Adam Kuban at 5:03PM on 06/23/06
Is this a relatively new phenomenon, because my wife and I went on a weekend afternoon (Sunday?) about a year, maybe a year and a half ago, and there was no wait. That said, it was excellent pizza. But certainly not worth a two hour wait, especially when the order filling seems to be so haphazard. Case in point - My wife and I took a trek to White Manna in Hackensack recently (see A Hamburger Today). There were a dozen people huddled around a tiny man in front of a tinier grill yelling out their orders - "A Dozen doubles with cheese, 6 singles cheese no onions, 5 doubles, onions but no cheese". I thought there's no way in hell this guy is going to remember who ordered what and in what order. Guess what? 15 minutes later we had are burgers just as ordered and n the RIGHT order. That is how it's done (and yes, I know it takes less effort to make a burger than a pie - that's not the point)!
Slice Sallybats at 6:14PM on 06/23/06
In my experience, recent to about, oh, two, three years ago. When I started going, which was only relatively recently, in early 2001, the only press mention Dom had on the wall was the entry in Jim Leff's "Eclectic Gourmet Guide." Later that year, around Thanksgiving, Eric Asimov wrote up Di Fara in his "Under $25" column. That, to me, is the beginning of the madness. In the days and weeks after, hordes of people, driven by the Times and then word of mouth from them, swamped Di Fara. But then it seemed to die down -- a bit. It calmed down but there was an overall net gain in Di Fara patrons. Then all the other media outlets started writing about Dom over the years since. The crowd seemed to get thicker and thicker. I don't know if I've just gotten grumpier in the last couple of years or have lost a lot of patience in general, but it seems to have gotten worse than ever in the last two years. I remember times when you could go at "off hours" and have a pretty breezy meal. Now, there are no off hours. What's anyone else's take on this? Like I said, I'm relatively new to the Di Fara scene. I'd like to get a real veteran's take. --Adam
Adam Kuban at 7:57PM on 06/23/06
I don't disagree with any of the sentiments expressed here. I admit that I love the pizza and the whole scene at Di Fara to a fault. I'm willing to tolerate things there I, too, have had to remind Dom more than once about an order that I would never tolerate anywhere else. But isn't that typical of life in New York? I live seven miles from the office, which is at most a 15- to 20-minute commute in most of the country. It takes me 45 minutes on a good day and more than 90 minutes on a bad day, a delay that's largely unpredictable and unavoidable. That says nothing of standing on a platform at 3 a.m. watching the rats move faster along the tracks than I am. I get home to a roach-infested apartment that, while reasonably priced by New York standards, would still cost half as much anywhere else. And even when my pizza is delivered in short order, it costs $2.50 a slice. There are a lot of hardships to living here. For most people, it's not worth the hassle and expense, and I don't blame them. Di Fara is just another example of that struggle. I liked New York better before chain stores choked the streets, tourists flooded the sidewalks, and wealthy people stole the city from those who built it. Just like Di Fara, New York was more pleasant before "the word got out." I have thought about giving up on New York, but it's home. Just like Di Fara. Everything on that menu, from the pizza to the potato-and-egg hero, is better than it is everywhere else. If the answer is that we should keep it to ourselves so that we can order a pizza in 30 minutes or less, isn't that selfishness counterintuitive to a pizza Web log or Chowhound? Note to the management: There are definitely still off-hours. But I'm not sharing them in a public forum.
seltzerboy at 9:04PM on 06/23/06
I myself only go during off hours. But really, maybe the solution for most people is to find other pizza places to eat at. Are we going to blame the wait times and confusion on an aging pizza chef, or on the fact that we unoriginal pizza eaters keep coming in from all over to crowd the place up? It's very good pizza, but it's not the only game in town.
Slice Bookhouse at 12:00AM on 06/30/06
why does everyone talk about Di Fara?! Listen, I have lived one block away from Avenue J since 1984 and I could tell you Di Fara is NOT the best pizza around. There are so many better pizzerias in South Brooklyn - Vesuvius, Trio, Del Mar, Pizza Time (kosher, yes, but same owner as Del Mar). I have always found Di Fara's pizza burned and had a really bad experience there when I was 10. The one great thing about Di Fara getting all this undeserved hype is that I don't have to wait 2 hrs for a pie (actually only 15 minutes) at fabulous pizzerias.
Slice ilana at 2:42AM on 07/03/06
Ilana: I'd love to hear the story of your bad experience there when you were 10. Can you elaborate? Either leave it in the comments here or e-mail me at adam [at] sliceny [dot] com --Adam
Adam Kuban at 3:13AM on 07/03/06
haha. My best friend and his mother invited me to a slice of pizza after school. He was into the 'extra cheese'. I was not, but since they were treating, I was too shy. Anyway, it was way too cheese for me and I ended up throwing up, right there in pizzeria. I guess I will never get that image out of my head!! LOL. But my one critique of Di Fara has always been that the bottoms felt charred to me - I guess it really is a matter of taste. They do have lovely Italian Ices though. :))
Slice ilana at 3:48PM on 07/03/06
It's true - it's difficult to chill out and be patient when Dom is making the pies in totally random order. I find if you sit right in front of the counter and stare at him, your order gets processed much faster. If you look willing to wait, he'll let you wait. Much as I love the guy, you have to be the squeaky wheel if you want to eat your pizza while you're still young. I'll defend the place to the death, but I, too, am sick of people trucking out from all corners of NYC just because they're blindly following the orders of whatever zeitgeisty publication most recently told them they had to go to DiFara. One or two write-ups is good for business. One or two a month for five years just makes the whole experience annoying. I blame food critics, actually, for being too lazy to branch out. I'm sure there are dozens of other places that at least come CLOSE to Dom's pizzamastery - write one of those up ad nauseam, and maybe my neighborhood will settle down a little.
Slice Jess at 5:51PM on 07/11/06
i think it's all your fault for wanting to go there, i assure you, people stop going, and sure enough, he'll figure out a way to become more efficient - nothing like lean times to make you figure it all out -
Slice aj at 9:56AM on 10/06/06