Leave the Pizza, Take the Panini
Da Francesco's is a sandwich shop that sells pizza
Welcome to Pizza Tasting Chronicles, my take on the pizza review. I eat a lot of pizza. I have a lot of opinions about pizza. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Da Francesca’s had spent two decades on Graham Avenue as a full service Italian restaurant. But earlier this year the formal restaurant closed and the family relocated to a small space on Grand Street, a few blocks away.
The new spot is more of a cafe than a pizzeria. There are sandwiches, salads, and desserts, along with the pizza.
The pizza is perfectly fine, but in a city filled with great pizza, I would rather order one of their panini. The crust here was too thick and doughy. There was plenty of rise in it, so much so there were bubbles popping up and pushing sauce and cheese off the slice.
Another thing that confused me a bit was the casual placement of fresh basil on top of the regular slice. There’s nothing wrong with this, per se, but its more appropriate for a Neapolitan slice than a New York slice.
And I think that’s part of the problem. This was good pizza, but not good New York Pizza. The slice of the shape was off, I think because the diameter of the pie wasn’t quite right. The crust was chewier, the sauce dryer, and overall, less satisfying than a slice from a neighborhood joint.
The one slice I would want to go back to try is the white pie. I’m a big fan of cheesy, all white pies, and in this case it appeared to have some Gorgonzola too. That slice might bring me back, but otherwise I would stick to the sandwiches.
Da Francesco Pizza & Cucina
522 Grand Street
Brooklyn NY 11211