Pizza is as New York as it is Italian. Even within those geographies, it comes in all sizes, shapes, doughs, sauces. But there is one Big Apple pizzaria that struck me as particularly interesting… Paulie Gee's.
Since first hearing about it on SkeeterNYC's Vimeo on Food Curated, I've been hankering to try Paulie Gee's. It's located in Brooklyn's Greenpoint section, which is a short subway ride from Manhattan's Union Square. On a recent sunny Friday evening (luxurious with spring blossoms and soft warmth) I ended up venturing out that way. Greenpoint has been a Polish neighborhood for the last 100 years. Today the area breaths Kielbasa-plus-yeasty wafty old world air, and the emerging scent of new restaurants that sing bohemian chic.
Walking in to Paulie Gee's, the first thing I noticed was the deliciously dim-lit bar, wooden planked bar, tables and antique bar chairs. And it has a great array of shuffled music, played just at the right decibles, loud enough to hear but never blaring, great soundtracks for great pizza.
The menu seems chock full of pun-intended pizza names, with a nod to salads and soup and even one pie giving hommage to an off-premise partner, Sea bean goods. My eyes made quick friends with something called "Red,White and Greenberg."
Red, White and Greenberg, cheesy but really packed with flavor and the dough, that's the key. A pie with guanciale and pickled onions, meeting of all good old school with light crisp dough.
Paulie Gee's doesn't feature the classic Neopolitano pizza with puffy fat edges, but a thinner, less doughy creature characterized by charred flatbreads, with a tender but still slighty thin, puffy crust. It lends itself to sharing the toppings. It's also less filling (in a good way). You'd almost think, wow, one more please! So charmed, it begged to be savored and simultaneously demolished, washed down with a really satisfying crafted beer. And besides great beers, it offers wines and sodas, including Mexican Coca-Cola.
In the main dining area, you could see the wood burning stove with the distinct Napoli tiled oven and the pizzaiolas working each pie with care and precision.
What's nice too, I met Paulie as I snapped photos. He's a charmer, likes to chat pizza, and a real host. I'll definitely be back…
0 Comments