Dee’s Wood Fired Pizza & Kitchen

A year or so back, I was invited inside the kitchen of Austin Pizza – my review talked about the quality and proper cooking of the dough, more specifically, the oven – an oven of modest stature yet chock full of technology. So now I’m fixated on ovens – indoor, outdoor and knowing dinner was at Dee’s Brick Oven Pizza – I steadied and readied myself as I entered with youthful excitement thinking about the oven.

Dees first location – just across the street, a stones throw westward – it was the 90s friend frost on the window panes and brick oven pizza inside, it was new –  some adored it, some preferred their standard pizza others remained indifferent, rightly or wrongly this was  I.

Dees was bustling busy this evening, as it usually is – so I wasn’t able to sneak the peek I wanted – I missed viewing the oven – gosh I wanted to see it and the kneading, the pressing the flipping and the fire side slide of the dough to the inside.
So – I didn’t order the pizza, I needed the background information, I wanted my imagination to take the controls, but the seed was planted for a return.

“Let’s get a few starters” rebounding quickly from my non pizza new starting point – reading the digital menu on a hockey puck sized screen. Calamari Fritto ($17.00) wasn’t the start I’d hoped for – kinda rubbery, more snouts than torsos, spicy aioli just doesn’t do it for me with this dish, I’m all day with the marinara here.

The Crab Cake ($18.00) A single – I assume wasn’t born n bred in the waters of Maryland, no indication as such, yet made a big splash with a little help from our clean, neat, pressed and professional servers that swarmed on delivery and removal with absolutely perfect time intervals – all descriptions properly pronounced and verbalized thoroughly.

I loved the unwavering shape of the crab cake I made my first incision, I prefer my crabby patties a bit more toasted brown – I loved the look of the thriving & luxurious arugula salad topping.

My 6’6 and 305Lb dining partner and I continued, crushing the dishes with Cavatelli Broccoli Rabe Spicy Sausage ($27.00) up next and polished off in just minutes. Short dense pasta worked well with it’s coconspirators with great texture changes and the finishing bite of spice was nice as we continued our eating journey.

Chicken Milanese con Buratta – double ‘R’ single ‘T’? ($25.00) nicely pounded, egg bath, flour and possibly a double presses panko breadcrumb baptism – the flavor was a bit plain but quite good, perfectly cooked golden brown had me thinking about the crab cake once again. I had thought a lemon zest might have provided a little nice little zip. The Burrata atop with it’s slightly hardened outer casing and soft creamy cows milk inside was absolutely delightful.

• Crab Cake.Crab Cake.
• Cavatelli w Broccoli Rabe and Spicy Sausage.Cavatelli w Broccoli Rabe and Spicy Sausage.
• Chicken Milanese con Burrata.

Joe and Sal’s Pizza, BROOKLYN NY

Another eye catcher along Court Street was the decorative lights outside which wrapped both curbside trees in the green, red and white and if there’s a game with the naming of flags of the world, I believe myself to be a viable player.
Santa was hanging on from the front fire escape as if someone closed the window upon his inflatable mittens but the visual was adorable. As to was the inside, holiday music streaming across above our heads with the tweeter and the tinsel engaged in metallic light and sounds.

Mini pine cone shaped multi lights, the older kind that will put a third degree burn on ya with just one quick touch doubled in illuminati against the double mirrors, but the slice reheat is taking a long time and I’m done with googling the lights and tinsel. Plus the person next to me is as loud as a heated union negotiator on his Walmart prepay phone trying to impress with his “gimme a pie” order, until he found out it’s cost then quieted down with his revamped “two slices” order.

A super delicate crust gives me such joy, it’s exactly how the NYC slice of pizza should be, gosh it was perfect so I take back my “reheat is taking a long time” commentary.
Stretchy flavorful mozzarella, a light sweetness to the sauce, very well balanced — this pizza parlor really impressed me!

Stoners Pizza Dude

 

 

Over thirteen hundred reviews on YELP later and now I’m thinking “have I reviewed food that has reached me by delivery?” And I can not say for sure that I am completely certain that I have or certain that I have not.

Pecking in my choices of size, bread, sauce and toppings and tip into my phone was quite seamless. And now the clock starts and they’ve projected for me a ten minute window, thirty five minutes out. Forty minutes later, there was a jingle at my door. Super friendly fellow, represented his company and himself very well.

The pepperoni ring pattern of round and round around the pizza we go can be your laying technique, but the look to me is damaging — I prefer a more random and rustic look myself. Extra cheese is just the darnedest extra topping to add because you never really get it, you always get charged and no recourse for them possibly cheating you out of it, but I do it anyway.

The crust sagged a bit, the cheese wasn’t exactly of the quality I’d had thought they would use. The sauce just kinda sat in the background and lingered like the last party guest that isn’t leaving and isn’t getting the picture that it’s time. There is just so little to say.