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The Best Pizza In NYC? Lucali; Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Carroll Gardens, New York

July 16, 2014 / Brooklyn Bites, Carroll Gardens, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

The famous Lucali’s is reputedly home to one of the best pizzas in New York City. As such, there is always a line to get in, and it’s always seemed to us like too much of a hassle to try to get in when we’re paying a sitter so that we can potentially stand in line for an hour. When we recently flew back from Australia however, we had a week with jet lag where Missy E was awake every night at dinner time. Since she wasn’t sleeping anyway, we all headed down to Lucali’s in Carroll Gardens to FINALLY try this pizza we’ve been hearing about all this time.

We arrived right before the restaurant opened, and were not that surprised when we saw a big crowd of diners who had the same idea that we had had. Turns out that getting there right when the doors open does not beat the crowd: the smart thing to do is to reserve a table over the phone, or arrive at least 15 minutes before the restaurant opens, guaranteeing you a seat in the second seating of the evening — so about a 30-45min wait. Missy E was napping in her stroller when we arrived, so we strolled around the neighborhood for half an hour until we got the call that our table was ready. They do not have high chairs. Our table was right next to the pizza-making station. The staff couldn’t have been friendlier toward our slightly crazy toddler. The wait staff gave her a fresh flower to play with, and then a piece of pizza dough with which she could “make” her own pizza. When she started to get antsy, I took her to watch the chefs hard at work making the pizzas from scratch. We watched as they rolled and threw our pizza’s dough, covered it in fresh toppings, and finally, removed it from the oven, piping hot.

And about those pizzas. There are two menu options at Lucali’s — pizza or calzone, with your choice of meat and vegetables, which are listed each night on the chalkboard outside the restaurant. The only beverage they serve is water, but you can BYO wine. The much-hyped pizza was absolutely amazing. It had the perfect crust, thin and crispy on the edges, with a rich tomato sauce, a generous amount of cheese and giant clumps of fresh basil. One pizza was just the right size for two adults and a toddler to share (they do half-and-half if you want different toppings to your dining companions).

After our pizza we still had room for dessert, so we dropped by our nearby fave, Brooklyn Farmacy, for a banana split.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Lucali
575 Henry St,
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone: (718) 858-4086
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm Sun 10am-6pm
Get Directions

Brooklyn Farmacy
513 Henry St,
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone: (718) 522-6260
Prices: $
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat & Sun 9am-11pm
Get Directions

Franny’s: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Park Slope/Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York

March 19, 2014 / Brooklyn Bites, New York, New York Food, Park Slope, Prospect Heights / 1 Comment

Franny’s is a firm neighbourhood favorite for families. As well as serving up a great pizza pie, Franny’s is committed to sustainable agriculture. They buy locally grown foods and serve seasonal produce. The vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy, and fish are largely sourced from local and/or organic producers; all the meats at Franny’s are from sustainable sources, containing no hormones or antibiotics. It’s a place you can go to and feel really good about what you are eating there.

While this is all well and good, the question remains . . . Are their pizzas any good?? We dropped in recently with some hungry friends and proceeded to test out a significant section of their pizza menu, in search of the perfect slice.

Franny’s is a goodly size, with plenty of seating and space. We arrived at peak lunch hour with a party of four adults and two wiggly toddlers and were quickly seated at our table. Missy E was in a particularly squirmy mood since we hadn’t had time to stop at a playground beforehand to wear her out (not the smartest move we’ve ever made, but thank God we had the iPhones). Franny’s was our destination of choice because I was really feeling pizza that day, and our friends were big Franny’s fans. They also have a lot of tables so you’ve always got a pretty good chance of being seated straight away with no wait, even with a party the size of ours (Franny’s only tasks reservations for parties of 8 – 12).

Our umbrella strollers were stored in their stroller and scooter parking space (note — bring a folding stroller only as there is no room for the jumbo ones inside).

The service was adequate but nothing special. Not particularly fast, even though we had two toddlers with us who really did not want to be sitting down for long. We ordered four pies (it seems like a lot, but hey, don’t forget that pizza is a toddler crowd-favorite!). Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella and Sausage ($17); Tomato, Basil and Buffalo Mozzarella ($16); Wax Peppers, Onions, Olives, Oregano and Provolone Piccante ($17); and Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella and Meatballs ($17).

The pizzas come as one giant pie, requiring you to cut it up with cutlery yourself. The pies are pretty big — larger than personal, but not as big as family. If you’re particularly hungry and are sharing with a pizza-loving toddler, you and any other adults you dine with may want to order as we did (ahem, one each). The base is soft and pliable, with a crisp bottom (no soggy pizza!) and the high-grade toppings deliciously melt together. I’d prefer the toppings to be closer to the edge of the pizza since I prefer a higher topping-to-crust ratio. The pizza tasted as a great pizza should — mouthfuls of slightly sweet tomato sauce and stringy mozzarella.

Missy E ADORES pizza and was in absolute heaven. With the DIY pizza-slicing, we could cut her pieces into the perfect size for little toddler hands. Luckily I’d remembered her disposable bib, which was absolutely integral to saving the adorable outfit I’d dressed her in that morning. E eats pizza with gusto, shall we say. And in large quantities. Two adult size slices vanished into her tummy like she was a Toddler Pizza Houdini that day. Amazingly she sat still while she was eating — it was literally the only time she sat still for an entire meal. The rest of her time at Franny’s was spent running up and down the bench Alec and I were seated on. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it before — but so far E is a vegetarian like me, so the only pizza she was sampling was mine.

Little E’s friend who was dining with us and her parents is a few months younger. Not quite so active, she’s usually happier to sit rather than stand/run/drive the servers wild like Cheese does. It was the cutest thing to watch the two little pizza fans gorging themselves, and knowing that at least it was a relatively healthy meal (for a pizza, I mean!). Pizza is often my fall-back for Cheese because I know she’s guaranteed to eat it. At Franny’s, at least I don’t feel so lazy for our meal choice, because of the super healthy ingredients.

For dessert, walk a few blocks over to Ample Hills Creamery to complete a day of deliciousness.

Last bite: Great pizza that will cost you a pretty penny but that you can feel really good about. Enjoy easting local, seasonal and organic produce, and give your kids some big chunks of pizza to gnaw on (and enjoy slicing it up yourself).

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Franny’s
348 Flatbush Ave
New York, NY 11238
Phone: (718) 230-0221
Hours: Sun-Thur 12pm-11pm Fri-Sat 12pm-11:30pm

Get directions.

Keste Pizza: Kid-Friendly Pizza & Vino, West Village, New York

January 14, 2014 / Manhattan Munchies, New York Food, West Village / 0 comment

In my early days in New York, I was introduced to Kesté Pizza & Vino on Bleeker Street, by my Aussie expat friends. It was a welcome respite from the chaos in my life at that stage — pregnant, moving to New York City and starting my life from scratch. Inside Kesté, life was simpler. It was relaxed and casual, with welcoming staff, a cozy vibe, uh-mazing pizza, and understanding friends.

Missy E ate a lot of Kesté pizza when she was in utero, but none since popping out of it until my last birthday, when we decided to drop in for a casual lunch. As always, the staff was inviting and sat us straight away on an early Saturday afternoon, in a tiny little corner booth, backed up against the open kitchen.

It was pretty squishy at the table, but our location turned out to be a blessing when I realised that the glass behind me peeked straight into the kitchen and that Miss E could be briefly entertained by watching the pizzas being made from scratch, and then being baked in the oven. She also thought it would be fun to play with the wine bottles.

Even though it was my birthday (or maybe especially because it was my birthday?), Miss E was being a total demon child. Up, down, no, no, noooooooooo. The iPhone and then pizza occupied her briefly, but sadly this was one of the fastest and least relaxing visits I’ve had at Kesté. Ever.

Our visit might have been improved if the staff had been a bit friendlier towards us — especially towards Miss E. Yes, I know she can be INCREDIBLY annoying (such as on this particular day), but it would have made our lunch just that much more enjoyable and less stressful if we’d felt that they liked kids a bit more (or at least pretended to). While the staff were very efficient, we felt like they were really rushed on this particular day and our food was thrown at us, with no effort to make us comfortable, such as offers to get us things like a plastic cup for the child (I think we actually asked for this and it was ignored), or just basic welcoming conversation. It could just have been because we arrived during a busy time and the staff were super busy, so I would absolutely return with Miss E to give it another shot — if only because their pizza is SO FRICKING GOOD.

At Kesté, they make each pizza to order, from the crust up, so the pizzas super fresh in every possible way. They even make gluten-free pizzas for those who request them.

The tomato sauce on my Margherita ($13) is the perfect sweet tomato blend, with giant gloops of fresh mozzarella and little basil leaves. We ordered a pizza per adult — between the two of us, Missy E and I polished ours off. Alec was so hungry he ate his entire pizza.

We hope to return to Kesté on another day when our daughter is not trying to destroy our souls.

Last Bite: One of the best pies you’ll get in the city, at one of the most reasonable prices. The perfect place to introduce kids to what a quality pizza actually tastes like.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Minimal. Fold up strollers only.
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Kesté Pizza & Vino
271 Bleecker St (between Jones St & Morton St)
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 243-1500
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Thur 12pm-3:30pm, 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-11:30pm, Sun 12pm-10:30pm

Coney Island Day Trip: Totonno’s Pizza + NY Aquarium

August 6, 2013 / Animal Experiences, Brooklyn Bites, Cheese, Coney Island, Eat & Explore / 0 comment

Totonno’s - kid-friendly restaurants, Coney Island - via brunchwithmybaby.com — Huge pizza. No problem.

A day trip to Coney Island for most people is about sun, fun and hotdogs. For us however, it is all about pizza at Totonno’s, which is quite possibly the best pizza in New York. Big call, I know. But Totonno’s has plenty of press to back them up over the nine decades they’ve been open, as one of the best pies you’ll get in NYC.

Let’s back up a bit: After hearing about the Totonno’s reputation soon after we moved here from Sydney, we were determined to put their pizza to the test. So we decided to make a day trip of it, beginning with pizza and ending with a visit to the nearby NY Aquarium.

We were a bit wary after walking through a few Coney Island back streets, past auto-mechanics, to a nondescript storefront that opened to an old-school diner. Was this really home to one of New York’s best pizzas? We were dubious, but decided to stay and try it out anyway. Note to readers — our visit and these pics were taken before the hurricane, and before Totonno’s remodeling following the disaster. The pizza however, is exactly the same.

Totonno’s - kid-friendly restaurants, Coney Island — Waiting for food in the low-key dining area.

Totonno’s is not a fancy place. It’s more like your grandma’s 1970’s-style kitchen—no frills tables and chairs, old pictures on the walls, and the menu spelled out in tiles above the ordering window. The service was also similar to what you’d get at your grandparents’ house — friendly and casual, with a strong likelihood that one of the owners themselves would be serving you. (Totonno’s is owned by three siblings; Antoinette Balzano, Frank Balzano and Louise Ciminieri; whose grandparents opened the restaurant.) Totonno’s was closed for five months after Hurricane Sandy ripped through Coney Island, opening again on March 24 to the rapture of locals and tourists alike.

The pizza itself is MASSIVE. Absolutely huge. We ordered a large, plain cheese pizza ($19.50). Of course we ate every single last bite. With a pizza that good, it’s a crime to leave a sad little crust behind. And yes, it is as good as it’s reputed to be. The crispy dough, the perfect layering of delicious tomato sauce, and the dollops of fresh mozzarella cheese: Heaven. Go to Coney Island, just for this pizza. If you want something not-pizza, go somewhere else, as this is the only thing they serve on the menu. Add extra toppings for $2.50 each.

When we visited, Cheese was too young to do anything except gnaw on a pizza crust, which she highly enjoyed anyway. They did have a highchair, but we opted to hold her in our laps.

Coney Island via brunchwithmybaby.com — Coney Island beach.

After stuffing yourself with amazing pizza, walk on down to the Coney Island boardwalk to check out the beach and do some people watching.

New York Aquarium via brunchwithmybaby.com — New York Aquarium, Coney Island

Then wander on down like we did, to the also recently re-opened NY Aquarium (at Surf Avenue & West 8th Street) and get up close and personal with some seriously cute sea life. The aquarium also suffered a beating during the hurricane and is still being rebuilt. Several of the animal exhibits have reopened, like the penguins, sea lions, otters and walruses.

Last bite: A family-owned pizzeria that loves families. Scarf down some of the best pizza in NYC, then check out the also recently re-opened New York Aquarium for the perfect day trip.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Totonno’s
1524 Neptune Ave
(between 15th St & 16th St)
Brooklyn, NY 11224
Phone: (718) 372 8606
Price: $$
Hours: Wed-Sun 12pm-8pm

Get directions.

LCC Pizza & Wii Night

August 3, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 0 comment

LCC is out staple pizza delivery place in Artarmon. I always order the same thing – bocconcini, tomato and basil, but it’s such a winning combination I never have the urge to order anything else.

The store front – it’s super tiny.

Delectable menu.