Hof
February 26th, 2009, 03:41 PM
Being an ex-New Yorker and a big fan of NY style pizza, I mostly gave up on finding a quality slice of the stuff here in Central Florida. Most of what is available here in Ocala is a poor imitation of real pizza, and even at the few red-checkered-tablecloth Italian restaurants here in town there has always been something lacking, be it the sauce, the crust, etc.
Once you have had the real thing--ie; a slice from a storefront pizza joint in the City-- you are forever spoiled.
The other day, I needed some repair work done on the window tint on my car. The guy who runs the shop said it could take about an hour and that my time could be well spent having a beer at the Italian restaurant next door.
It's a skinny storefront, a tiny place with only five tables that opened about three months ago and the moment I walked in the door and took a whiff of the atmosphere I deja-vu'd directly into Gotham. The walls are plastered with New York street scenes, including a little tribute to the Twin Towers, and the owners are ex-Queens Italians, ethnics who speak in Calabrese and who used to have a restaurant in Astoria; they hand-toss the pie and cook it in a proper oven, the same one they used in the old place. They even make their own pastas and had a pot of Marinara sauce bubbling away in their kitchen.
They advertise a "Hometown Special"-- two slices and a soda for seven bucks. There was even Frank Sinatra selections playing softly on their sound system.
It was PERFECT!!!
I asked the owner why it was so damned good, and he told me that they get all their ingriedients (except the meats they use) shipped to Ocala from their old suppliers in the City. Then he said something that instantly made me a patron forevermore--they even import the WATER from New York !!!
He went on about how they have a couple hundred gallons sent in every few weeks, just to make the crust the right way.
Their limited menu includes several pastas and what looked like authentic lasagna; they even have Doctor Brown's egg cream soda.
What a find.
I intend to walk my way through their menu. I'm gonna be eating there from now on--as a matter of fact, as soon as I put a period to this sentence I'm out the door and after another "Hometown Special".
Once you have had the real thing--ie; a slice from a storefront pizza joint in the City-- you are forever spoiled.
The other day, I needed some repair work done on the window tint on my car. The guy who runs the shop said it could take about an hour and that my time could be well spent having a beer at the Italian restaurant next door.
It's a skinny storefront, a tiny place with only five tables that opened about three months ago and the moment I walked in the door and took a whiff of the atmosphere I deja-vu'd directly into Gotham. The walls are plastered with New York street scenes, including a little tribute to the Twin Towers, and the owners are ex-Queens Italians, ethnics who speak in Calabrese and who used to have a restaurant in Astoria; they hand-toss the pie and cook it in a proper oven, the same one they used in the old place. They even make their own pastas and had a pot of Marinara sauce bubbling away in their kitchen.
They advertise a "Hometown Special"-- two slices and a soda for seven bucks. There was even Frank Sinatra selections playing softly on their sound system.
It was PERFECT!!!
I asked the owner why it was so damned good, and he told me that they get all their ingriedients (except the meats they use) shipped to Ocala from their old suppliers in the City. Then he said something that instantly made me a patron forevermore--they even import the WATER from New York !!!
He went on about how they have a couple hundred gallons sent in every few weeks, just to make the crust the right way.
Their limited menu includes several pastas and what looked like authentic lasagna; they even have Doctor Brown's egg cream soda.
What a find.
I intend to walk my way through their menu. I'm gonna be eating there from now on--as a matter of fact, as soon as I put a period to this sentence I'm out the door and after another "Hometown Special".