Pizza at Roberta's
This blog has been neglected for almost a week. A week! And all I have for you today are two blurry pictures of pizza. These came from Roberta's in Brooklyn. See, Roberta's represent one of those places in a weird realm of restaurants for me. Sure, sometimes I like to save up and then go to a really nice place like Eleven Madison Park but other times I eat normal stuff like the Bk Buck Double. In between that on the spectrum are a bunch of restaurants. These restaurants are generally loved by folks... They are loved because they're supposedly serving awesome food in non-pompous environments. As a guy who downs spicy nuggets from Wendy's, you can probably figure out that I enjoy food without pretension. So I should love places like Robertas or like a Momofuku. But every time I go to a place like that, I just never wanna spend money. Because the idea was already in my head that the place is not supposed to be as expensive as the expensive places, and the food is supposed to be good. But then there's cheaper options on the menu that doesn't fully represent what all the praise is about. At Momofuku, all I've ever had has been pork buns and ramen. Never had any other savory foods they make. I'm sure I'd love 'em, but damn... how much is that rice cake dish at Saam bar? Similary at Roberta's... people love 'em but it's not entirely based on their pizza menu. But shit, you tell me I can be full for $15, why would I go for entrees above $20?
So that's what we ended up getting... pizza. It was... ok. I would say it's similar to other nice pizza places around the city. Would I necessarily go six stops into the L train to get this? I'm not sure. My pizza had hatch chillies on it, which really kicked my ass. That was quite enjoyable actually. But it was a special so they don't have it all the time. Was this what all the praise was about? I have a feeling it's more about the regular food that comes out of the kitchen instead of the pizzas. The pizzas are fine. It's the Caroline Wozniacki to the Serena Williams of a Motorino. Still awesome, but doesn't smack you in the face with the awesome power that it is.
Last thing I wanna talk about today is that stupid ass shit about burning the Koran (Qur'an). Check out what the Prez said. Seriously. Sometimes Americans really embarrass the crap outta me. For the record, and for anyone who is confused... American is not bound by its borders. Instead it is shaped by ideas. Some of those ideas are so central and integral to this country that you know, they put it in the Bill of Rights. You might have heard of freedom of religion? It just strikes me as odd that people who're born in this country will say they're super American and super patriotic and still follow this pastor who's trying to do stupid shit. This Muslim Center they wanna build? They ought to build it. The last thing I want to see in this country is for rules to only matter when we want it to matter.
Roberta's Pizza
261 Moore St.
Brooklyn, NY 11206
718-417-1118
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@James: I guess what I wanted to get at is if places like this are worth trekking to, especially for a pizza simpleton like me. Do the higher quality ingredients transpose well to the cooked pizza? And warrant the prices?
Thanks for the input.
hungry
September 15, 2010 12:49 pm
yea seriously, 6 stops into the L line is a bit much. I like how sometimes people list East Williamsburg as a good reason for higher prices. Damn it, it's in Bushwick!
Danny
September 13, 2010 12:05 pm
Why is pizza so trendy now? I hate it! I grew up on neighborhood joints that satisfies me just fine. And now we have fancy pizza that costs the same but is much smaller. Is it all hype or am I being crazy?
Hungry
September 14, 2010 12:44 pm
@Hungry - What do you mean by "neighborhood joints"? I'd say there are huge differences between neo-pies and neighborhood slices/pies; it is definitely not the same pie for the same price at a smaller size. In fact, the new places tend to charge more, because they depend on higher quality ingredients and more specialized skills. It's not necessarily anything "fancy," nor "better" than the traditional neighborhood style of New York pizza... just a different style, which can be worth the trouble (Paulie Gee's) or not so much (Roberta's).
James
September 14, 2010 4:05 pm
Robert's definitely makes me sad. At least if I go to Ippudo, I can see all the factors (rent, furniture, interior design) that are inflating the price of my ramen. But how exactly does a restaurant in Bushwick get away with charging $20+ prices for food that's rivaled in quality for less cash in more convenient, more-expensive-to-lease locations? They must know something I don't. While I like the food, I like the place, and I like the fact that they give independent radio a home, I'd much rather go to Motorino or Paulie Gee's for my neoclassical pie.
James
September 12, 2010 5:02 pm
@Shine,
Pizza is an intriguing food indeed. It's rarely bad. And I like Roberta's iteration, I just don't know if it's worth traveling for if other things in Brooklyn or Manhattan happen to be closer. I'm also glad that you agree about the ideas behind this country :)
Danny
September 10, 2010 4:22 pm
I find pizza such an intriguing food Danny. Even mediocre pizza is pretty satisfying compared to say...mediocre beef stroganoff or sushi.
I am Canadian but I almost wept (seriously) at the beauty when you wrote: " American is not bound by its borders. Instead it is shaped by ideas " and how you supported that thought.
Shine
September 9, 2010 7:00 pm