First Look: MD Kitchen -- A Di Fara Spinoff

Last month, a little counter shop in Midwood, Brooklyn opened its doors. If you didn't know the history behind it, you might just think it was another run of mill sandwich and pasta shop. But it's not. It is owned an operated by the DeMarco family of Di Fara fame.

You see, many years ago Di Fara used to serve much more than just pizza. In fact, this photo from Slice's Adam Kuban shows that some 35 varieties of pasta and other entrees were available. But those items were nixed from the menu in the mid-aughts so that Dom DeMarco could focus his efforts on pizza. His daughter Maggie, who manages and runs the Di Fara operations, put in an outstanding request with their landlord: if the space around the corner ever became vacant they wanted dibs on it.

That finally happened earlier this year and the DeMarco family has used the space to bring back some old menu items. Available are six heroes, six pastas, three salads, four desserts, and an assortment of appetizers and entrees including chicken parm.

I was out at Di Fara for pizza purposes last month, so didn't have an opportunity to try anything at MD Kitchen. Early Yelp reviews are encouraging.

Here is your first look at the take out only spot.

Garfield: Stupid Pizza Questions

Every first Friday, for the next six months, I'll be featuring a series of pizza related Garfield comics that were published a few years back. Enjoy!

Happy Special Pizza In Siem Reap, Cambodia Lives Up To Its Billing

Earlier this year, I spent three weeks in Southeast Asia visiting Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I was pleasantly surprised by the pizza I ate in Thailand and Vietnam and was unsure how the pizza in Cambodia would stack up. I'd done no research about pizza in Cambodia prior to the trip and would only be spending five nights there -- two in Phnom Penh and three in Siem Reap. When I arrived in Cambodia I did a quick Google search about pizza there and nearly all of the top links were for "happy" pizza places. If you ask me, all pizza is happy. But here happy refers to something else: marijuana pizza.

Cambodia is know for its happy pizza places, all which serve pizzas containing just an extra bit of seasoning for you to enjoy your pizza on another level. In turns out that in Siem Reap -- which is located just a few miles from the temple of Angkor Wat -- there is a whole block with nothing but happy pizza places. The street just so happens to be named Hospital Street (also called 2 Thnou Street).

Starting from the intersection of Street 7 and Hospital Street, walk north and on your left side you'll first see Happy Special Pizza. Next up you'll arrive at Happy Angkor Pizza (not noted on the map). This is followed by both Ecstatic Pizza and Happy Herb Pizza. It is truly one of the happiest blocks in town.

  Happy Special Pizza

Happy Angkor Pizza

Ecstatic Pizza

Happy Herb Pizza

According to online reviews, the Cambodia government has lightly cracked down on some of these places in recent years. As a result, not all of the pizzerias are necessarily as happy as they used to be. But Happy Special Pizza appeared to be the most happy based on reviews, so off we went. When you enter, it looks as if it's a normal restaurant. There is no mention of marijuana anywhere. Just happiness. All of the pizzas on the menu are listed "without happiness" and you must request your pizza "happy style" for a more authentic experience. Oddly, the prices for the pizza are the same whether or not you order it happy. I wonder if that's because nearly everyone orders their pies happy and that is simply worked into the cost already.

From an aesthetic standpoint, you cannot differentiate between a "happy" pizza and a non-happy pizza. At Happy Special Pizza they come in three sizes -- small, medium, and large -- which are drawn in the photo below.

The quantity of pizza ordered varied a lot amongst the group members I was with -- some ordered a large pie for themselves, while others split a medium two-ways. It is unclear whether a larger pie equates to more happiness -- or you're simply getting more food. The pies ordered included a margherita pie, a beef pie (cheese, tomato, onions, beef, and green pepper), a pollo verde pie (cheese, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, chicken), and a Hawaii pizza (cheese, tomato, ham, mushroom, pineapple). None of them looked particularly appetizing, but rumor was that the pollo verde and margherita were the best. In total there are 48 pies on the menu.

Here is what some of my dining companions had to say about their experience there:

Review 1: Don't expect Neapolitan pizza at this place. However, the pizza is edible and the atmosphere is very laid back. I suggest you order pies with strong flavors like garlic, pepperoni, etc because they mask the bitter flavor of the happy herbs. Service is slow but servers are nice and agreeable. Having said this, I have never been so happy after eating pizza, if you know what mean :)

Review 2: Happy Pizza was great! It was my favorite meal in Cambodia and not necessarily because of the quality of the pizza. The atmosphere was laid back and the decor and interesting pictures of happy people on the walls were appropriate for the restaurant.  Would have enjoyed very much the option of having my pie made "extra happy" and so i suggested the staff to include it in the menu in the future. Def will go back. 

Review 3: At first bite, it doesn’t seem like much. Typical average pizza, nothing to write home about it. However as time goes on you start to realize just how good it was. The reaction might be a bit delayed, but it definitely makes you feel very, very happy.

Pollo Verde

Margherita

Hawaii

Beef

I Like Pizza

Thanks to reader Rob for passing along this adorable clip of a baby enjoying his favorite food. I think I watched this 10 times today already.

Pizza 4P's In Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam's Most Authentic Pies

During my trip to Eastern Asia earlier this year, I set out to try one pizza place in each country I visited: Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I spent eight nights in Vietnam and during my stay in Hoi An, I visited Luna d'Autunno -- a beach side pizza place with scenic views and solid pies. I had checked "Vietnam" off my pizza list and had no intention of trying any other places there. But a few days later, when I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, I read about a place called Pizza 4P's (8/15 Lê Thánh Tôn Street) which had such incredible reviews that I had to check it out. (I despise TripAdvisor when it comes to restaurant reviews, but for those who live by it, Pizza 4P's is currently the number 5th ranked eating establishment in HCMC -- of the 230 reviews, 146 are "excellent" and 64 are "very good"). While my friends headed out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, I stayed back in town for some culinary adventures.

You might think the 4P's stand for toppings like pepperoni and parm, but they actually stand for Platform of Personal Pizza For Peace. The place is located down an alleyway, which shouldn't be tricky to find if you know where you're going. When you're on Lê Thánh Tôn Street walking north, you'll want to look for this street sign, featuring Pizza 4P's on the top left. The alleyway is across the street from an Akuruhi Supermarket. Start walking down the alleyway and make a left when you can't go any further and you'll see the restaurant 100 feet down the block. Really, it's pretty simple to find.

Since I was dining alone, and wasn't particularly hungry, I was only able to eat one pie. To put it simply, it was the best pizza I ate in Eastern Asia -- comparable to what you might find at a Neapolitan pizza place in NYC. This was both surprising and unexpected. I'm usually not a fan of upscale places that will do a half and half pie, but in this case it worked out well since I could try two. I ordered one half of a Margherita and was intrigued by a four flower pie on the menu featuring pumpkin flowers, leek flower, telosma cordata flower, sesbania grandiflora flower, daylily flower, housemade mozzarella, and parmesean. Got all that? Well there is more. I could also choose from a dry tomato sauce or a sweet chili mayonnaise sauce. I went for the latter.

All the pies at 4P's are similarly complicated. There are a maximum of three pies listed on each menu page, each accompanied by a photo and detailed description. The pies here were the most adventurous I came across during my travels. You can get a tuna curry pizza, a salmon miso cream pizza, or an okonomiyaki pizza featuring cabbage, octopus, green onion, red ginger, mayonnaise, mozzarella, parmesean, olive oil, and sweet okonomiyaki sauce (okonomiyaki, by the way is a savory japanese vegetable pancake). You can see photos of all of these pies on the website.

I really liked my pie. The Margherita side had all the components you'd hope for -- soft and gooey mozzarella cheese, coupled with fresh tomato sauce and a generous portion of basil. The flower half was unique, but tasted like a white pie with veggies. The yellow flowers on top were the only ingredients that stood out as tasting especially like flowers.

Perhaps what surprised me the most was that all of these crazy pies were coming out of a fancy, upscale pizzeria with high quality ingredients. The pies cost anywhere from $6.00 (for a Marghertia or four flower pie) to $17.00 for a Margherita pie with prosciutto. Even in New York City, $17.00 is expensive. In Vietnam, a pizza for that price is unheard of. The clientele at the restaurant, as you might, imagine, isn't exactly local.

 As in my previous posts, I've been torn at recommending pizza places in Eastern Asia. There is so much good local food in Vietnam that you can't access back in the States. And if you are only traveling for a short period of time, I'm not sure its worth it to sacrifice a meal on pizza. In this case, however, I am going to encourage you to do it. This place itself is awesome. And the pizzas on the menu are some of the most unique I've seen. When you're in Ho Chi Minh City, make sure you visit Pizza 4P's.

Luna D'Autunno: Vietnam's Most Scenic (And Hidden) Pizza Spot

As you might recall, I recently returned from a three week trip to Eastern Asia, during which I made it my mission to try a different pizza place in each of the three countries I visited: Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The first place I visited was Girasole (in Chiang Mai, Thailand) which I enjoyed, but it would not compare to the experience I had in Hoi An, Vietnam on the eleventh day of my trip.

Hoi An is a quaint town of 120,000 inhabitants along the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and today it is perhaps most well known for producing incredibly cheap, high quality custom-made clothing. Although I spent many hours at the tailor, one of the highlights of my time there was a bike ride my friends and I took to check out a hidden pizza place along the beach. The heart of Hoi An is just a few square blocks and is easily navigated by foot. But I recommend renting a bike and riding 5 miles east (approximately 8 kilometers) to the beach along Cửa Đại Road.

Our final destination: Luna D'Autunno. If you know where you're going, the restaurant is quite easy to find. And if you follow my directions, you'll have no problem. First off, it's important to realize that there doesn't appear to be an address for the restaurant, as it's essentially a hut on the beach, and Googling directions won't get you anywhere either. The most reliable source of information was a Foursquare page which led me to a map with the GPS coordinates.

You don't need a phone with Google Maps or GPS through. Simply ride your bike east along Tran Hung Dao, which turns into Cửa Đại Road for approximately 4.5 kilometers. As you approach the beach, you'll go over a little bridge (it's tiny, but it's the only bridge you'll encounter along your ride). When you get over the bridge, make a left on Lạc Long Quân and stay on that for approximately 3.2 kilometers until you reach the restaurant. Note that after about 2 kilometers on Lạc Long Quân the road splits, and you should bear right, going down a dirt pathway which appears to be a little off the beaten path, but is manageable even for a novice biker.

One final tip: Throughout your ride, you may encounter bike stations. These look like official stations where bikes are parked. People will try to flank you down and tell you that it's illegal to ride your bike any further and that you must pay to park your bike at the station. This is a scam. Continue riding, no matter what anyone tells you. We rode our bikes right up to the restaurant and this is really the only feasible way to get there.

Follow these directions and you'll find yourself in one of the most relaxing and scenic pizza places I have ever seen. Located on a secluded plot of land along the beach, my friends and I enjoyed 8 pies while overlooking the South China Sea.

Upon arriving at Luna D'Autunno, the first thing I noticed was a sign that read: Foie Gras Party. I knew I was in the right place. They had a special pie on the menu that day featuring mushrooms and foie gras, which I was excited to try. I wouldn't say it was necessarily a big hit, but I love foie gras and this was the first time I have ever gotten to try it on pizza. It was, in fact, the best foie gras pizza I've ever eaten! In seriousness, I don't have much else to compare it too, but if they have this pie on the menu when you go, I'd highly recommend it.

General consensus was that the best pie was the Pizza Raph which contained mozzarella, onion and egg (we got it without the bacon). It was creamy and as you sliced it, the egg yolk spread over the pie. The onions were grilled to perfection and this pie is still on my mind, even weeks after the fact. A close runner up was the Primavera pie which featured mozzarella, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms. There were only three "Pizza Bianche" pies on the menu (without sauce) and we got two of them which happened to be two of the best. My advice? Add a couple more sauceless pies to the menu, as this is where Luna D'Autunno really shines.

Pizza Raph

(mozzarella, onion and egg)

Primavera

(mozzarella, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms)

The rest of the menu contains 27 pies that feature sauce and none are overly adventurous sticking to toppings that it would be normal to find on a New York City pizza menu (except for the foie gras special). The were all decent -- I think the spinach & ricotta pie and the quattro stagioni I could have done without. The four cheese pie would have been better without sauce, and I think a true four cheese pie shouldn't have any -- especially at a place which such great white pies.

In the end, however, this visit wasn't so much about the pizza. It was about the atmosphere and ambiance at what was one of the most awesome pizza places I've ever been. Was my perception of the pizza enhanced by the environment I was in? Perhaps slightly. But there was nothing I would have rather been doing at that moment that enjoying a pie overlooking the waves.

Margherita

(tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil)

Tartufata

(tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, eggplant, parmesan slices)

Quattro Formaggi

(tomato sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola, ricotta, and parmesean)

Quattro Stagioni

(tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, articokes, and olives)

Ricotta E Spinaci

(tomato sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, and spinach)

A Break For Italian At Girasole Pizza In Chiang Mai, Thailand

During a recent three-week trip to Eastern Asia, I made it my mission to try at least one pizza place in each of the three countries I visited: Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The key was trying to strike a good balance. On one hand, I love pizza and could eat it for nearly every meal. But there is so much great local cuisine where I was traveling and every meal I sat down for pizza meant one less dish of khao soi, pad thai, fish amok, pho ga, bun bo, or dozens of other dishes I fell in love with over there.

My first pizza experience was on the fifth day of my trip in Chiang Mai, which is located in Northern Thailand. A few friends and I visited Girasole (71 Rachadamnoen Road) which is located just inside the eastern wall of the city and boasts 16 pies, each of which cost between $5.00 and $7.00 -- not necessarily cheap by Thailand's standards. There is also a list of 32 additional toppings you can put on your pie, the most expensive being gorgonzola cheese and a seafood mix at just over $3.00 each. This was going to be my first experience with any type of cheese or dairy product on the trip and I was a little nervous about how it was going to taste because... well... Thailand isn't exactly known for that.

We ordered three pies and, truth be told, I was pleasantly surprised. Nothing blew my mind, but I found the pizza to be tasty and enjoyable. The highlight for me was the Popeye which contained ricotta cheese and spinach. Even judging it by New York standards, I'd say it was great. The ricotta was creamy and delicious and mixed well with the fresh spinach on the pie. This is not usually one of my favorite combinations, but at Girasole it worked. The highlight of the Margherita pie was the fresh Thai basil. That's not to say the rest of the pie wasn't tasty. But the basil in Thailand is incredible and I was glad there were six leave on our pie. My advice? Throw a few more on. Finally, we got a Medditerranea pie which featured tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, sundried tomatoes, ricotta and oregano. It was decent, but didn't live up to the other two in my opinion.

Girasole might very well be the best pizza in Chiang Mai. But if you only have two nights there like I did, I recommend sticking to more traditional food (like those that I recommend in my massive guide to eating in Eastern Asia: Where To Eat In Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. But, if you're spending more time in this culinary heaven, and want a break from more traditional food, Girasole is your spot. The restaurant was nearly full on the Friday night I was there, and if the weather is nice, you can grab a table outside and enjoy some pizza in this historic Thai city.

 

Margherita

Popeye

Medditerranea