Back in January, Beer Boor went to the Limelight Marketplace to preview the new Grimaldi’s pizzeria. He didn’t get the full experience, so I did not take his review to heart too much assuming the kinks still needed to be worked out. CT decided we should go there when picking a place to eat with her family on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
As BB mentioned, the Limelight was originally a church that became a notorious nightclub and is now a mall. We arrived a bit early, before ML and TL, so we walked around a little since none of us had been there before. They made quite good use of the space with little stores filling every nook and cranny. Grimaldi’s was tucked into the first floor corner on the 6th Avenue side of the building.
Although they were already open for an hour when we arrived, we were one of the first customers of the day. The restaurant setup was quite odd. The coal-fired pizza oven with prep area and a counter where the staff hung out was right near the entrance. There were probably fifteen or so red checkered tablecloth covered tables squeezed into the space. It was also quite bright and sanitized in there. Yes, they have only been opened a few weeks, but the charm of an old school pizza joint was missing.
Here is one of the chefs working on a pie.
As expected from a world famous pizza place, the menu is quite limited. Antipasti, Regular Pizza, White Pizza, Calzone and a variety of toppings. They have beer and wine listed on the menu, but their liquor license hadn’t been approved yet. ML took the lead and order two pies for the five of us.
First up was Pepperoni and Ricotta. Although it took a while to come out even with their 1000 degree oven, it was worth the wait. The sauce was definitely the star of the pizza. Fresh and tangy! The ricotta was a nice addition of creaminess to compliment the sauce and the lightly burnt crunch of the crust.
CT says: I never ordered ricotta on pizza before, at least not intentionally, but I really liked it. As TT said, the creaminess mixed with the tang of the sauce combined into a superb flavor on the pizza! Definitely worth having this combination again.
Some requisite upskirt action.
The other pie was Sausage and Onions. I never order onions on my pizza. I guess I have been missing out. The diced raw onion worked really well with the crumbly sausage. The pizza was pretty thin and the middle was a little soft, so it took a little work to do the NY slice fold. All the tables had crushed red pepper and garlic salt in case you want to turn the flavor up on your pizza. I added some red pepper, but didn’t want to mask the already flavorful pizza too much.
CT says: Another great combination! These pizzas came out piping hot and the slight delay between their arrivals gave us the perfect opportunity to try each one fresh out of the oven.
I think two pies was just the right amount for the five of us. We were all satisfied without being completely stuffed. Yes, I could have eaten a whole pie myself, but held back for the sake of my waistline.
All in all, I was happy with my first experience at Grimaldi’s. I have never made it down to the original location under the Brooklyn Bridge because of the notorious wait everyday to be seated. I imagine there being close to a similar wait during the evening hours at this location. Note that the restaurant is cash only, so be sure to visit an ATM before arriving. Thanks to CT’s Dad for treating us to some tasty pizza.
Feisty Foodie says
I still like you
BeerBoor says
How did they swing a coal oven?
TT says
as long as you have the right chimney, i don’t think it’s illegal in manhattan. if that’s what you were asking.
BeerBoor says
I thought NYC outright banned new coal ovens, and grandfathered in the ones that existed when the ban was passed. Guess when your name is synonymous with pizza not only in NYC but in the world, you can pull a string or two.
T.C. says
I like the location under the BK bridge, will not go out of my way for the one in Douglaston and hope this location is worthy of great pizza laurels. Mmm sausage pie!
carolm says
Good to know. I’ve wondered whether this location was comparable to the original in Brooklyn.