On The Eve of Expansion, Excellent Pizza in Williamsburg
Reflection of the neighborhood in front window (by Paulie Gee), the wood pile, Margherita and Marinara pizzas.
Some photos provided by Paulie Gee and noted, when used. All other photos by Pizzablogger.
“Ummnn”
When I hear the word Belgium or Belgian, my thoughts immediately leap to the many styles of excellent beer made throughout the country and to decadently delicious chocolate. Diamonds or the headquarters for both the EU and NATO also come to mind. Pizza? Not so much.
And yet here is a pizzeria in the hipster Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn owned by a Belgian, Mathieu Palombino, who has mentioned that he is “not hip”, but in under a year has become one of New York City’s leading pizza figures. Whatever the case may be with regards to Palombino’s hip quotient, two things are for certain, he is obviously a sharp businessman and Motorino is making some of the best tasting pizza I have eaten, anywhere.
Opened on October of 2008, Motorino has quickly secured a reputation as one of the best places to get high quality pizza in all of New York City. Now, less than a year since opening, Palombino has recently purchased the old Una Pizza Napoletana space in Manhattan’s East Village, has renovated the old UPN space and has re-tiled the Acuno oven . Since my recent visit to Motorino Brooklyn, the Manhattan location of Motorino has opened, putting Palombino on the fast track to owning a pizza fiefdom of sorts. But back to the Williamsburg location.
Sopressata Picante Pizza (taken by Paulie Gee), Basil growing in outdoor eating area
Mrs. Blogger and I jammed the L Train to the Graham Avenue stop on a dreary Saturday (12 September) afternoon to meet up with Paulie Gee and his lovely wife Mary Ann for “Brunchorino” and to celebrate their recent birthdays (Mary Ann’s on the 9th and Paulie’s on the 11th…..a veritable Virgo fest). Upon entering I immediately appreciated the space. Airy and light filled with dark hardwood floors, a thick butchers block table topped with tall bottles of olive oil which reflect the light flooding in through the wall of windows in front, marble topped tables, a gorgeous tin pressed ceiling and, of course, the always tantalizing wood fueled flames licking the inner sides and top of an attractive Renato brick oven positioned in the back of the space. The vibe here is relaxed and unpretentious, which I like very much. Mrs. Blogger and I grabbed a seat next to the pizza prep area, met up with the Gee’s and as we were pondering over our orders, the noticeable bready and slightly smoky aromas of the first pies of the day coming out of the oven announced that something very good was on order. For a much better feel of the space, as well as many pictures of the various pizzas offered at Motorino, check out Paulie Gee’s excellent Flickr photostream sets “Brunchorino” and “Scooter Pies“. The later set has some nice early evening shots.
Motorino offers a very reasonable brunch. For $10, you get orange juice and one of five items offered for brunch, with Pizza al’ Uovo being one of the items (a bianca pizza topped with fior-di-latte, farm eggs, pancetta, basil and parmiggiano). The rest of the menu reveals a smart selection of appetizers, cured meats, cheeses, eight pizzas, additional seasonal pizzas, a calzone, gelati, sorbet and a killer tiramisu. Our table devoured the delicate, silky and scrumptious tiramisu after our pizzas. One of the best tiramisu I have eaten.
After placing our orders with the friendly and attentive Becka, a bottle of very good bubbly (Monte Rossa Franciacorta Brut) was brought to the table, compliments of Palombino on occasion of Paulie and Mary Ann’s birthdays. Awesome…..I gotta eat pizza with this guy more often 
After discovering the joys of Gragnano when paired with pizza and taking somewhat desperate measures to obtain it, the bottle of bubbles we had with our pizzas has me convinced that some type of frizzante or sparkling wine is definitely the way to go when pairing wine with good pizza. The carbonation helps to further freshen the palate between each bite.
Upon arriving at my table, the bufala on my DOC Margherita could have used a tad more meltage, as mozzaralla di bufala melts differently than fior-di-latte, resulting in a slightly more “runny” consistency as opposed to the more congealed-like mass of the bufala on my pizza. A quick lift of the pizza towards the top of the dome right at the end of cooking may have helped in this regard. The bright red sauce hinted at fresh flavors and the smell of the charred crust, with the cornicionesitting tall and riddled by occasional puffy blisters like the crown of some ancient pizza diety, put me in an instant pizza haze.
Biting into Motorino’s DOC Margherita is pizza bliss. As already mentioned, some more cheese meltage would have made this pizza even better, but the pie was undeniably fresh, balanced, rustic and scrumptious. The pizza was effing delicious, period. Everything is there….bright, fresh, naturally sweet San Marzano tomatoes with a minimum of manipulation, the tangy, ever so slightly sour bufala, fresh basil and a crust which has a very noticeable level of smoke-char flavored goodness met by the very developed bread-like flavors of this chewy, nicely salty crust. A thin, crispy veneer of brittle crunch hides the gorgeous hole structure of the inner crust, creating a texture that is light, airy and nicely chewy all at the same time.
Sideswipe shot of the Motorino margherita reveals a nice crumb. The crust, and pizza as a whole, is simply delicious.
The Marinara was very good, with the garlic, oregano and olive oil adding a different, and very pleasant, flavor note than the margherita to counter that deliciously flavored smoky-pliant-snap-chewy crust. Mrs. Blogger and I devoured these two pizzas with smiles on our faces.
Palumbino and his pizza makers technique and attention to quality brings to the fore all of the things which make pizza, when made from a sensibly kneaded and fermented dough topped with high quality ingredients and cooked in a very high temperature oven, the perfect food. In reality, it’s such a simple thing. Crust, sauce and minimal high quality toppings, with the charred and bready flavors of well cooked pizza transforming the usual suspect into something simply divine, something which captivates attention, something that when bitten into is at the same time primeval and sophisticated.
What’s more intriguing is when looking at other pictures of pizzas made at Motorino, Palombino himself appears to push that fine edge of getting really crazy leopard spotted char, which drifts towards being over done, without going too far (see Paulie’s Sopressate Picante pic above). With the pizzas I had already top notch, I can’t wait to try a pizza cooked by Palombino himself. Lucky for me, I only have to wait a couple of weeks to do so.
This is an interesting period for Motorino. With Palombino now having to focus his attention on two locations, one has to wonder if each location can consistently deliver the quality pizzas already being produced at the Williamsburg location. It may be too early to tell, but on this day in Williamsburg, Palombino was nowhere to be seen, as he was getting Motorino Manhattan ready to open (we drove by and saw him there later in the day). None the less, the pizzas we had in Williamsburg were awesome. Here’s to continued passion and devotion to the other pizzamakers when Palombino is not around.
Take the G train to pizza coolness. Paulie Gee outside of Motorino
We left Motorino satiated and on the way back to Paulie and Mary Ann’s car we had a quick moment which in a flash illustrated the Italiano influence in this part of Williamsburg. We spotted a man walking down the street with a colossal dog and after striking up a conversation, Paulie Gee mentions, “my name is Paulie”. The dog owner says, “Get out of here, so is mine. I guess next you’re gonna tell me you’re left handed too”….and of course Mr. Gee is. Too good. We took a quick peek at another Williamsburg pizza place (more later) and then drove past Motorino Manhattan to say hi to Palombino from the car before Paulie and Mary Ann dropped us off in the East Village. A great way to start a day trip to Manhattan.
Here is a quick snippet of Motorino. The ”ummnn” count in this makes me laugh. Two for me at 0:33 and 0:49 and two for Mrs. Blogger at 0:43 and 0:44. Must be good! At 0:39 – 0:42 you can hear the crisp snap as Mrs. Blogger bites into a piece, followed by “umnnnns”. Notice how the pizza stays rigid when held upright. These pies are not as “wet” as more traditional Neapolitan pizzas:
Update: It appears Motorino Manhattan is continuing the trend of great pizza being offered by Motorino.
Verdict: Love. This is simply top tier pizza worthy of the praise and admiration many have for these pies. High quality ingredients applied in a balanced, sensible manner on top of a deliciously crispy, chewy and airy crust full of breadlike flavors with a note of smoke from the wood fired oven combine to make a pizza which which left me a satisfied and content pizza loving fool. Deliciousness served in a nice location in a great neighborhood. Well done Mr. Palombino, well done. Good luck with Motorino Manhattan and see you on the 10th of October!
Motorino Brooklyn
319 Graham Ave, Williamsburg
718-599-8899
L stop to Graham Ave. Brooklyn
Mon-Thur: 11:00am to midnight
Fri-Sat: 11:00am to 1:00am
Sunday: 11:00am to midnight
Slices = No
Beer & Wine = Yes
Liquor/Bar = Yes
Credit Cards = Yes
Well done Mr. PBlogger, well done.