di faras is closed till february

[oystersallday]

just got word.

[Get In My Belly]

i have a bad feeling about this. like, a "he's never going to reopen" kind of bad feeling. i know when he was injured a couple years ago, there was talk that he may never reopen.
let's hope that he is able to fully recover.
(for his sake, and for our own selfish reasons)

[gafferx]

I predict he will open but with some serious help this time around. No more one man show. The place is a goldmine and I'm sure many would love to slave away under him, learn the ropes, with an option to buy ...say five years down the road

DeMarco has a serious knee injury but is a work-a-holic

[vvvindaloo]

no, you'll jinx it! take it back!

[gafferx]

Di Fara's??? Never heard of the joint

[oystersallday]

saw a sign today that said it would open on the 12th. i will keep you posted. crossing my fingers...

[MMRuth]

Thank you - I see another weekend beach/chow adventure in the works.

[dietndesire]

I would call first unless you don't mind going just for the beach.
I think I might call and offer my assistance to get it going again.
The current situation leaves no pizza for me when I return to NYC.
Not that I eat it that often but now there is no thought of it unless I sign up
for more experiments and disappointments.
So sick and tired of that program.

[oystersallday]

what's the deal? has anybody been over there to confirm that it's open? i haven't been able to get down there...

[stuartlafonda]

He re-opened on Wednesday.

[oystersallday]

good news. thanks.

[MMRuth]

I was there this afternoon and shared parts of two fantastic pies (one regular, one square with pepperoni) with a friend (yes, we did take the rest home). It was relatively quiet - not too much of a wait - and Dom seemed to be doing well, assisted by his sons.

[eeee]

just a note that DiFara's is closed from 4 until approximately 7 now, so don't go in the late afternoon.

[MMRuth]

I did see a note on the door to the effect of something like - due to his injury, please order before 8:30 or so ... as well.

[bobjbkln]

Got there around 7:00 PM yesterday. Not a big crowd at the counter, but the tables were almost full with people waiting. Took about 45 minutes for our broccoli rabe & garlic round which was superb. Cheese, basil and olive oil went on without asking. Heard his daughter say on the phone that the lock the doors at 9:30. BTW all the pies went up $3. ($23 for the basic round, $28 with one special topping, etc.), but it is still a great bargain for the quality.

[ginsbera]

wow price increase? another one? did slices go up?

[MMRuth]

I think a regular slice was $4 and a square slice $5?

[ginsbera]

that's not a change at all in price for slices. I heard buzzing that the pie price DID NOT go up at all...

[MMRuth]

Right - I think the slice price are the same, but I did think the pies more more expensive than on my first visit. It was $52 for a regular, a square with pepperoni and two sodas.

[MMRuth]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nycblond... - prices last March.

[dietndesire]

4 bux for soda
regular 20
square 25+3 for topping

that was old(well, as of pre knee capped Dom)
Are you saying you paid that this last time or the first time?
I am assuming the former but just making sure.
A price increase may push me to boycott. At some point, will just pay up for the oven and have it done, myself, with no wait.
And for those who will say something ignorant like ANY price is worth it(you know who you are)just check your words. If you mean that then would you pay $100/pie? 200? 1k? Oh, that is ridiculous? True. Logic is the same, it is not worth ANY price. Just pick a number that you think is the MAX, then state it, that makes the argument more appropriate.

Let this talk of a price increase be incorrect.
Please, oh, please, not that I go there often but nice to know it is there IF I really want pizza in NYC.

[MMRuth]

Hmm - I paid that this time. So, maybe I'm wrong or confused, but I remember thinking when I saw the prices on the board that they seemed higher, in line with those posted by bobjbkln above.

[bobjbkln]

Boycott? $28 for the round with special topping is an absolute bargain. We paid $33 + tip = $40 for a pie with one non-specialty topping (pepperoni) at Lucalis. Compare that with the $28 broccoli rabe delight from Dom.

[jdf]

That seems strange. The last time I was at Lucali (a few months ago) a plain pie was still $18 or $19. Toppings were $2 or $3. Not sure how you were charged so much for a pie with one topping. They do charge a corkage fee, so maybe that factored it, but that's still only $5. Perhaps an error on their part or yours?

I realy like Difara's, but for me, a cheaper pie at Lucali while sitting in a nice, cozy environment is preferable.

[abu applesauce]

4 bucks for a soda??!!

[bobjbkln]

Did they really charge us $10 corkage for 2-12 oz. beers? If so, that is unconscionable. There was no breakdown on the check.

[jdf]

I would hope not. Corkage fee has always been a flat amount. Also, when I have brought beers, drank from the bottle and took my empties, I haven't been charged at all. I am charged when I bring wine, they open it and provide glasses. The folks at Lucali have been super nice in my experience, so I would chalk it up to a mistake.

[dietndesire]

Bob, maybe you have a 200 dollar limit for a pizza pie. I guess I would be jealous of the wine you drink. Lucali's, well........sounds like you got taken,sorry.
I don't compare something to something I don't deem worth much.
It is like saying Pizza Hut is 12 so DiFara should be what?
Using that methodology, about 500.
So has it been determined that the prices were raised somewhere between MMRuth's visit and yours?

Maybe you will be checking your bill more carefully from now on.
Maybe not.
That would not have gotten past me, 2 corkage fees on 2 beers totalling 10 bux is truly maddening. I mean, I am actually mad about right now but I wouldn't go there, anyway.

Brocolli rabe, no thanks.
Take in the pure pizza goodness.
Here is to hoping that Dom charged you a corkage fee, too, so that the pie prices did, in fact, not rise.

Abu Apple, 2 bux x 2 sodas. Bring your own.

[Bob Martinez]

"Lucali's, well........sounds like you got taken,sorry.
I don't compare something to something I don't deem worth much.
It is like saying Pizza Hut is 12 so DiFara should be what?"

So you're comparing Lucali's with Pizza Hut?

[dietndesire]

Not quite, but just because a Difara pie is less than a certain amount does not justify it. That was my point. Sure if you pay 40 bux at lucali and basically the same thing at Difara(though you did not mention the drinks at first which had many wondering, I believe), yes, you prefer Difara. Understood.
Point was that comparing one price to another doesn't mean that much.
Seriously, what should Dom charged based on a 12 dollar Pizza Hut pie?
Then should all decent pizzas be over 50 dollars? I hope not.
And it is fine that he raises it, he can charge whatever he likes. I just think a staunch defense of it is a bit much. For the reasons I gave before.
It is what it is and greed is the reason. Nothing more and honestly, that does not make him a worse person than most just call it what it is.
So, what would be your limit before you thought it was too much if I might ask?
I basically eat on a binary system, I go to one place because it is good or good enough for what I pay(usually, though it is quality but I am not paying 200 bux for a pizza pie), otherwise, I just don't go. I don't say, well, a Lucali is 85%(or whatever you think it is)of a Difara, so I will just go there. Above the cut or not, there is plenty of good stuff out there or I can whip up my own, though there is definitely NOT enough good pizza. Not sure there is any great pizza, otherwise.
Personally, I hope we are both still enjoying some Difara, though at 28 not sure how I will feel about it considering the time that goes into it.

[pizmet]

I privately expected another price increase upon Dom's return from his knee injury. There was a significant price increase last year, effective immediately after his reopening from a lengthy Board of Health imposed closure. It's obvious that he's clearly passing the lost opportunity costs entirely onto his customer base, no matter who is to blame, or whatever may be the reason for his temporary closings.

The market will decide whether the latest price increase is justified or not.

[NYJewboy]

I think there is not much room for another increase. If there is, it will be small. In this economy his place is to provide an alternative to Babbo.

[dietndesire]

Preach on jewboy. I didn't want to mention "the economy" because it is beyond annoying to hear that from every Tom, Dick and Jane but it is true.

I did not think of the time/reasoning that you put out there. Sounds right.
Oh, I missed X amount of time, X dollars................this much more per pie.

$25 for a reg pie is going to be pretty outrageous whether you hold him as a deity or not. Again, the location/time/money combo is what it is about. If it were in Manhattan or some central BK spot and you didn't wait forever, well, much more tolerable though even on an absolute basis would be high.

Of course, I am a square only guy, you know how it goes. Has anyone else gone and seen the price increase? If it occurred between those 2 visitors that stated prices here then it is like Dom was slow to do math or something. Why not just raise it as soon as you come back?
I believe MMRuth went around 7th Feb and BobMartinez sometime after that.
$28 pizza pie, sigh.

[pizmet]

And for what it's worth (my opinion, not Dom's pizza) don't forget that it's not just $4 a slice. It's $4 for a slice that's about 65% to 75% the size of a typical slice.

I understand (and appreciate) that Dom's quality is atypically superior to the average slice, but pound for pound, before accounting for quality, it's mathematically incorrect to simply observe that Dom charges $4 a slice and the average competitor charges $2.50 - $2.75.

After factoring in the smaller slice size at Di Fara's, it's more accurate to say that a slice at Dom's is about double the price of a typical competitor's slice, before accounting for quality.

I haven't been there since his return from knee surgery. Did anybody notice if the slice shrank some more, as well?

[son of a butcher]

I've complained to Dom that his slice is shrinking and his pizza isn't consistent. He tells me it's the same as always and I have to disagree. I used to go to Difara 3-4 times a week. Haven't been there more than twice in the last year. Just can't stand the crowd, filth, and smell of the place. When I used to go there, my children asked me why my clothes smelled so bad. But most of the time, the pizza is very good. Totonno's is a better choice for me.

[jdf]

A plain pie was $20. Don't remember what the square cost.

[oystersallday]

went last night. a plain pie was also $20. we brought our own wine. the square were listed as $25. there was no price change that i saw.

[dietndesire]

Y, this is what it seems like.
No price increas. Have to wonder how the original noter of the increase came to say it was so.
Multiple people afterwards said the same as preknee.
Doubt it was for a day, either.
Anyway, thanks for the update, Oyster.

[bobjbkln]

Sorry, I was the one that mentioned the price increase. Perhaps it was too long since we were there last, but I remembered $25 for the round with one special topping, not $28; and the signboard clearly had the old prices painted out and new ones painted over, but perhaps it happened a longer time ago than the accident.

[MMRuth]

I was there Feb. 17th. Frankly a pie is a huge amount of food, and $28 for an amazing pie strikes me as a better bargain than a $28 entree at many other restaurants.

[abu applesauce]

I thought it was 4 bucks for one soda, in which case, I would definitley bring my own

[Peter]

I ate at Lucali earlier tonight. If memory serves, it $24 for a pie. If you paid $33 and only had 1 regular topping are you saying he charged $7 for a topping?

I don't think so. Maybe you had a soda or two?

Peter
http://www.FlashlightWorthyBooks.com

[bobjbkln]

We were charged $33. That was the only notation on the bill. No breakdown. A regular pie with pepperoni. We brought in 2 12-oz beers. That is all we had, no sodas (never touch the stuff!). Note that we came early, about 6:15 and got seated right away. If we had come at 7:00 like we did at DiFara's we would probably have had a half hour or more wait for a table, outside in the cold. At least at DiFara's one suffers the long wait inside, seated at a table.

[deabot]

What are the hours at now for DiFara's?

[bobjbkln]

http://www.difara.com/

[MMRuth]

I just called, and the recording said that they are still closed, but planning to reopen sometime in February. Does anyone have any further information?

Thanks.

[dietndesire]

I doubt there will be anything more updated than the machine and that recording was impossibly optimistic. There was no way he would be back 2 weeks after a surgery on his knee cap.
Hopefully, it is a relatively temporary situation rather than an extended or even permanent one.
After all, I only eat pizza at 2 places and I am boycotting one of them.
Plus, someone I know has not sampled it and simply must.

[MMRuth]

Thanks - just thought I'd check, as I was heading out to the beach tomorrow ....

[david sprague]

fwiw:

i totally adore you for going to the beach tomorrow, if i weren't working, i'd be right there!

[MMRuth]

I thought it would be fun to take the dog while my husband is in the Dominican Republic. Thinking about the Far Rockaways. Any chow ideas in that area?

[pitu]

MM I did the same thing...but Brighton, with Russian grocery shopping
we didn't get disappointed about DiFara's because of this posting
thx folks!

[MMRuth]

What is your other pizza place, btw (even if you aren't going there!)? I ended up going to the beach in the Bronx, but got a Cubano just over the line in Westchester. I did eat it in the Bronx, though!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5704...

[vvvindaloo]

Oh that's too bad. Here's wishing Dom a speedy recovery.

[NYJewboy]

A broken Knee cap can be painful, especially at his age.

[ginsbera]

where did you hear this? I mean it's only two weeks but still.

[stuartlafonda]

scroll down one story....
http://slice.seriouseats.com/

[hatchback]

Here's the actual permalink to the item you reference, Stuartlafonda: http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives...