If you couldn’t already guess, I was dubbed Pizza because of my insatiable lust for carb and cheese-laden pie. I didn’t mind this nickname so much before puberty, but with my adolescent skin, it took on a new cruelty-filled connotation.
Surprisingly, even with the trauma of being reminded daily of my less than flawless face, I have always had a soft spot for the pizza pie. While my choices in Florida were mainly between Papa John’s and Domino’s, my residence in Brooklyn definitely has its pizza perks. September 2nd marked my 1 year anniversary in my Brooklyn apartment, and Q and I decided to celebrate by trekking out to Coney Island, to feast upon some old-school pizza.
The line outside Totonno’s Pizzeria on Neptune Ave. wasn’t nearly as daunting as the line for Grimaldi’s, and infinitely more organized than Di Fara’s. You merely stand outside the door and patiently wait with the other patrons for a seat to free up inside. Be forewearned, Totonno’s does not offer pizza by the slice so you must order a whole pie. Luckily, I only eat pizza by the pie, so this was no problem for me.
The charming interior transports you to the pizza parlors of yore. The service is friendly and they have a nice selection of Brooklyn Brewery beers to wash down your meal. We ordered our usual combo of pepperoni and garlic, and the results were tremendous.
The sauce was sweeter than most pizza sauces, and it reminded me of my favorite Italian place in Florida (Pizza Time in Coral Springs. SHOUTOUT!), which used a very sweet marinara for their pizza and pasta. The crust had a beautiful char courtesy of their impressive coal-burning oven.
Overall, I have to say that I prefer the pie at Di Fara’s, but I definitely prefer the atmosphere at Totonno’s. I guess I’ll just have to go back to both of them to be sure. Sigh. Even though my face has cleared up, I don’t think that Pizza is a nickname that I’ll ever outgrow.
