4. Don Antonio by Starita, 309 West 50th Street
Keste's Roberto Caporuscio tapped mentor and pizza demigod Antonio Starita to help create the menu at this love letter to all things doughy. Forcella may have devoted an entire failed concept restaurant to the montanara pizza, but Don Antonio's version of the deep fried pie receives a topping of smoked buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes before being finished in the wood burning oven; the effect of smoky, milky cheese, fried dough and sweetly acidic tomatoes is transcendent, the crust superbly crisp. Together, both master and student have surpassed the majority of pizza places in New York.
3. Speedy Romeo, 376 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn
On the surface, this neighborhood restaurant from Justin Bazdarich could have been a Roberta's clone. Both serve excellent neo-Neapolitan pizza, and both do it in spaces that used to house cars (Roberta's was a garage, Speedy Romeo an auto shop), but the pizzas here have a particular bent that channels Americana rather than the avant garde. Bazdarich's secret weapon? Provel, a processed cheese created specifically to suit the demands of discerning St. Louis pizza fiends. It melts into a viscous cream, to which the kitchen adds sausage, pepperoni, and pickled chilies (The Saint Louie) or pineapple, speck, and grilled scallions (The Dick Dale). It also shows up with garlic and béchamel for a heady white pie. Don't get us wrong, mozzarella is still king of the pizza cheeses, but Provel is a definite head-turner.
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2. Best Pizza, 33 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn
Frank Pinello is the pizza man to know at this triumph of a slice shop, a joint effort between The Brooklyn Star and Roberta's. Pinello's wood-fired pies acquire dark, crisp edges, displaying a balance of expert craftsmanship and scrappy individuality made famous at its parent restaurants. To wit: what may be the best white slice in New York, with broad dollops of ricotta, housemade mozzarella, pecorino, and caramelized onions. The outer rim gets a dusting of sesame seeds that rounds out the crust's inherent nuttiness, and the onions punch through all that dairy with a rich sweetness.
1. Di Fara, 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn
The Big Apple's patron saint of basil sprinkling, Dom DeMarco has presided over this Midwood dough shrine since 1964 turning out gorgeous, imperfect rounds that are occasionally on the burnt side. No matter, even burnt this stuff is better than most. Whatever gruesome rituals had to be performed to achieve pizza this ethereal, we'll gladly look the other way. Some folks will tell you to get there early, but we prefer to double down on delicious by placing an order at Di Fara and then walking around the corner to split one of the Italian comfort food dishes served at sister restaurant MD Kitchen. What's better than a two-hour wait (most things)? A two-hour wait with shrimp parmigiana.
http://www.villagevoice.com/restaurants/the-10-best-pizzas-in-nyc-6531467/