La Nonna Pizzeria Trattoria Paninoteca

237 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211
718-302-5353

If you have an alternative hair style, find appeal in a pair of acid washed jeans and will use 2-for-1 specials as an excuse to go out any night of the week, you will likely feel right at home in Williamsburg. Just across the pond from Manhattan is the hipster Hall of Fame and along with it, some tasty eats! What brought me to Williamsburg (since I live in Park Slope, which is not as close to this neighborhood as you’d think!) was the First Annual Vintage and Pub Crawl. Pubs aside, I still had some mimosas as I shopped my Sunday morning away and escaped with some unique vintage finds (thanks dad for the early birthday presents)!

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Mid-shop we took a break for lunch and headed to La Nonna. The sun was out, the hipsters were all a flare and our tummies were ready for some pizza pie. A table outside was available and we sat down to the most entertaining runway display of torn tights, pink hair, well-worn converse sneakers, animal prints, graffic tees and extreme piercings, tattoos and makeup. Any hipster could be easily mistaken for a die hard Halloween-er. Luckily, despite the pizza taking FOREVER, the entertainment of fashion-gone-wild and great company satisfied our senses.

Once the pizza was finally served (a good 40 minutes later), it proved worthy of the wait. On first impression, we were overwhelmed by the site of four “personal” pies which we considered too much for one, but by the end of the meal, no one had takeout. This is some of the freshest pizza I’ve had anywhere. The crust was thin– likely the only reason we could stomach the entire pies. It was perfectly crisp with a hint of cornmeal dusted on the bottom. The top ingredients, of which I opted for classic margarita with tomato, basil and mozzarella were incredible. We concluded a little zest was missing, but with the addition of pepper it kicked up the robust flavor in the sauce.

Fresh, crispy and fun. Great for a first date since the hipster fashion is perfect conversation fodder!

– Jamie Miles

Hermain Cain’s Pizza Rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’

And yes, this man is running for President.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Gangsta Pizza Party

Roadside Assistance

Making a pitstop for Domino’s pizza while on a return trip to New York City with my brother. Don’t worry, we had leftovers!

PizzArte, Now Open (And 10% Off!)

69 West 55th St.
New York, N.Y. 10019
212-247-3936

Art and Neapolitan pizza converge in this two story gallery in midtown Manhattan. Personal pies and pricey pizzas may not hold grand appeal for everyone– but burrata cheese and this unique setting is enough to intrigue me… not to mention the extra discount, today only!

Try PizzArte’s wood-oven baked pies and let me know what you think. Bring cash– no cards accepted.

Check out the menu offerings here.

Get a preview of this new pizza joint on Grub Street.

– Jamie Miles

Beyond Content

It is safe to say two of my favorite things in life are wine and food– so when I was invited to attend a wine and food pairing at Eataly, you better believe I went. Though did I expect it to be as informative, entertaining AND tasty? No. I learned some interesting things and most exciting: the closing dish was pizza. Take a look at the three courses paired with five different varieties of wine from Tormaresca vineyard in Puglia, Italy. (Puglia produces 22% of the world’s wine– that’s the same as Chile and Argentina produce combined!)

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The pizza ingredients: basic dough, dried oregano, arugala, cherry tomatoes, and burrata– all sold at Eataly. The burrata is the key ingredient to this pizza. It literally oozes over the crust and the herbs. The chef compared the cheese to a change purse popping open. It bursts in appearance and flavor and the smoothness of the cheese paired with a robust red is the perfect combination. Francesco Domini from Tormaresca recommended the Bocca di Lupo D.O.C. — which is strong and tannic or the Masseria Maime I.G.T — a softer, sweeter and fruitier wine. Both were delicious reds which pair great particularly with pizza or any Italian dish.

On my way home, I passed the Empire State Building which looked beautiful lit up against the purple sky in the midst of a late sunset. I had to stop and appreciate the beauty of New York and everything it has to offer– Italian imports included.

– Jamie Miles

Aniello’s

Longtime friends reunite over a local staple! You know you’re from a small town when you run into the pizza man at the gas station immediately after leaving…

Check out the greasy-goodness.

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Read my past review of my hometime pizzeria here!

– Jamie Miles