All
throughout my childhood the kitchens of my Italian relatives had three primary
colors: red, black, and white. These colors can also be found at Juliana’s.
My voyage
to Juliana’s was inspired by a visit I took a couple of weeks ago to a pizza
joint in Brooklyn known as Patsy’s Pizza.
After a great lunch there I learned how these two restaurants were connected as
I researched Patsy’s and thus Juliana’s for my blog. While Patsy’s had been on
my 2016/2017 to do list, I felt a surge of desire to hit up Juliana’s before my
new to do list premieres later this year. Thus plans were made and with the
help of my fairy godmother Joleen at Juliana’s a magical night was in my
immediate future.
Juliana’s
is the brainchild of Patsy Grimaldi the nephew of the family with the surname
that brought coal ovens for the purpose of pizza making to this great land of
ours. Grimaldi’s, both the name and the chain, has since been sold but the love
of pizza making was so strong in this man he came out of retirement and at the
young age of eighty-two decided he again needed to share his talents with the
world. He has been making pizza since he was seven and learned by watching his
uncle so I suppose you can say its in his blood, and of course his name.
Ironically
Juliana’s is in the same location as Grimaldi’s was the very first time I
visited it. I have to say though I like this location much better now with the
current renovations.
The room
is medium sized but has an open yet intimate feel. The noise level is moderate
and the service is unbelievable. Our server Paul was a doll and manager Jovan
couldn’t have been friendlier. My party’s needs were met and then some. But
good service means nothing without good food.
As I sat
at my table, in a restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge I enjoyed watching the
men nearby flip, toss, and mold the dough that would become the thin crust
pizza we were here to enjoy. The sights and smells around me were all
consuming. I could not stop moving my head all around. Finally I just had to
focus and order so others would want to check out my meal.
I started
with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, which was a bit drier than the glass I had at
Patsy’s but was still delicious. My mother, who was my partner in crime for
this meal, had a vanilla egg cream, a childhood favorite of hers. I was
surprised to see it on the menu but this is the kind of place where old meets
new. What isn’t broken isn’t fixed and that’s why I believe it is so popular.
I was
disappointed I didn’t see rice balls on the menu but now I realize that was a
good thing. All I would have done was compare it to Patsy’s and that was not
what this night was about. As the record stands those were the best rice balls
of my life and I dare anyone to top them.
I was
hungry and excited and that meant I would be trying more than one thing from
the menu despite my inability to finish either at that time. We decided on a Margherita pizza with kalamata olives, which apparently I have an addiction for.
Recently I rediscovered pictures of the same pizza from Pizzeria Paradiso in
Georgetown, Washington D.C. that I had in 2010. I suppose I have a type.
The pizza
was a circular site for sore eyes. It was just the right amount of sauce,
cheese, and olives. It wasn’t too salty or over run with any one flavor. It was
crisp piece of heaven that didn’t need one seasoning to be added to it. The
handmade pizza had the taste originality although they are cranking these out
by the hundreds. It hasn’t lost any art of the craft that started way back in
1933.
For our
entrée part two we ordered a tradition calzone, or so I thought. This would be
the thing to beat here! I am here to tell you this was the BEST calzone of my
life!! And I am not really a calzone person although per usual I eat my fair
share of them when my family orders dinner from one of our local pizzerias.
But the
calzone here was unstoppable. Every week during those dinners my mother reheats
the calzone she orders and then puts a ton of garlic but remains unsatisfied
with the ordinary flavor of her final product. The calzone we had at this meal
was the antithesis of all of those wasted calories when we thought we knew what
we were eating.
Juliana’s
calzone has so much seasoning both inside and out. You could actually see
colors in the cheese mixture before you taste them. We would end of taking half
of it home and reheating it the next day for company we had over, so they could
sample how amazing it was. They too fell in love. While I was happy to share
the wealth, a bigger part of me wished I had a whole one to hide in the corner
with and eat all by my lonesome. Maybe another time.
It turns
out my next calzone related journey will take me back to Brooklyn at the House
of Pizza and Calzone, formerly known as Simone’s. This House is home to the
deep fried calzone as opposed to the one Juliana’s made in a coal fired oven.
Luckily
for me there was still more to come from Juliana’s. For dessert I had the
pistachio ice cream, which is made down the block at the Brooklyn Ice Cream
Factory. It was quit yummy.
My mother
had the strawberry ring ding, another blast from the past. There was a hard
strawberry frosting overlaying vanilla cake and strawberry jam. It was the
perfect size like those cakes in “Alice in Wonderland” that read: “Eat Me”.
Both the cake and the jam was exceeding delicious. I would have liked the jam
to have been available for purchase.
While
dessert was sweet by far the sweetest part of my evening was getting to meet
the man himself, Patsy Grimaldi! He was so kind to stop by my table and chat
for a bit. He was even so gracious as to take a photo with us. It was the perfect
ending to a perfect pizza experience.
I left
this evening feeling as if I were part of Juliana’s extended family and now
that’s just how I like to think of myself.
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