Downtown Lunch: Your First Look at Farinella Italian Bakery & Pizzeria
Midtown workers shouldn’t have all the fun, so to even the score, I’ve brought on Daniel Krieger as an official Downtown Lunch Correspondent to write up some of the tasty stuff you can get in the lower half of Manhattan. He’s a great photographer (ensuring good food porn), but more importantly he is a lover of cheap, unique and delicious eats (or as I like to call it- Midtown Lunch’ish food.) This week Daniel hits up the brand new Farinella, which from his description of $3 slices of potato pizza, and small sandwiches for $7, sounds almost like the Downtown version of Sullivan St. Bakery (if Jim Lahey was an Italian hip hop artist.)
“What have I done to deserve this flavorless pizza????” (Said in my butchered Marlon Brando voice). That’s what I used to ask when sampling most downtown pizza joints. There wasn’t really a decent spot for a slice until Farinella, a new Italian bakery/pizzeria, opened this past Monday. I checked in on opening day with high expectations and was not disappointed.
I tried one of the specialty slices, a hearty portion of potato and onion positioned on top of a perfectly cooked crisp piece of dough. A bit of mozzarella cheese is involved as is some flavorful olive oil. Mama Mia!!! The crust has a nice crunch but isn’t too thin that the flavor escapes. Well worth $3.
I also tried a regular Margherita slice ($2.75) which was a good specimen as well. You can taste the quality of the cheese and the olive oil they’re using in each bite.
I saw (and photographed) some of the sandwiches but did not do any sampling. Everything is made in house (including the rolls) but between $7-8 a pop I think they’re too expensive for their size. Maybe if they came with a side salad or sumptin I’d check it out. For now I’m sticking with the pizza.
Oh and the owner is as flavorful as his pizza, being a former Hip Hop star in Italy who loves to ham it for the camera. Imagine the Beastie Boys making latkes in Spain? That would be kinda cool actually.
Farinella, 90 Worth St (at Broadway), 212-608-3222
Photos and post by Daniel Krieger
Posted by Daniel Krieger at 10:00 am, February 27th, 2009 under Farinella, Italian, Pizza, Sandwiches, Tribeca.
11 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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11 Comments
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I want potato pizza. Now.
Also Ad-Rock latkes in Barcelona.
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Sullivan St. Bakery was exactly what I thought too when I saw those pics. I like the fact that they use cheese on the potato slice (unlike SSB) – might make the slice heavier but I bet it tastes great too – a $3 bargain.
Everything else does look pricey but it’s all about the benjamins with these Italian rappers
yeah boyyyyyyeyeeee
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that last photo scares me bejesus out of me.
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Uh…yeah, ditto on the sentiments of that last pic…looks like a mob informant or something, especially holding the paddle
“do you’s want me ta whack ya’?”
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Duuude, why must you be at Worth… that is way too far… to make it back in time sadface sadface but thank you DK for once again bringing the new to us DTers…
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I tried this today, It was very good. I just don’t know how long this place will last. The area is very very price sensitive and tends to shy away from anything “different” They are expecting the big “normal” slice for 2.50 Mr. Skewer closed in just a few months and over the years (almost 25!) I’ve seen places close constantly that were anything beyond
regular deli/pizza/etc. At least chinatown is a few minutes away. I really hope I’m wrong! -
There’s a ham in their future.
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sculacciami co sta pala!
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today’s inbundles deal ($10 for $20 after 2:30) is my chance to try this, finally.
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Potato pizza ? Yummmmmmmmm