cherrypatter nyc
and great ideas for what to do too!
paulie gee’s: a naples outpost in greenpoint
as you know by now, we’re a pizza loving family and with the weather warming up a bit, and mostly because it’s staying a little lighter at night, we have begun our friday night outings again. a few weeks ago, we made our way out to greenpoint to test out paulie gee’s, the new neapolitan spot that opened up this winter. we got there relatively early, and discovered that there really are families living in greenpoint and they had all made it to paulie gee’s. the setting was a rustic and warm in that urban, kind of industrial way that is so brooklyn these days. the service was pretty good (but not sure how they’d fare with a huge crowd), and we all got fed quite quickly which always makes us happy.
my favorite paulie gee pie by far was the greenpointer, a nicely charred, chewy crust (not too soggy either), covered in arugula with some salty lemon juice above a topping of fior di latte. the cheese was sparse yet flavorful, and the greens didn’t overwhelm the pizza (which had happened at co for me). the basic pie, the margherita was pretty good, and i also really liked the king harry which added prosciutto to the mix along with some tomatoes and pecorino romano. i kept stealing bites of that — again i liked that ham saltiness with the rest of the pie (and as others have noted this dough might have a little less salt than i am used to so maybe that’s why i liked those toppings better). we also started out with a salad of orange slices and red onion which with a light, tangy dressing was a good reminder that spring was here.
if we had been feeling more adventuresome, there were some options including one special with kale and guanciale and another with braised fennel, sardines, raisins and breadcrumbs. i think paulie gee’s will continue to experiment, with plans to bring figs and gorgonzola into the mix sometime soon. paulie gee is also one of those “if only i could be so brave” kind of stories. the owner, paulie gee, went from being an it manager to a pizza connoisseur to opening up his own restaurant. pretty cool, something j dreams about for his someday coffee & sandwich shop). the voice did a great interview of paulie gee. in terms of brooklyn pizza, i don’t think paulie gee’s tops motorino (which reminds me i need to drag the family there) but it gets extra bonus points for a much nicer atmosphere. paulie gee’s, 60 greenpoint avenue between franklin and west streets, .