Di Fara Pizza: One of NY’s Very Best is Coming to Cary
Photo via Di Fara Pizza
It was around 2012 and I was living in Hell’s Kitchen. At the time, a friend of mine was on a major pizza exploration kick — frantically hitting up every pizza place in the tri-state area that made it onto any ‘best of’ list, starting with the NY institutions: Grimaldi’s, L&B Spumoni, Patsy’s, moving on to the newer legends like Lucali in Brooklyn, and even heading out to Jersey and New Haven for De Lorenzo’s and Frank Pepe.
When he asked if I wanted to join him on a nearly hour long trip deep into the middle of Brooklyn to visit Di Fara, I naively asked, “is this really necessary for a slice of pizza?” and he shamed me about being a shitty New Yorker. So a couple of hours later, we were getting off the Q train at Avenue J about to embark on one of the best culinary experiences of my life — one that Anthony Bourdain called “the best of the best.”
During our visit, Domenico DeMarco, the then 80-something year old patriarch of Di Fara, was running the show as he had for nearly 50 years. The master craftsman worked swiftly and methodically behind the counter, transfixing excited onlookers, clearly doing what he had done thousands (millions?) of times before. High quality pizza ingredients compiled in the perfect ratio and slid into the perfect oven at the perfect temperature. Upon pulling each pie out of the oven, Dom would apply one last personal touch by drizzling olive oil and cutting fresh basil leaves on top. To describe the pizza with too many words would do it injustice, so I’ll just tell you to picture the quintessential NY slice with a Neapolitan twist — thin foldable crust with just the right amount of give. Chewiness meets crustiness with browning in all the right spots. Mozzarella and fresh tomatoes imported from Italy.
For a real foodie description of the intricacies of the Di Fara slice, read this Epicurian write-up from 2008.
Needless to say, when I heard that Dom’s nephew would be opening a Di Fara outpost in Cary, I kind of freaked out. Originally slated for early-2020, the restaurant is still not open, but according to the Di Fara Pizza Tavern Facebook page, they will be opening “soon.” Di Fara’s new location will be in “The Center,” a renovated strip mall at 111 E. Chatham St. in Downtown Cary, which I’m pretty excited about. While we’re on the topic, how cool is Downtown Cary becoming? Between Big Dom’s Bagels, Faulisi Pizza, Bond Brothers, BottleDog, Pharmacy, Pro’s Epicurean, Postmaster, Cotton House, and more, Downtown Cary’s hip factor is definitely something to keep an eye on.
So for those who miss the best of New York pizza as well as those who just love great food, I’m excited for you (and me). See you “soon” at Di Fara.