Freaks and families: Everyone enjoys Motorino. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein
Williamsburg is not lacking in pizza.There are plenty of spots to grab a plain old slice; bars abound where personal-sized pies come with your drink; and there are even fancy brick-oven joints where prosciutto and truffle oil stand in for pepperoni and red pepper flakes. So why in the world do we need another one? Apparently Mathieu Palombino knew something we didn’t.
When the chef, an alum of tony kitchens including Bouley and BLT Fish, opened the pizzeria late in 2008, he was careful to make himself stand out from the crowd. His insistence on top-shelf ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and fancy flour separates him from the everyday slice shop, and the BYOB policy (and excellent list of—no kidding—fine root beer) keeps the focus on the food. As far as the other swanky shops go? They don’t seem to be a problem; a few months in, Motorino— named for the ubiquitous Italian scooter— still draws a crowd and has a wait that would get any 30-minute-or-less pizza chain in a heap of trouble. The food wouldn’t be found in a hut either.
Appetizers are a bit fancier than mozzarella sticks, but don’t get much more expensive.The menu of starters features fireroasted mortadella, mussels in a saffron-chili broth and a thick, creamy pasta e faggiole soup and nothing—save a plate of oysters— tops $8. Plates of meat and cheese ($12 to $22) are available as well.
The real star of the show is, of course, the pizza. And these pies don’t disappoint. From the classic Margherita ($10) and its dressed-up twin (the Margherita DOC, $13, which features fancier, tastier mozzarella di bufala) to more inventive slabs like the Brussels sprouts and speck pie ($14)—as well as the seasonal “Artichoke” with its namesake vegetable, smoked pancetta and roasted onions—the pizzas are hearty and enjoyable. Indeed, one recent dinner—Motorino was the pregame stop on what promised to be a whirlwind tour of North Brooklyn’s finer taverns— proved filling enough to send four seasoned diners down the street for one drink and then home to bed without being too sad about the ordeal.
Part of the restaurant’s charm, of course, is in the bustle.When sweet, young things are darting in and out, chatting over steaming plates and dreamily sharing a bowl of gelati, the modern space, with its garage-door facade and airy, modern feel, seems very exciting and of the moment. When it’s not crowded—at lunch one Monday holiday in February, despite the cheap-o prix fixe, the place was deserted— the magic feels a bit depleted. Brunch is a livelier show, and the playful meals, featuring an egg pizza that locals are loving, as well as pork from neighboring Emily’s Pork Store and a smart dish of baked eggs with goat cheese and tomato sauce, are worth stopping by for even if pizza was dinner the night before.
This stretch of Graham Avenue, beyond the psychic barrier of Metropolitan Avenue, could definitely use a solid place to nosh. Neighbors like Phoebe’s and the Garden Grill are charming in their own bohemian way, but as the L train brings more affluent young folks with erudite taste buds out into Brooklyn, restaurants that make trekking back into Manhattan for a glamorous bite obsolete are becoming more necessary than ever.
And for its price point, Motorino gets that job done admirably. Servers could be a bit less spastic, and a system to keep waiting diners from milling about the booze-free bar while waiting for a table most definitely needs to be put into place. These are kinks, though, that any new restaurant will have to work out.
As nicer spots open in the neighborhood—Walter Foods is, after all, the new Lodge—it’s imperative for them to strike the right balance of glam (important for attracting Manhattanites, staying packed on weekends, impressing visiting parents and providing a close-to-home meal for the allimportant third date) and smarts. Knowing that bacon is the new truffle is half the battle on this side of the river, and when Motorino delivers it on everyone’s favorite comfort food, it hits the nail squarely on the head.
> Motorino
319 Graham Ave. (at Devoe St.), Brooklyn, 718-599-8899
