Paulie Gee's

Paulie Gee's
60 Greenpoint Ave
(between West St & Franklin St)

Those who can't, write; those who can, build.

Enter Paul Giannone. A former computer programmer, with an ardent passion for pizza that had developed over 15 years, decided to switch careers and start a pizza joint in Greenpoint. Paul put the money and the mozz where the mouth and rebuilt an old bar on Greenpoint Ave. into one of the best pizza spots in all of NYC.

I had the Cherry Jones (fior di latte/gorgonzola/proscuitto di parma/dried bing cherries/orange blossom honey), and the Red, White, and Greenberg (fior di latte/guanciale/pickled red onions/baby arugula). The latter was my favorite, with the acidic kick of the pickled onions and slightly bitter arugula paired beautifully with the crispy, fatty guanciale and creamy, rich mozzarella. The Cherry Jones was a mirror image of RWG: the sweetness of the bing cherries and orange blossom honey complemented the fattiness of the prosciutto and mozzarella. The crust on both pizzas had the nice, pliant softness of a Boboli and the slight char and texture of a coal-fired pizza.

Paul Giannone chatted with our table with the conviviality of an expert maitre'd. With his Martin Scorsese glasses and G train baseball cap, he asked us where we were from. After telling him our respect neighborhoods, he told us about a new pizza place that was opening up on Franklin Avenue. This was completely unnecessary and cool: although he made a referral to his competitor's business, Paulie still has the warm appreciation for the pie that started him on this wonderful journey 15 years ago.