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Contact: Nick Anis 909-860-6914 or 888-584-5788, pager:
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For Great Pizza go to Brooklyn
Brooklyn Pizza Works
(This article was written by Nick Anis. It first appeared in the
Weekly News in 1999.)
September 29, 2000 - It can be quite difficult for mom and
pop pizzerias and Italian restaurants to make a go of it. Unfortunately, few
eateries make it past their first anniversary. Brooklyn Pizza Work’s s, in
Placentia, however, which opened its doors in 1979, is one of the notable
exceptions. In 1981, Brooklyn Pizza Works was discovered by a food critic for
the Orange County Register and was given the highly coveted "Best
Pizza in Orange County" award for 1981 and 1982. Twenty years
later, Brooklyn Pizza Works is still going strong and has developed quite a
loyal following from far and wide, and in some cases, has second-generation
clientele.
You will really notice the difference their ingredients make.
The delicious homemade pizza crust and homemade pizza sauce (which are made
fresh daily), "Real" brand whole milk mozzarella cheese, and fresh
vegetables and meat toppings really makes a difference. But that’s not all.
Another thing that makes this pizza so incredibly delicious is that it is cooked
on stainless steel screens (making a nicely textured, crispy golden brown
crust). A humongous convection pizza oven on premises can cook up to 25 large
pizzas on these screens, in an average of six minutes to the delight of the
patrons.
In case you are a pizza connoisseur like me, (my
qualifications include being born and raised in New York City and once did a six
month series on New York’s best pizza) you’ll really savor Brooklyn
Pizza Works’ fabulous Neapolitan style (round thin crust) pizza. The dough is
hand shaped (and yes, while stretching and shaping the pizza, chefs rhythmically
toss it with aerobatic precision), placed on a cooking screen base, and
carefully topped with ladles-full of delicious homemade pizza sauce with special
Italian seasonings, and generously covered with thin sliced whole milk
mozzarella cheese.
Sophie and Sam are hands-on owners. Sophie, who is cheerful,
friendly, and professional, serves as hostess, cashier, and server. Sam, also
personable but a bit more reserved, is always on the go. He has done every job
in the restaurant at one time or another. Sam oversees the busy kitchen,
deliveries, and management. The kitchen is well organized and spotless which
explains why Brooklyn Pizza Works and Italian Restaurant has an "A"
rating from the Health Department. Sam is also one of the back up cooks, but the
team of a half dozen reliable and highly experienced kitchen staff has things
well in hand. The head cook, Michael has been there over a decade. Michael (and
the other cooks) have made literally hundreds of combinations and tens of
thousands of pizzas. They are awesome when they toss ‘em! The cooking staff is
also equally adept at preparing the wide range of traditional Italian entrées
also on the menu.
That is right. Brooklyn Pizza Works (and Italian Restaurant)
also has an extensive menu of delicious entrées including 12 appetizers, 7 side
orders, 12 delicious stuffed calzones, 12 kinds of pizzas, plus hundreds of
possible combinations, two-dozen entrées including over a dozen types of pasta
dishes, and a dozen luscious desserts. New patrons are frequently surprised to
learn about all the great stuff on the menu. All the original recipes that have
made Brooklyn Pizza Works so popular over the past twenty years have been
carefully preserved and refined. In the past year or two Sam and Sophie have
also carefully added some new items like Penne ole’, Linguini Italiano, Shrimp
Supreme Ole’ Ole’, Fettuccini Milano, and Pasta Primavera.
There are an almost endless combination of pizzas because
Brooklyn Pizza Works offers your choice of ingredients such as Anchovies, Black
Olives, Bell Peppers, Crab, Canadian-Style Bacon, Chicken, Crushed Garlic, Fresh
tomatoes, Hot crushed peppers, Eggplant, Pineapple, Onions, Olive Oil, Sliced or
Ground Pepperoni, Meatball, Sausage, Shrimp, Ricotta Cheese, Marcella Wine, and
White Sauce.
The ambiance and décor are good. The service is good to very
good. And the food is EXCELLENT! I was impressed with the friendly, professional
service. They get your order right the first time and if you are not satisfied
with something (for whatever reason) it’s promptly taken off your bill - no
questions asked. Brooklyn Pizza Works has comfortable booths and tables with
cloth napkins and fresh flowers. The place is light and airy, there are ceiling
fans and it’s air-conditioned too. And there is plenty of cold beer on tap
(Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Rolling Rock) and in bottles, as well as wine
and soft drinks. Beer and soda is available by the glass or by the pitcher.
Refills for soft drinks sold by the glass are free and the entrées are served
with fresh hot Italian bread (that’s crispy on the outside and soft on the
inside) - as much as you like. The tables are good sized and the Pizzas are
served on topple-proof stands so the table doesn’t get too crowded. They also
cut the pizza properly - which is a pet peeve of mine about some pizzerias. And
since Brooklyn Pizza Works’ delicious pizza is served hot and fresh out of the
oven you’ll also appreciate the china serving dishes (instead of flimsy paper
plates) and the spatula they give you for serving and eating. If you order
pizzas like The Pizza Works Special (pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon,
mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and olives - $15.50 for a large 16" pizza)
or other varieties with lots of toppings, instead of getting soggy pizza, you
will be pleasantly surprised at how they prepare these pizzas just right so that
the crust remains crispy.
Brooklyn Pizza Works has a respectable wine list. You can
order Heritage Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and White Zinfandel, and
Chablis, Vin Rose, and Burgundy, and Mondavi Chianti by the glass, half carafe,
and carafe. You can also order white and red wines such as French Merlot,
Italian Chianti, and California Chardonnay, and White Zinfandels by the glass
and bottle.
Brooklyn Pizza Works has some dine in and take out specials.
For example you can order 1 take out pizza and the second one is 1/2 price. One
of these days I am ordering this special and having a tailgate party in their
parking lot. If you are dining in, Brooklyn Pizza Works has a lasagna dinner
special for two that comes with an antipasti and pitcher of soda or one half
carafe of wine for $19.95. Brooklyn Pizza Works also has a frequent diner card.
Your meal including beverage and dessert is free on your birthday. Monday night
there is NFL football on a 52" wide screen TV with satellite broadcast of
NFL and several sports channels. Free delivery is offered within a 3-mile
radius. Pizzas and dinners are delivered in hot packs keeping them hot and
fresh. Cold stuff like drinks and salads are kept chilled. On top of that, they
get your order right and deliver it to you promptly.
I delighted in the homemade five-layer lasagna. It was
D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! This dish comes with five layers of lasagna noodles - with
lots of meatballs and ground mild Italian sausage, mozzarella and ricotta
cheese, and marinara sauce. It’s served with delicious, fresh hot bread and a
crispy fresh house salad with a choice of homemade creamy garlic or Italian
dressing. It was a good-sized portion and I knew I didn’t have too much of a
chance of finishing it all, so I brought some home which made a great lunch the
next day.
I also tried the antipasti which is crisp chilled baby
iceberg lettuce, with sliced vine ripened Roma tomatoes, meat and cheese rolls,
sliced pepperoni, peperoncinies, thin sliced sweet onions, in bite-size pieces
and choice of homemade creamy garlic or Italian dressing.
My wife tried a White Calzone, a delicious pizza stuffed with
ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and homemade marinara sauce, and a side serving
of homemade marinara sauce. There are about a dozen varieties of these on the
menu, which range from $5.95 for the Plain Calzone to $10.95 for the Crab
Calzone. If you are going to order a calzone you might want to precede it with
soup, salad, or antipasti, because soups and salads are a nice compliment and
because calzones are made fresh and preparation can take 10 or 15 minutes.
Finally we get to my son’s David and Joey’s favorite part
of a meal, dessert. A choice of eight desserts are offered for $2.50 including
Mississippi Mud Pie, Spumoni Pie, Chocolate Heart Truffle, New York Cheese Cake,
Chocolate Mousse Cake, and Tiramisu. They also serve my favorite Italian
dessert, zapoles ($3.95) - a delicious batch of bite-size freshly fried dough
dipped in powered sugar and served hot, fresh, and delicious. The scrumptious
little darlings taste EXACTLY like the ones I used to get at the feast in Little
Italy back in New York when I was my sons’ age.
For authentic delicious New York Style pizza and Italian
entrees take your spouse and kids and go to "Brooklyn" - Brooklyn
Pizza Works in Placentia. Don’t be surprised if you get hooked and become one
of their regulars. As co-owner Sophie likes to say, "A pizza is a pizza,
until you have tasted Brooklyn Pizza Works’ Pizza. Try us once, and you will
be sure to come back and see us again."
For More Information Contact:
Brooklyn Pizza Works
1235 East Imperial Highway
Placentia, CA 92870-1718
Phone: 714-524-1260
Fax: 714-524-1267
Email: admin@brooklyn-pizza-works.com
Web: http://www.brooklyn-pizza-works.com
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