349 E 12th St
New York, NY 10003
212-777-2644

It’s no secret. Cassie and I have been pizza partners-in-crime for a while now. Maybe not exclusively (sorry, Cassie)… but it doesn’t even matter because every time we see one another it’s as if no time has passed. We catch up right where we left off, and generally our similarities run so deep that we even settle on the same toppings. Pizza toppings that is.

After a few months of not having seen one another it was time to catch up over pizza. While we fought with ourselves over whether to return to a spot we both loved, like Keste or Nicoletta, we decided half the fun is discovering a new, uniquely fantastic spot so Cassie suggested Motorino based on an instagram picture she had seen the night prior.

Motorino’s atmosphere was just as memorable as the pizza. It’s incredibly intimate with just about 10 tables for small parties and no room for any more than one person to walk through at a time. The walls were decorated with pizza tools and philosophical foodie quotes.

While Cassie and I caught up over an affordable bottle of tasty Italian Sauvignon Blanc, our mouths anticipated the taste of mushroom and onion pizza and brussels sprouts on the other. While brussels sprouts on pizza may not sound particularly delectable, let me tell you, it was shockingly amazing. We opted to share half of each pie (2 being just the right amount for a hungry pair) and left only crumbs on the tray.

Cassie and I both agreed that the crust was charred to perfection. While I don’t always eat the crust, this dough had the flavor unique to pizzas cooked in a brick oven. The cheese, however was a bit too globby. It was clearly just set on the pizza in chunks which melt in place and do not get distributed across the pizza evenly. It didn’t matter though because the crust and the toppings were the superstars. And as much as I’d love to go back and get a margherita, there’s something to be said for the gourmet toppings and DIY ordering which encourages you to create your own concoction with as many toppings as the pie will support. Add anything from onions or olives for $1 to specialty items like clams for $3 or mozzarella de bufala cheese for $4. The beauty of the additional toppings is your meal has the potential to hit all food groups (dairy, meat, veggies) rather than just carbs on carbs on carbs.

See the full menu here.

My advice? Be a bit daring and order something out of your comfort zone. Homemade meatballs on pizza? Why not? Just don’t forget the bottle of wine with dinner.

— Jamie Miles