Paulie Gee's Bizarre and Experimental Pizzas (Food Memories of 2011, No. 29)

Every day in December, I'm writing a short post about some food memory from 2011, mostly to be more thankful for all the great food and drink I've been lucky enough to have this year. 


One night in August, some friends and I planned to set out for Paulie Gee's, a pizza restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We initially thought we might ride our bicycles there, as it's only about five miles from where I live. Just as we were leaving the house, the sky looked dark but only on one side. Then we noticed it was more than just dark, it was black, like a twister was coming. It was the kind of sky you might imagine seeing in a Michael Bay movie.

Bikes securely back at home, we set out on foot for the subway. By the time we reached the train, we could smell the rain. By the time the train left the station, it started coming down. By the time we reached our exit point, water was falling from the sky in torrents. 

Even with umbrellas, everyone got soaked. 

Eventually, in the lobby of Paulie Gee's, Paulie himself made a few rounds to say hello to his wet, waiting guests. He brought us pomodoro pie to nibble. We nibbled. 

Later, finally seated, we ordered widely, picking at least one pie that came recommended: the Hellboy, a tomato sauce and fior di latte cheese pizza with sopressata and hot pepper honey drizzled on top. We also tried some of the more experimental pizzas, like a super cheesy one with blops of bacon marmalade and sliced red onions (shown) -- hold the tomatoes.