It’s pizza 2.0 — with all the fixins of a classic Brooklyn pie.
The two bold brothers behind Posh Tomato, Midwood’s two-month-old pizza spot, are combining two of the city’s obsessions — technology and gourmet food — to create a unique pizza-eating experience, only blocks away from old-school pizza legend Domenico DeMarco of Di Fara fame.
Posh Tomato slings thin-crust personal pizzas with classic toppings such as ricotta, garlic and eggplant — with an option to customize your pie — with the promise that its pizzas are healthier than most other slices.
“Our pizza is fresher and lighter than other places,” said Morris S., 31, who opened the “fast casual”-style shop with his brother Solomon, 28, after more than a year of planning. “Why should you have to walk into a pizza shop and have the slice be heavy and greasy?”
True to form, the $9.50 “Melenzana” pie — featuring homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella with eggplant, ricotta, parmesan and parsley — came out of the oven within minutes, was rich and delicious, and not too heavy.
The style of the place sets it apart from other restaurants, bagel shops, and corner stores in the area, as well. The minimalist pizza joint features sleek wooden counter tops, electronic music on the speakers, and a cash register run on an iPad, but Morris doesn’t think the open embrace of modernity will scare anybody away in the typically conservative, religious Jewish neighborhood — especially since his pies are certified kosher.
“People might not know what they’ve been missing,” said Morris, who has two master degrees in business. “We wanted to mix the experience of a upscale pizza restaurant with consumer preferences around technology in a way that will fit with everybody’s lives.”
Are these two brothers trying to topple the venerated pizza palace that is Di Fara — where whispered rumors about Domenico DeMarco’s “heavy hand” with the olive oil jug and long lines have occasionally brought the place’s revered stature into question?
They insist that they’re not.
“Apparently one of the best pizza places in the city is over there,” said Morris. “But my goal isn’t to say I’m the number one pizza place. My goal is to provide a top-notch product in a quality setting at a reasonable price.”
1701 Ave. M between 17th and 18th streets in Midwood, (347) 275-7720]. For info, visit www.poshtomato.com.
Reach reporter Eli Rosenberg at erosenberg@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2531. And follow him at twitter.com/emrosenberg.
