Lucali, Carroll Gardens

Yes, technically this is Lucali via takeout, but Lucali is always such a ridiculously pretentious 2-hour expedition that on this very special house guest edition of Eats Meats West, we forced one of the guests to just…go get it for us.  And lo and behold, it turns out that that’s the best way to experience Lucali!  For those not in the know, it’s easily the best pizza in Brooklyn, if not New York, if not the world.  And the atmosphere – from the exposed brick and candlelight to the hunky t-shirt wearing cook methodically spinning dough in his meaty, child-bearing hands…I lost track of…oh yes, food – is not to be overlooked.  However, it is always an excruciatingly mind-numbing wait, no matter when you go.  Tuesday at 6pm = wait.  Did you bring a Daily Show-interviewed best-selling author with you?  Well then you’re out of luck.  Did Beyonce and Jay-Z take your table [and most of the restaurant] unannounced?  Probably.  Such is Lucali.  It is the wait of waits.  If you call ahead, however, and you send a hapless houseguest in your place, you can savor this most delicious of pizzas relatively hassle-free.  Sure, it’s $25 or so for a standard pie; and sure, meat is generally not available.  But that’s not the point!  When you get past the hassles, it’s actually kind of worth it.  Though EMW has never blogged of it, we’ve actually gone many a times.  It’s just that each time one goes, all of the other stuff gets in your way, and you end up swearing it off for life.  But the pizza itself…goddamn fucking amazing.  It’s charred in the right places, very cheesy, faintly garlicky, healthy amounts of basil, and just very pizzay.  It’s hard to explain, and granted – that’s my job – but the point is that Lucali does get a by.  This time.