A few months ago, a small group of CUNY Pie devotees ventured forth from various corners of the tri-state area (New Jersey, Manhattan, Brooklyn) to visit Lucali. It was a trip I had anticipated for a long time, not only because the reviews of Lucali were good from the start, but also because I had tried, without success, to visit twice before: on my first attempt, I arrived to find a full restaurant with a one-hour wait; on my second visit, the place was closed.

Thankfully, we got in this time. The CUNY Pie team arrived at Lucali in mid-April, just after dusk, with a cool breeze in the air and an eight-month old baby (!) in tow. We stood outside, shivering a little as we waited for a table. And then, the fateful call came, and we were invited in to a rustic, candlelit dining room with rough-edged, wooden slab tables and the cherried glow of a pizza oven warming the the room. We ordered a few pies and also a calzone, which @boonebgorges let us know was a speciality of the house. The pizzas arrived piping hot, with steam lifting off of the cheese and the light, hand-shaped crust charred to perfection. The tomato sauce was bright and the pies were adorned with fresh basil and long, thin shavings of aged parmigiano reggiano.

A fresh Lucali pie

The eight-month old slept in his stroller under the table while the rest of us feasted. We left nothing behind but crumbs. It was a good night, and the pies — perhaps like this post? — were well worth the wait.