RIP Carmine Notaro. Maker of the finest slice of pizza in North Brooklyn. First time we met you chased me down Norman Ave with a broom yelling “that’sa my gahbegge” after you caught me dumpstering outside your store.

Carmine’s Original was a truly magical place. Everything a pizzeria should be—slightly cramped, just a bit intimidating, everything coated in a fine patina of grease, tiny tv in a corner that seemed to always be playing a Knick game no matter what time of year.

Whether he was serving slices or napping in the corner, Carmine exuded a warmth and pride that was the palpable. And the pizza! Absolutely perfect. Crisp crust that cracked upon folding, slightly acidic sauce, good moz to balance it out. Perfect ratios and cooked just right.

Much respect to Carmine’s right hand man Joaquin who I suspect actually kept that place running. Last I heard he was working at another pizza place on Manhattan Ave somewhere. If anyone knows for certain where he’s at I’d love to eat whatever slice he’s making now.

In like 2012 or so I did an interview with the Daily News inside Carmine’s where I spent quite a bit of time raving about the pizza there. I’m not sure how much made it to print, but some did. A couple days after it ran, @michaelcmaronna told me it was hanging on the wall.

I went in like every day for a week, ordered my usual order (plain slice, pepperoni roll, and a can of coke, then another plain slice cause the first was so good) and sat underneath my picture to eat it. No acknowledgement from Carmine.

Finally on the fifth day I had the same hat on as in the photo and Carmine was like “aye! Thassa you!” After that when I went in he gave me a pat on the cheek, but he still charged me for all my slices unless I had a cameraman with me or he thought I was on a date. Much respect.

He got out of the pizza place a few years ago and it’s been a shit show there ever since, apparently, but he was an indelible part of that neighborhood and he’ll be missed by so many. My thoughts are with his son Patrick and the rest of the Notaro family.

Found the Daily News article. It's testament to how much I loved this place that I remembered my exact order almost a decade later. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/man-eats-pizza-slice-joint-manhattan-colin-hagendorf-eats-362-slices-craves-article-1.1000241