Paulie Gee's

Almost a year after we first tried Paulie Gee's, we visited it again with our friend Howard, who always gets the royal treatment there. This time, that came in the form of a preview of an upcoming brunch menu, including a pizza with eggs, mozzarella, basil, and guanciale or speck, and an underdone but yummy dessert pie topped with orange marmalade and ricotta.

While Howard adored the yet-to-be-cleverly-named vegetarian brunch pie, we entered into our own raptures with the simple Regina, which has tomatoes, pecorino, fior di latte, basil, and sausage, and the more fanciful Cherry Jones, which blends dried cherries and honey with fior di latte, gorgonzola, and prosciutto into a carefully calibrated circus of sweetness, saltiness, and creaminess.

Recently Paulie Gee's won Best New Pizza from Time Out New York. In a crowded field, this self-proclaimed "Greenpoint pizza joint" distinguishes itself by inventive combos as well as the bursting enthusiasm and sheer charm of the owner, who got his start as a professional pizzaiolo by commenting on pizza blogs and doing an internship at getting advice from an owner of Roberta's. But before all that, Paulie first fell in love with a pizza. We understand entirely.