Pizza Moto Turns out the Lights
My Favorite Pizza Place is Closing
After ten years in a cozy storefront on the dark stretch of Hamilton Avenue under the crumbling concrete awning of the BQE, Pizza Moto will be having its last day of service on Sunday Feb 19th, 2023.
In an email to friends and patrons, chef and owner Dave Sclarow (pictured above with his Moto team) explained that his lease was up, and after much complicated and bitter-sweet deliberation, the team decided to call it a decade. “It's been my great honor to be welcomed and supported by our local community here in Red Hook, Brooklyn and I'm so very grateful for everyone who came out to our wild-swing of a project," he wrote in an email this morning. Sobs were heard all over Brooklyn. Not joking.
Long ago, I discovered Pizza Moto through my friends Dawn Casale and Dave Crofton, the owners of One Girl Cookies. They knew Dave from his days cooking with Adam Shepard when he had Lunetta on Smith Street. (Dave Sclarow actually still pays homage to Adam with his Rigatoni Alla Lunetta — the classic from days gone by: fresh pasta, fennel sausage, slow roasted tomatoes, broccoli rabe, and a touch of cream.
I remember when Dave was building out the space, and broke through a wall, discovering an old wood-fired oven buried beneath behind the sheetrock which he lovingly restored and turned into the heart of his restaurant.
I loved how he had a little bar and a table right in the kitchen, where you could eat and sort of hang out with the cooks, and connect in a way that really never happens in restaurants. How can it? But here at Moto, it did. And it made you feel like you were in Dave’s home, which is I think how he ended up having such strong connections with his customers. Also because the food was so damn good.
I remember first discovering the pizza called “Eggs from Hell,” an absolute masterpiece of a pie topped with tomato, bacon, chili oil, soft cooked egg, and mozzarella. Craig and I spent many dinners there, and we would go halfsies on this pie and the Salsa Verde, a pie topped with fresh salsa verde, jalapeno, fontina, mozzarella, and pecorino. This was our go-to, with the Smoked Trout Caesar, or one of his seasonal small plates like a smoked and roasted eggplant with homemade flatbread.
At Pizza Moto I celebrated one of my closest friend Jenny’s 40th birthday, bringing together a half dozen of our Hot Mama friends—Anne, Dawn, Talya, Eve, and Maiken— passing around nearly every plate on the menu, along with several rounds of cocktails and quite a few bottles of wine. We were among the last to leave. That’s just how it went at Moto.
The story of Pizza Moto is the story of many small independent restaurants that open quietly and build a customer base one dish, one hello, one goodnight, at a time. These are the restaurant owners who showed up during COVID, pivoting quickly to feed folks in lockdown, sending meals to front line workers, and those in need. Guys like Dave not only serve the community, they become part of it; they are knit into the lives of the folks seated at their tables every night, witnessing first dates, last dates, engagements, birthdays, births and deaths, serving the sort of food that’s like a hug: it brings comfort, love, and joy. This is the stuff.
But after 10 years, it’s time for Dave to take a break. As wonderful as this business is, you know it’s hard. So Dave will be traveling, and keeping his catering business going. He reports that sister-in-arms Betsy Devine (Chef & Founder of Salvatore Brooklyn Ricotta) will be taking up the pizza-mantle for all of his mobile pizza operations, upstate pop-up and wedding catering going forward. The email address will stay active and Jeremy at Cobblestone Catering will continue in his role as logistics and event strategist.
So, for now, take out the tissues, dry your tears and get to Motto before it closes. They are open this week, from Thursday thru Sunday, 5:00 pm-9:30 pm and then they will be open for expanded days and hours starting next week Wednesday Jan 25th thru Sunday Feb 19th. Reserve online or for larger parties (5-11 ppl), email a request to hello@pizzamoto.com.
Keep your eyes peeled for a last Valentine's Day event on Tuesday February 14th, where Dave’s putting together a classic Italian-American red-sauce menu a la "Lady and the Tramp" featuring all things "Parmesan", plus fresh warm garlic bread, Tiramisu, and plenty of Vino!
Here’s to Dave, with gratitude for the past ten years, and wishing him the best next chapter!
xoxo
Andrea
Oh no! This makes me so sad.