At Lo Duca Pizza, Friday Means Brandy-Shrimp Grandma

"That one is goooood," a large gentleman offers as he walks by me eating outside the shop.

Lo Duca Pizza in Newkirk Plaza in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn (est. 1989) is a place brought up by some as an alternative to Di Fara—a place, the claim goes, that's just as good, or at least that deserves to come out of the giant's shadow.

I dunno so much about that. In fact, the reason I hit it is because it was on someone else's to-do list (pizza Instagram buddy Joe Rosenthal & his wife Abby were in town and wanted to visit). Nothing like someone else’s to-do list to cast your circle wider.

I found it a strong slice, and noted (nothing like quoting yourself, heh?), "You’d be lucky to have it in your hood though it’s probably not a destination. Still, if you’re en route to Di Fara, worth checking out."

But there was an unavailable slice on the menu that I couldn't let go of—brandy sauce with shrimp—a Friday-only slice that was compared to a vodka sauce by the shop's own Salvatore Lo Duca. It captured my imagination.

This is a luscious slice featuring a velvety sauce—one that's a little sweeter than your typical vodka—on a very crispy grandma slice... the way I've really come to like them recently, with the thin lip along the rim. It's topped with juicy little nubbins of shrimp, the seafood version of crumbled sausage.

I'd have liked a few more pieces of shrimp. At least two. But that could have been solved by the fact that I also wanted another slice. I'll find a way to go back on a Friday and have this one again.

"That one is goooood," a large gentleman offers as he walks by me eating outside the shop. "But have you tried the calamari & shrimp with Sriracha honey? Oh, WOW."

He mouths the 'WOW' in exaggerated fashion.

"And the pesto cream slice, you tried that?" he asks.

Clearly, this gentleman and I should be eating pizza together frequently as I’ve been wasting my life and he has much to teach me. Pesto cream? How did I miss that? I struggle to recall seeing a pesto cream slice on any other menu.

Another slice, another time, another reason to visit Ditmas Park. — #pizzacowboy🍕🤠