Pizza Moto is a fabulous restaurant in a quite peculiar location centered around an historic oven.  The restaurant is located on Hamilton Avenue beneath the BQE not too far from Court Street on the Red Hook side.  It's nearest neighbor is a gas station and hub for green taxis.  Outside fire wood is stacked up by the window. Inside, there is a dimly lit space with fireplace, whitewashed brick walls and with three interesting murals lit from behind.  There's also a small, well-stocked bar.

We strolled in around dinner time without reservations and the place was already packed.  If you are lucky enough "not" to have a reservation you might get a seat at the chef's table while you wait. From there you can also see the the jewel of the restaurant, a restored turn-of-the-century oven that had been hidden away in an abandoned building for years. Bright orange flames dancing inside as smoke from the fire is sucked up a nearby chute.  It's here where the Neopolitan pizzas are baked until they are all bubbly, with a thick char. They are also very tasty.

Soon after we found ourselves seated at the bar, which also serves as a communal table, where you can converse with some newfound friends or just sit back with a cocktail. I tried the Harry's Bouquet, a powerful gin drink with hints of anise and celery with a touch of lemon bitters. It's served with an olive and has the feel of a martini and is just as powerful.  Other drinks include the Bonita Applebum made with chamomile vodka and cider liquer, and the Forever, He Said with chili arbil tequila and Luxardo.  The drinks are top notch.

Our meal began with homemade pickles.  Crunchy cucumber slices, pickled asparagus and spicy kimchi made it on the plate and were quickly devoured. My favorite dish of the night was the lamb ravioli.  It took up an entire plate with wide bands of pasta wrapped around the most delicious morsels of meat.  It is wonderful. We also shared two pizzas; one was a sausage pie with pickled Hungarian peppers, pepperoncini, fontina and mozzarella cheese which has a spicy kick. The other was a rustic margarita pie with buffulo mozzarella, tomato basil and pecorino. The best part to me is the crust.  It's crisp with a little bit of a chew and a nice smoky flavor from the wood-fired oven. We took home a few slices that were left over which made for a nice midnight snack.

Pizza Motto is a hidden treasure, a great spot if you're looking for a food adventure.  It has a friendly and hard-working staff.  A great night out!