Friday, June 15, 2012

Final preparations at Nicoletta, opening tonight at 5

At Nicoletta, the new pizza place on Second Avenue and East 10th Street... workers are scrambling to have the place up and ready ....



...for the grand opening tonight...



For sneak previews, check out Eater and Grub Street and Serious Eats ...

(A few Eater commenters noted that the interior looks like a T.G.I. Friday's...)

If you go, then let us know how it is... because, to be honest, we'll likely never step foot in the place...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Goody, goody. Can't wait! Another up-scale-ish pizza place for the generic 20-somethings to wait on long lines for.

esquared™ said...

Next trendy resto to open up in the EV will be school-like cafeteria serving school-cafeteria food. It'll be named either Never Seconds or Argyll and Bute.

inspired by this http://neverseconds.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Why wouldn't you step in? It's not a chain, and it's a small biz coming to the neighborhood. All in all, I think it's a good thing.

Anonymous said...

@ anon 12:56

Yes, a small biz owned by acclaimed celebrity chef Michael White, who runs Marea and Ai Fiori here, and is expanding his Altamarea Group brand internationally with restaurants in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Just another neighborhood kid from Brooklyn hoping to make it in the big city.

Anonymous said...

It's better than having an empty store front with graffiti on it like before, no?

Anonymous said...

@anon 2:19 I will never understand the argument that something is better than nothing. Why is it a choice of two things? Does not the imagination stretch beyond that? If you are the landlord, yes, you would prefer the high rent that a celebrity chef will pay for his cool downtown location. But for people expressing their opinions on a blog, which makes no difference in the actual real world, but is a place to dream about what one would like to see around us, in the place we lilve, then dreaming about diverse retail choices is a legitimate gripe. Plus, personally, I do not want to live in a spic and span place with no graffiti. We can go to suburban Utah for such an experience. Graffiti on a gate is fine by me. Not hurting anyone and potentially very pleasing.

Anonymous said...

People just love to complain. Regardless of what takes a space over.

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

I walked by this place last night and there was a line to get in. A line. Really?!

When the door opened I could see it wasn't even 3/4 full inside, it was the person at the door trying to create the allusion of this being some new hot spot. The gaggle of 19 year olds in their best TJ Max waiting in the line were eating it up.

Cringe worthy.

Anonymous said...

So true Anon 11:43.

I live on the block so I checked out my new neighbor at about 6:00 last night. No line but fairly full inside.

Young staff, very friendly and helpful. The internal branding with everything marked with "Nicoletta" or an "N" is a bit much. Especially when there is zero decor.

Pizzas are $17 - 22. The crust is different - crisp top and bottom with a center like excellent focaccia. In fact one pizza is good for two people especially if you get an appetizer. The toppings are rich and varied.
It is F-ing delicious.

I don't see it as a douchebag magnet. There's no bar, no liquor and so I welcome it as restaurant with mostly reasonable prices, although beer is $7. They'll soon have take out and delivery. So a pizza with a home made salad or vegetables and a bottle of cheap wine is what I'm looking forward to.

VH McKenzie said...

Wasn't the last business in this location a pizza place, sorta? Centosette?

I will never set foot in the place, not because of any high-falutin principals but because I don't need another g-d pizza place in the 'hood.

I need a fishmonger.

That's what I need.

Thank you.

esquared™ said...

People wouldn't be complaining if a business that opens up -- such as a fish market, a butcher shop, a Korean greengrocer (which are slowly disappearing) -- benefit the whole community, not just the [mostly upscale] transients.

"There's no bar, no liquor...", not yet.

Nicoletta will be and just go like Mercadito.

Anonymous said...

Esquared, re: "There's no bar, no liquor...", not yet.

The space is not physically configured to accomodate an actual bar. Liquor would be possible but only after going before CB3 and the SLA. If the owners chose this route it would be liquor served with food, not a bar scene.

Re: "I need a fishmonger."
4 days a week at US greenmarket.
Sundays at TS greenmarket.
7 days a week at Essex market
and all over Chinatown. That's if you don't want to go to Whole Food which actually has good fish.

I know, you want a local fishmonger within a few blocks. The rent is too damn high so don't hold your breath. A shame but whadda-ya-gonna-do?

Anonymous said...

"Re: "I need a fishmonger."
4 days a week at US greenmarket.
Sundays at TS greenmarket.
7 days a week at Essex market
and all over Chinatown. That's if you don't want to go to Whole Food which actually has good fish."

And how many pizzerias and upscale restaurants are within that radius that you speak of? And who do they cater to but the moneyed wayferers.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 8:31
"And who do they cater to but the moneyed wayferers [sic.]."

Two issues here. A wayfarer (someone who travels on foot) with money is a bad thing? Do you want penniless car drivers instead?
Secondly, do you think that people from the neighborhood don't eat pizza or go to "upscale" restaurants?