At Ecce, come for the pizza, stay for the Herman Melville tribute

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Ecce entered soft-open mode on Monday at 77 Second Ave., between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. 

So we stopped by for a look. (Previously) 

Aside from the square slices of spicy pepperoni and Margherita, one of the first things you'll notice is the handwritten wall created by owner Kyle Downey (below).

Downey painted the whole thing himself, freehand, using a paint marker — a process that took about 40 hours. 

The wall pays tribute to three people who inspired him: author Herman Melville, French composer Georges Bizet and Ferdinand Cheval, the French postal worker who spent decades building the Palais Idéal.

The text includes reviews of Bizet's "Carmen," inscriptions from Cheval's creation and reviews of Melville's work. 

Also pictured is front-of-house staffer Ashlee Powell, who was handling the musical programming during our visit, with some solid 1980s selections in the mix. (We expect as much from someone in a vintage Stevie Nicks T-shirt!)

We didn't sample any slices on this hot and muggy afternoon, though one customer who stopped in while we were there for a grandma slice and seemed quite pleased with his selection. There are also cinnamon knots for dessert ... cans of soda and bottles of water for hydration.

For now, opening hours are noon to 9 p.m. No website yet... and there's a placeholder Instagram account here.

Behold! Ecce is bringing square slices to 2nd Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Ecce, a new pizza shop at 77 Second Ave. between Fourth and Fifth Streets, is set to open today. 

Owner Kyle Downey said the shop will specialize in square slices — aka grandma slices — along with desserts such as cinnamon knots and chocolate chip cookies. 

His goal: "an easily accessible and excellent slice shop."

Slices will be around $5, with a few non-meat vegetarian options on the menu. There won't be any vegan or gluten-free offerings to start. Ecce also isn't planning table service or beer and wine.

Downey expects the initial hours to be roughly noon to 9 p.m., though those are still flexible. Eventually, he'd like to stay open until midnight on weekends as the business "matures." 

And about that name: Ecce isn't Italian, as we initially assumed. It's Latin for "behold." 

Downey said he simply liked the word — and thought it sounded "powerful." 

So, behold: pizza.