Hallowed Slice Location Now in the Hands of Grom GelatoThis week we solved one of the great mysteries of Carmine Street — when will Beard Papa reopen? (This week!) Now it’s time to solve another: What’s going into the space on the corner of Bleecker that used to be the beloved Joe’s Pizza and then Abitino’s? Not another slice joint, it turns out. Nicolo de Rienzo, co-owner of Italian gelato chain Grom, tells us he just started construction on a new store that could open there by the end of April. Grom is also in talks to team with Eataly, the Italian supermarket that plans to install its first U.S. store in the Rock Center area at 18 West 48th Street. Cones of Bleecker, you’re on notice!
Mediavore
La Marqueta Fights City Hall and Wins; Josh DeChellis Out at SumileBrooklyn’s La Marqueta, facing the same kid of pressure as the Red Hook vendors, wins another year and postpones getting the heave-ho from the 70-year-old market. [NYDN]
Josh DeChellis has left Sumile Sushi to do a tempura restaurant at 50 Carmine Street. [NYT]
Related: Josh DeChellis Dodges a Bullet, and Hits a Bullseye [Grub Street]
This is a golden age of meatballs we’re living in. [NYT]
Related: Men and Their Meatballs [NYM]
NewsFeed
Triumph of the Dulce de Leche con BrownieEarlier this month we told you about Adam Riff’s heartfelt effort to persuade Cones to offer dulce de leche con brownie. According to a deal he made with the owners, if he managed to send 50 people into the shop to request the flavor, the folks in charge would make him a special batch. We’re pleased — in a highly objective, journalistic way, of course — to inform you that Riff reached his goal shortly after our report, and owner Raul D’Aloisio kept his end of the bargain and made the gelato last week.
NewsFeed
The Single Most Important Thing You Will Do This Summer
We’ve witnessed some harsh attacks on food, glorious food, this year—from the ban on trans fats to the temporary closing of our beloved Inhouse Nosh. And, truth be told, we were getting a little discouraged. But last week we received news of a campaign that’s actually quite sweet. Since January, 24-year-old Adam Riff has been trying to persuade the owners of Cones to introduce a flavor called dulce de leche con brownie, and on Thursday, he e-mailed a couple hundred people* hoping to rally support. “I’m a simple man with simple pleasures and a serious sweet tooth,” he wrote. He then provided explicit instructions, which follow.
