When I saw the pizza ovens in the window and the sign saying “Grandma Rose’s,” I let out a yelp of joy. We’re going to have to rename Graham Avenue Pizzeria Row. John Ricco, the man bringing us Rose’s, hopes to open in about three weeks. And he plans to stay open late. Rose’s won’t close until 11pm Monday through Wednesday, 1am on Thursdays, and until the just-pre-dawn hour of 5am on Friday and Saturday nights — a godsend for those off the Graham L stop who have ever been plagued with post-party hunger.
Ricco, who has lived in Williamsburg all his life, decided to open up Grandma Rose’s in the space formerly housing the law firm of Crudo Crudo & Russo, after leaving his position as a stock broker at Bear Stearns in 2008.
“Ralph Crudo was here since the 50s,” Ricco told me, when I asked how he found the restaurant space. (Ricco’s family has been in the neighborhood since 1892, and the man knows the area’s history.) Crudo passed away early last year, leaving a vacant chunk of prime real estate, and Ricco signed the lease in November.
A sharp and naturally charismatic jack-of-all-trades, Ricco learned how to cook from – who else? – his Grandma Rose, and is creating a menu that is a proud fusion of Italian and American comfort food staples. Many of the items are planned to be on-the-go friendly, including risotto balls and a sampling of 3 different mini pizza rolls, perfect for plugging that 2am drunk hunger you formerly tried to quell with and handful of stale Cheerios (and more beer?).
The French Fries Pizzaiola will baked in a mound of homemade cheese and sauce, and eggplant meatballs will serve as another hearty option for vegetarians. Ricco has claimed he will put any item on the menu on a pizza, if requested. (Cheeseburger and Chicken Wing Pizza anyone?)
And you’ll have to try some of Ricco’s bolder culinary experiments, like the “Jimmy The Hot Dog Man Roll,” an homage to the hot dog vendor who sold his wares across the street from Crudo Crudo and Russo for 49 years. This monster of a meal will combine a boiled hot dog with mustard, sauerkraut and homemade onions “just like Jimmy used to make,” wrapped in pizza dough and baked in the oven. “It’s a hot pocket on steroids,” says Ricco.
The license for beer and wine should come within the year, as will the machines for HOMEMADE GELATO AND ITALIAN ICES. I may never leave my apartment’s two-block radius again.
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