New York Style Italian Eatery Opens in Downtown Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Frank "Maurice" Savino loved the small Italian eateries, where the chef knew his name, what he liked, and always had something new on the menu.
When he moved to the Berkshires a decade ago, that intimate setting is something he missed. So last month, he opened up his own shop on North Street serving lunch, dinner, and to-go items all homemade that day and with a personal touch.
Brooklyn's Best intends to be exactly what the name the suggests — bringing the best Italian food from the New York City that Savino remembers as a child and that same vibe from those small businesses.
"Everything we make is special. We do small quantities of really quality stuff. A lot of our staple items that we always have like cannolis, eggplant parm, chicken parm, meatballs. When you come in and talk to me if there is something you like in a couple days I can source it out and make it," Savino said.
"In this area you have the volume but you also have the intimacy of getting to know people and what they like to eat. It's a way of the world that I think is becoming extinct."
In his thick New York accent on Thursday, Savino spoke with passion about his food, suggesting customers try the arugula salad made from ingredients picked the day before. Or he offered up a taste of eggplant he cooked up, throwing some on top of the margherita pizza. When a customer complimented the sausage he had the day before, Savino was quick to let him know when he'll be stocking up with more.
He likes to talk about the food, which he describes as "rustic mountain style" centered mostly around Italian.
That's the vision for the eatery. A vision based on quality Italian food and personality.
"I'm always throwing people tastes of this and that just so they can feel and understand food in a different way. It has become so cold where you go into a place and it is so routine. I want to get back to the days where I know everybody by name. If I don't know you by name, at least I want you to feel like — the best feeling for me is the guests saying they felt like they were in their living room," Savino said.
He is going to make the staple items but every week he plots out changes to the menu, giving a surprise to customers each day. He sources his vegetables from local vendors and he goes to New York City for the meats and pastas from businesses his family owns — the ravioli he claims is the best in New York.
Each morning, he heads to the small space at 48 North St. and starts cooking. From 11:30 until 2, the pizzas and strombolis are rotating out of the oven, while pasta and salads are being made.
"Do you want stuff sitting in a freezer or dry storage? Or do you want somebody who is waking up and creating just like your mom used to do when you came home?" Savino said.
With a small location featuring a communal table to give it the family dinner feel and some counter seating, his goal is to take what would be an expensive sit-down meal at a large-scale restaurant and offer smaller portions to keep the prices down in a causal close-knit atmosphere.
"I really loved sitting and breaking bread in a family style environment with people I didn't know or people I knew. It just enhances the meal," Savino said. "Family, food and love is what makes the world go round."
He's willing to cook for private parties or cater events (which he says he can serve large numbers thanks to a commercial kitchen he has access to in New York) or even just sell the uncooked food for people to make at home.
"The rotation of the food out of the oven doesn't stop. You can come in and there are three selections of pie for you — take a slice, take a salad and that's a lunch. But for people who aren't in that 30-minute zone, they come in and sit down at the counter and it is more of a typical dining experience. Then between 2 and 5 we get a lot of late lunchers and what is the real focus is the take and go," Savino said.
Later adding, "I see it as a place that is just a food mecca. It is the little engine that could. We make homemade mozzarella, homemade Italian sausage. We do these Italian strombolis."
He encourages customers to keep in touch through Facebook to find out what he'll be serving or when to book a private dining event. With groups, Savino says he can craft a dinner menu around what the customer wants or a price point the group is looking to pay.
Brooklyn's Best opened last month in the former Madeline's location, across from the Beacon Cinema. Salvino's family owned a second home in the Berkshires while he was growing up and 10 years ago he moved here full time. Pittsfield and North Street had been a location he's eyed because of the cultural push and efforts to revitalize the city — he wants to join the movement.
"Being up in this area I realized there really wasn't anything like this whereas in the boroughs of New York or in certain cities like Washington, D.C., there is a little more culture shown through mom and pops," Savino said.
The business is still in its "soft opening" phase as he adapts to meet customers' wants. He is currently open from 11:30 a.m. until 8 p.m, Monday through Friday but he'll close down for a private party or open up on a weekend or stay late for a personal request. He hasn't quite determined what his hours will be on the weekends.
Despite being only a month since opening, Savino already has repeat customers and word has been spreading. He says each day he gets more and more new customers.
In the future, he hopes to grow it into a full-scale food lounge.
Tags: new business, Italian, North Street, pizza, restaurants,
