"It's a concept that's been in the works for quite a while," admits Sean Kelly, the executive chef at LoHi Steakbar and a Jersey boy who'll also oversee the back-of-the-house team at the new joint. And because these boys don't do much of anything without a whole lot of research, Kelly and clan took a little trip to the Big Apple a few weeks ago to scout pizzerias where, explains Kelly, they "looked at new-style pizzerias, old-school pizzerias and everything in between."
"We went to a ton of different places and ate pizza after pizza after pizza," Kelly says, "and while we loved some of the modern pizzerias like Keste and Motorino, I think we want to do a family-friendly, neighborhood place with traditional pizzas, lots of salads and some antipasti."
You can also count on a formidable beverage roster of the alcoholic sort, with no fewer than 25 beers on tap. "This is going to be everything you'd expect from a pizza joint," Kelly promises.
And it's taking root in a neighborhood that needs exactly what Kelly and clan are proposing. "The Sunnyside neighborhood is another great untapped area," notes Wagner, who lives nearby. "My wife and I are always asking ourselves where we can go and eat and have a drink, and I think the restaurant that we're going to build will definitely fulfill that niche. If all goes well," he adds, "we'll be and running before the holidays."
We'll be waiting.
