Delarocco's Of Brooklyn from Karl Junkersfeld on Vimeo.

Dellarocco’s Of Brooklyn At Hicks & Montague: Open For Biz Tuesday

By on July 27, 2012 10:19 pm in Brooklyn Heights, Development, Events, Food

At last! Dellarocco’s of Brooklyn, the new local brick-oven eatery at 214 Hicks Street, one door south of Montague, is set to open for business Tuesday, July 31. The eatery held a soft opening Friday, featuring pizzas cooked in its wood-burning brick oven imported from Italy, which were oh so delectably light & tasty. The restaurant also features a wine & beer cafe, offering local Brooklyn brews. And for dessert: hand-made cannoli.

Update: Our man Karl was on hand with his cam. Video, as well as more text and photos, after the jump.

Dellarocco’s is owned & operated by Brooklyn-bred brothers Greg and Glenn Markman and Joseph Secondino (who has known the bros for 30+ years). The three are also partners of the Heights Cafe next door at 84 Montague Street. Dellarocco’s has a separate kitchen and operates as an independent biz. (See photos below.)

The tasteful boutique-style dining room boasts 15-foot ceilings, with a menu specializing in personal pizzas. It is open seven days a week, from noon to midnight. As you might guess from the image, delivery is also available. (Photos: Chuck Taylor)
Dellarocco’s owners Joseph Secondino, Glenn and Greg Markman.
Hopeful signs of success for the local eatery.
Joe, Glen, Greg… owners of Dellarocco’s Of Brooklyn.
The owners with Chef Pasquale Cozzolino in center.

Share this Story:

, , , ,

← 
Newer Comments  →
  • http://BHB Michael Davidson

    As the owner of “Overtures” for thirty years, I’m thrilled to see the space looking so spiffy. Jerry and I are looking forward to enjoying a pizza and wine there real soon. Congratulations to my former landlords! They’re great guys. Buona fortuna!

  • Van

    Michael, that was such a kind and classy statement! We miss your store.

  • Heightsman

    I walked by the space today and it looks beautiful. Nice job.

  • princess

    We all miss Overtures & Michael, but if we can’t have them, pizza ain’t half bad! Break legs!

  • Prom Gal

    My husband and I were at the opening party last night. It was a nice crowd in a very nice looking space, but far too noisy. They prepared a really nice spread, and the antipasti were very good.

    I wish them all the best, but they should really work to improve their pizza. Thick doughy crust and really soggy. A wet, damp night is never a good night for pizza, so we hope they work out the kinks before they officially open.

    The mini cannoli were delicious!

  • lori

    Thanks, Karl for the preview. I am looking forward to a pizza and a brew.

  • 132 summit

    “they really should improve their pizza”…that is disappointing. Maybe they just need a couple of months to get their system down. I am not surprised, though, given that nearly all of the food at their other restaurant, Heights Cafe, is inedible. overcooked pasta, undercooked burgers, simple, *Basic* things that don’t take too much effort to do correctly. pizza soggy and greasy, quesadillas the same. I have just given up ever ordering food there. I live 10 feet away from this place, and am hopeful they can do well.

  • WillowtownCop

    If the owners are reading this – please consider offering pineapple as a topping. I am so sick of pizza places in New York looking down their noses at me when I ask for it.

  • James G.

    As a fan of the Heights Cafe, I must say this trio knows what they’re doing when it comes to food an ambiance. After going to the “soft opening” I was blown away by the pizza and decor and can’t wait for the grand opening. Everyone should try Dellarocco’s of Brooklyn!!! It is a hidden gym. REAL BROOKLYNITES WON’T STAND IN LINE AT GRIMALDI’S!!!!

  • hoppy

    “Thick doughy crust and really soggy”

    That sounds like the oft-repeated complaint from people who are unfamiliar with authentic Neapolitan pizza.

    Which, in turn, makes me really excited for this place. I won’t hold them to the high standards of Paulie G’s or Keste, but if it’s comparable to Sottocasa on Atlantic Avenue, I’ll be an instant devotee.

    BTW, despite what they say, the only real “local” beer they have on those lines (i.e. actually brewed in Brooklyn and not Utica or Wilkes-Barre) is the Kelso. (Forgive my beer-nerd vent.)

  • PBL

    Wait, these guys also own Heights Cafe?

    Excitement = down the drain.

    Hope their pizza is better than the bland food at HC.

  • MonroeOrange

    Pineapple doesn’t belong on Pizza, the looks you receive are appropriate!

  • Prom Gal

    @132 summit
       My comments were not about Heights Cafe, which I like for some things.
      
    It is a restaurant, so I’m discounting any reviews based on take out.
      
     The salads at HC are very fresh and good. The main dishes are served with excellent, varied side dishes. The fish specials have been particularly good. Recently, oven roasted cod, striped bass, and grilled swordfish were delicious, very fresh, and well prepared.
       
     The burgers and fries are excellent, cooked exactly as ordered. Great for kids to share. The burgers are quite large. The staff is accommodating. 
      
      The problem is the pizza, but HC is not a pizzeria. 

    @ hoppy
       Your snarky comments are a joke. 

       Nobody likes thick crust soggy pizza. Neapolitan pizza is very simple, no overload of sauce or cheese, just a basic thin crust with a light coat of sauce and sprinkling of cheese. A good pizza oven should give the bottom that char, and the sauce and cheese shouldn’t slide off.
      
      As to Grimaldi’s: my family has been going there since Patsy first opened. I’ve lived in Italy and travel there a few times a year. And my family has been in Brooklyn Heights for more than 100 years. 
      
      I will not, however, wait on line for an hour for anything. 
     
      I wish the owners of Dellarocco all the best, but hope they shape up their pizza.

    @ Willowtown Cop
       If you like pineapple on your pizza, go for it! Why not? Preheat your oven to 500-550 before you go pick up your pizza. Put it on a metal baking sheet, add your pineapple rings, bake til bubbling, and enjoy! Sounds like fun. Sounds like something kids will like and I’ll try it soon. 

     Full disclosure: I write about food, restaurants, art de vivre, often for Italian and French publications. 

     For the record, I detest foodies and food snobs and mixing food and politics!

     

       

  • David on Middagh

    James G. wrote: “Everyone should try Dellarocco’s of Brooklyn!!! It is a hidden gym.”

    SHHHHHHH! You want the tax man to hear you?

  • Big Dave

    Gymnasiums aside, I am looking forward to the new eatery. And the type of total dismissal of Heights Cafe that appears above seems axe-grindingly in poor “taste.”

  • PBL

    Hope that wasn’t directed at me: I simply stated that I think the food at Heights Cafe is bland, and I stand by my opinion. I will certainly give this pizza a try and look forward to doing so, and I have no axe to grind with HC. It’s called having an opinion, and my opinion is that their food is abysmal.

  • Joe

    Hi Michael, as a fan of your store for past 10 years, my card and gift buying hasn’t been the same without your store.

  • E

    It’s sad but true – the food at heights cafe is pretty mediocre. with such a nice location and great staff, you would think they would aspire a little bit higher. wish them the best of luck with the new place.

  • 132 summit

    I stand by what I said about the food at Heights Cafe. I still wish this place the best of luck!

  • Rick

    @Prom Gal, could the “soggy pizza”, be a result of using fresh mozzarella? A lot of travelers who visit Naples and try the pizza there do report that it is soggy. I love the pizza in Naples, but did find it was often quite wet in the center. The reason is due to the fresh Italian mozzarella, which has a high moisture content which is released as it melts. This is true of both the bufala and latte mozzarella.

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Rick,
    We have eaten many a pizza at John’s on Bleeker Street and never once has it been soggy. When we are not eating pizza at John’s we go to Adrienne’s in the Financial District. Again, not soggy. Both places make thin pizzas with nice crunchy crusts.
    Maybe some people prefer a thicker pizza that might tend to get soggy but I am not one of those people.

  • Rick

    @WillowSt.Neighbor, I agree, I like the pizza at John’s too. But that is a different type of pizza, and I was asking Prom Gal a different question.

    I’m trying to give Dellarocco the benefit of the doubt by asking if they were making theirs like they do in Naples, which does tend to get soggy in the middle, due to the great cheese they use. It is a style of pizza, not everyone likes pizza like they make it in Naples. I do, but not all the time, I like variety. The pizza in Italy is different from region to region, but since it started in Naples, I guess they have bragging rights in that regard!

    And yes, even in Naples not all pizza is soggy, but the ones I go to that use the best cheese are, and the Neopolitans wouldn’t have it any other way!

  • hoppy

    Here is a fun blog article about Neapolitan pizza, which touches on the “soggy crust” controversy:

    http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/08/what-to-expect-at-a-neapolitan-pizzeria.html

    Places that specialize in the true Neapolitan style (i.e. Motorino, Keste) are going to turn out different pies than the familiar NY coal oven places like John’s and Grimaldi’s. This means you could be faced with a small pie with a spongy crust and a slightly wet center which may have to be eaten with a knife and fork (the horror!). I’m excited to see if Dellarocco’s can turn out Neapolitan pies as good as the places I’ve mentioned.

    @ James G-

    A gym is probably not a bad idea in a pizza place.

  • Bette

    I wouldn’t mind the mediocre food at Heights Cafe that much, as long as it was appropriately priced as the diner food it is, rather than (the prices of) a mid-town Manhattan steakhouse!

  • RemsenSt

    Popped by the second soft opening tonight, and in spite of being neither friend nor family, was encouraged to come in and grab a slice or two. Both my wife and I thought they were great and I’m pretty picky (don’t much care for heights cafe and agree w those who think their food is mediocre at best). I’ll reserve final judgement for after getting to have a whole pie, but my initial trial was very encouraging.

  • Prom Gal

    @WillowSt.Neighbor
     I’m really glad you mentioned John’s and Adrienne’s on Stone Street. We love them both. The Sicilian pie at Adrienne’s is outstanding, the best we have found in the city. And huge! We usually eat two slices each and take the rest home. 

     And I love the cobblestone charm of Stone Street. 
    Another favorite of mine on Stone Street is Financier, with excellent coffee, authentic French pastry, and a real Parisian café ambiance.  

     The pizza in Italy is really mediocre compared to the real deal, which is NY, specifically Brooklyn style pizza.
      
      

  • Prom Gal

    @Rick
    I don’t think that fresh mozzarella is the problem. Adrienne’s, John’s and yes, Grimaldi’s use fresh mozzarella. I use fresh mozzarella, well drained, and bake at 600 degrees at home with a pizza brick in the oven.

    The problem seemed to me a crust that was too thick, and perhaps left to rise too long, to become spongy. A pizza oven should be able to cook a small pie in under 10 minutes in 900 degree oven. The oven at Dellarocca seems very small. It could also be just using too much cheese and/ or cheese that has a too
    high moisture content for baking.

    Mozzarella di bufala is great for eating, but is destroyed by heat.

    I’m not looking for pizza when I’m in Italy; pizza is more of an Italian-American dish, and IMO NY has the best pizza.

    If you’re interested, Arthur Schwartz, the Food Maven, has a good chapter on the subject in his excellent book, “New York City Food.”

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/158479397X

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    Rick,
    I will most definitely try the pizza at Dellarocco’s. I never make a decision based on someone else’s experience. It would be nice to be able to get a decent pizza here in the Heights without having to go to Manhattan. Out of town relatives always want pizza when they come to visit!

  • WillowSt.Neighbor

    PromGal,
    You are a wealth of knowledge!
    We will be retiring next year to a small town in New England to be close to the grandkids. My only concern is “can we get a good pizza”. Never mind the housing or anything else!!!

  • Big Dave

    Pizza experts sing
    Summer songs of taste
    A lot of tomato paste…

←  
Newer Comments  →