This one ain’t ready to come out of the oven.
Manhattan pizza mini-chain Artichoke Basille’s is eyeing opening another store in Brooklyn. Rumors simmered that a restaurant would rise from the ashes of Bay Ridge’s recently shuttered Yellow Hook Grille. The talk was partially hot air — but Artichoke owners haven’t ruled out the Ridge, one pie-slinger said.
“If the right opportunity comes about in the right section of the neighborhood, we’d be interested,” said Francis Garcia, a native of bucolic Staten Island. “But we just saw that location open up and went to check it out.”
Yellow Hook’s storefront, which went vacant on April 2, is too large for the homespun pizzeria, Garcia said. But the pizzaolo believes his shop would do well in the neighborhood, that’s nightclubs and bars he frequented in his younger days growing up across the Verrazano.
There are six Artichoke restaurants around the city — including one in Park Slope — and a seventh in California. Most take up smaller storefronts, keep limited seating, and some serve beer. Garcia and his cousin opened the first Artichoke in Manhattan, a neighboring borough, in 2008 after years working in their family’s restaurant Basille’s on Staten Island.There is some debate over the quality of their slices, but overall Artichoke has good reviews on Yelp and claims some famous fans, including Rolling Stone Keith Richards. One location got a “critic’s pick” in New York Magazine, but a six out of 10 reader rating.
Owners would have had some stiff competition had he moved into the former Yellow Hook Grille — the highly rated Grandma’s Original Pizzeria is just a few steps away on Third Avenue, along with Del Corso Cafe, which serves full pies and slices. Original Pizza on Fourth and Bay Ridge avenues is a hop, skip, and a jump away as well.
The news keeps alive the dreams of former Yellow Hook patrons, who hope another sports bar will take its place.
“I can tell you that everyone who lives in the area wants a similar type of place — a place to go sit down and have a drink,” said neighbor Mary Devito. “I hope they put something decent, nobody really wants a chain in there.”
The owners of the former bar and eatery could not be reached for a comment. The building is owned by a limited liability company.
