WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 2, 2020 3
Iconic pizzeria could reopen in two years
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Anthony Sciarratta grew up smelling tomato
sauce and watching dough kneaded at his
grandfather’s iconic pizza place, Tony’s Pizzeria,
in Forest Hills.
Seems like a kid’s dream, right? Well, Sciarratta
admitted that he actually wasn’t all that fond of pizza
as a kid.
“At that time, I didn’t even eat pizza,” he laughed. “I
don’t know why, when I was a kid it didn’t sit with me
well. I started eating pizza aft er it closed and I had to
pay for it.”
But now, Sciarratta, who was born and bred in
Middle Village, dreams of opening up Tony’s Pizzeria
once again.
The 24-year-old wants to make it exactly the way
him and the community remember the pizzeria —
which opened its doors in 1969 and closed them in
2001 — even if he might not be able to open it in the
original location at 100-05 Metropolitan Ave.
“My grandfather still owns the building, but right
now it’s a Middle Eastern restaurant,” he said.
It all began with his recently published novel,
“Finding Forever: A 1970s Love Story.” The novel tells
the story of a neurotic Italian-American young man
who meets and falls in love with a quirky Broadway
actress and becomes inspired by her to pursue his
lifelong dream, all set in 1970s New York City.
He calls it the “Italian version of ‘When Harry Met
Sally.'”
Sciarratta was heavily infl uenced by his traditional
Italian and Catholic upbringing in Queens when
writing “Finding Forever.” Aft er his manuscript was
complete, he even made it a point to book a fl ight to
Italy and visit some of the towns he mentioned in his
story, including Tuscany, Rome and Positano.
“My heritage plays a big role in my work,” Sciarratta
said.
The book was originally written as a screenplay
that he outlined while attending New York Institute
of Technology, where he got a masters for communication
arts. He self-published the book on Amazon
Kindle Direct Publishing, and later landed a book
deal with Post Hill Press.
Then, during the promotion for his book, Sciarratta
came across hundreds of people that thought
he was his grandfather, Tony.
“It’s amazing to me because the following was
huge,” Sciarratta said. “All these people still want
my grandfather’s pizzeria to be around, they were
talking about the memories that they made there,
the memories that they made there with their mom
and dad and how they now want to bring their kids
there.”
Tony, who eventually closed the pizzeria in order
to spend more time with his grandchildren, said, “It
feels good to be a staple of the community, and Forest
Hills defi nitely contributed to my success.”
Inspired by the community’s overwhelming
response, Sciarratta wants to bring back Tony’s Pizzeria
in about two years.
“It’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid to
own an Italian restaurant,” he said.
But his grandfather, who turned 80 years old in
June, told Sciarratta that it won’t be easy. “He tells me
that I better be ready to work hard ‘cause a pizzeria
is no joke,” he said.
Tony added that while he wishes his grandson
“good luck,” he wants him to understand that “it’s a
very tough business, especially today.”
Sciarratta doesn’t seem worried, though. He’s
confi dent he’ll be able to make this a reality, just as
he made writing a book a reality. Funnily enough,
he wasn’t always into English class or reading, but
recording experiences in a journal was always a part
of his life.
Tony Sciarratta and Anthony Sciarratta pose
together. Photo courtesy of Anthony Sciarratta
Pesce
LOBSTER & SHRIMP & MUSSELS ...............28.99
LOBSTER & RIB STEAK ...........MARKET PRICE
FILET OF SOLE FRANCESE ......................... 16.75
CALAMARI FRA DIAVOLO .......................... 16.75
CALAMARI FRIED ...........................................14.50
CALAMARI MARINARA ................................ 15.75
MUSSELS MARINARA .................................... 13.45
SHRIMP FRA DIAVOLO ..................................17.45
SHRIMP MARINARA ....................................... 16.45
SHRIMP FRANCESE ........................................ 17.75
BREADED FRIED SHRIMP ............................ 15.95
SHRIMP PARMIGIANA ...................................17.75
SHRIMP SCAMPI .............................................. 17.75
Pasta
SPAGHETTI WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE ..11.95
SPAGHETTI AL POMODORO ........................ 8.75
SPAGHETTI WITH MEAT BALLS ............... 10.25
SPAGHETTI WITH SAUSAGE ...................... 10.25
SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC AND OIL ......... 9.95
SPAGHETTI ALLA SICILLAN ...................... 10.95
LLNGUINI CON SARDE E FINOCCHI .........14.50
LLNGUINI WITH CLAM SAUCE
(R ED OR WHITE) 14.95
LLNGUINI WITH MUSSELS ..........................13.95
LLNGUINI WITH SHRIMP SAUCE ..............14.95
CHEESE RAVIOLI .............................................8.75
CHEESE MANICOTTI .......................................8.75
CHEESE SHELLS............................................... 8.75
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