Rita’s Pizza and Provisions (160 Huron St.) soft-opened with a limited menu this past Monday in the space that was home to the original location of Archestratus, (which is now located at 164 Huron Street.) Tomorrow, on October 4, Rita’s will be fully operational and ready for more neighbors to visit.
Rita’s owner Jimmy Kunz is a Greenpoint local and the founder of The Truffleist, a popular brand of truffle butter, truffle oil, truffle honey and other truffle condiments. He describes Rita’s as a “quintessential New York slice joint infused with European elegance and a touch of truffle magic.”
The new slice joint, named after Kunz’s grandmother, is a cozy and unfussy family-friendly space. The team told Greenpointers that they want the neighborhood to “feel at home” when visiting.
“At Rita’s, love is the recipe, and we hope our community experiences that through our dishes,” the team said.
Rita’s menu offers a small selection of classic pies like margherita and pepperoni, plus a longer list of funky originals, not unlike Wylie Dufresne’s Stretch Pizza coming to Williamsburg. (Is North Brooklyn becoming the destination for quirky pizza flavors?)
Rita’s list of original pies kicks off with La Rita, a pizza topped with orange marmalade reduction, caramelized onions, fontina, fresh thyme and duck prosciutto. Other original pies include French Onion Soup, Reuben, Cordon Bleu, and Loaded Baked Potato. There’s also a Truffleist pie, available on weekends only, that has clams in white wine sauce, lobster, caviar, gold dust, and freshly shaved truffles.
Rita’s additional menu items include calzones, twisted garlic knots, and salads, plus a dessert menu with cannolis, a s’more black and white cookie, and soft serve.
The beverage menu is tight with three beer options, wine by the glass or carafe, the Rita’s Spritz, and sangria. Homemade non-alcoholic drinks include iced tea, maple lemonade, Arnold Palmer, and fruit punch.
Rita’s provisions section is still “a work in progress,” according to the team. Items currently for sale include pesto, fresh mozzarella, pizza sauce, and a selection of products from The Truffleist.
Rita’s Pizzeria will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.