Mary Yeung, WG food writer, and I, were invited last week by local UPS driver-turned-restaurant-owner Enzo Gugliuzza and his wife Anna Maria Palmiotto, to experience their new establishment on Starr St in Bushwick. Lucky for us to be regaled with such quality food, friendly staff, and the opportunity to chat with Enzo, his son, and their talented chef, a New York native originally from Ridgewood, Queens, John Cicinelli. Cicinelli trained to be a chef in France and Italy, and has worked in top French restaurants in New York City and Florida.
Braised mixed wild mushrooms drizzled with truffle oil, a delicate tuna tartare, a seafood paella topped with fresh succulent muscles, clams and shrimp, a pumpkin ravioli filled unexpectedly with ginger and apple, were among the dishes served to us, tapas style, and smartly paired with red and white wines. (Wonderful to note that the pastas and lamb sausages are made in-house.)
An impressive stone oven—a story all its own—is the centerpiece of the restaurant, with fitting, dark understated paintings, and for a touch of historical preservation, elements of the original tin ceiling have been incorporated into the bar.
After much food and drink and conversation, we topped the evening off with a frozen lemon souffle, a signature dessert of the chef.
Trademark Bushwick, the restaurant has a casual down-to-earth atmosphere, a modest exterior (across the street from a school, couched on a street lined with small residential buildings), but it opens into an interior elegance, and offers truly palatable prices: Entrees are $13 to $16, pizzas are $8 to $10 and desserts are $6 to $7. WG photographer, Bess Adler, enjoyed the stone oven pizza among other menu choices which she photographed:” The food there was delicious and they have a very, very nice staff!”
Many will recognize Enzo whose UPS delivery route has been in Williamsburg for 15 years. Some may also remember a moment he had in the spotlight in the local art scene in 2000, when he gave a concert at Galapagos Art Space, playing baroque trumpet. His image is also immortalized in a portrait painted in 1999 by Williamsburg resident Brenda Zlamany, an artist who paints in the realist style.
Check out a review in FreeWilliamsburg who published the first review about Phorum, last week. (Our full WG restaurant review of Phorum will appear in WG News + Arts, No. 15, coming out Aug 5th.)
Phorum café wine bar, 50 Starr Street (@ Wilson Ave) (718) 417-7830. www.phorumonstarr.com
