By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
TRIBECA — American Flatbread's legendary artisanal pizzas are on the way to Manhattan.
The Vermont-based eatery is opening its first New York location later this year at 205 Hudson St. in TriBeCa, the owners announced this week.
"It's the best pizza I've ever had in my life," said Billy Reilly, owner of the Tribeca Rooftop event space, who will run the franchise. "I've been wanting to bring it to New York."
The menu focuses almost exclusively on pizzas, which are made from locally-sourced ingredients and baked in a wood-fired oven.
Varieties include "Sundried Tomato & Mushroom" with house-seasoned sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions, cheeses and herbs, and "Punctuated Equilibrium" with kalmata olives, roasted sweet red peppers, handmade goat cheese, fresh rosemary, red onions, mozzarella and garlic.
The TriBeCa location will be the first American Flatbread to serve breakfast, and then it will cater to office workers at lunch, families at dinner and the bar crowd late at night, Reilly said.
"We're going to try to hit every market we can," Reilly said. He also expects to host private parties in the basement, along with community charity events.
Reilly plans to invest $2 million in the project. The 8,000-square-foot space, a former deli, required major renovations. Reilly hopes to open before the end of the year and eventually open many more in Manhattan.
Community Board 1's Tribeca Committee unanimously approved the restaurant's liquor license and allowed it to serve alcohol until 3 a.m., citing its location in a commercial area just south of Canal Street.
Also approved Wednesday night was a new bar and restaurant called Tribeca Taproom in the former Pig 'N Whistle space at Greenwich and Franklin streets.
Restaurateur Nicholas McKeon, who owns Mason Jar on E. 30th Street, wants to open a similar comfort-food-themed gastro-pub but plans to take the concept a bit more upscale.
Mason Jar's menu features a $14 pulled pork sandwich that sometimes sells out, along with standards like macaroni and cheese, buttermilk fried chicken and barbecued ribs.
The 4,800-square-foot spot will seat up to 75 people and will have 20 beers on tap. McKeon said he hopes to open at the end of August.
