By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE — A new Upper East Side restaurant named after a cast-iron skillet is taking its cooking seriously.
Tiella, named after the Neopolitan cast-iron skillet that Chef Guiseppe (Peppe) Castellano uses to craft one-of-a-kind pizza, is a new Italian gourmet restaurant opening up at 1109 First Avenue.
Tucked between the Queensboro Bridge and East 61st Street, Tiella offers meals crafted in an on-site wood burning oven and pastas featuring interesting dressing like pink grapefruit and lobster risotto.
Opened since Monday, lunch prices at the eatery range from $8 to $20 with dinner entrees priced between $22 and $28.
Castellano made his name in Cambridge, Mass., with his artisanal, high-concept pizzas at the restaurant Gran Custo, a flavor he hopes to replicate on the Upper East Side.
Pizzas at the place will feature foie gras, prosciutto and goat cheese, among other ingredients.
It's second day of business was a pretty slow day Tuesday, said co-owner Mario Coppola, but the duo remained excited about the 38-seat restaurant.
Tiella is open from Monday through Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. and Sundays noon to 10 p.m.
