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June 29, 2015- By Steven E. Greer
The new Parm on Vesey Street finally opened. It has a seating capacity of 150-people (compared to El Vez at 275 seats). The interior is keeping with the theme of the original store on Mulberry Street: casual Italian diner.
The General Manager is Ashley Hymore and the chef is Chris Leahy. The service Director is Chris Cobb.
This Parm has installed a deli counter to display the meats from which their famous sandwiches are made. They are going for an “Arthur Avenue” look.
The lunch crowds from the nearby offices will generate long lines outdoors for the sandwiches. So, Vesey Street now has two lunch items that generate lines: the El Vez burrito and the Parm sandwich (and Shake Shack makes three if you count that as Vesey Street).
I tried the new sandwich called the Ozersky, which is a copy of the roast beef sandwich that the food critic Josh Ozersky liked at Fiore’s House of Quality in Hoboken, New Jersey. The sesame seeds on the hero were very noteworthy and made this an exceptional sandwich.
The menu here is expanded from the Mulberry Street store. They offer a full line of pastas and more entrees.
I tried the classic chicken parm platter for $19, which as just was good as I expected. The salad was classic and fresh.
On another day, I ordered the $29 Delmonico steak to test the expanded menu. It was 10-ounces and pretty tasty. The price is right too. The steak at North End Grill is almost twice the price, for example.
I also got the fusilli bolognese. The made-in-house pasta had the right amount of al dente firmness.
The penne verdi with shrimp and green pesto is a colorful alternative to the red sauces.
This Parm has now expanded upon their ice cream cake idea served at Mulberry Street. Here, they offer more than ten varieties, which have to be ordered ahead. There are two varieties available without pre-order. I got the strawberry shortcake.
All of the cakes are made with gelato. American ice cream adds eggs to the cream, making it a frozen custard. Gelato has no eggs.
With the arrival of a large Italian restaurant across from the very large El Vez, and with Amada to arrive next year, Vesey Street has become of the new dining destinations in the city. The various restaurants should by synergistic to one another, driving more traffic.
