In the intervening years, the Russos keep talking longingly about getting back into the food business and keeping their eyes on likely spaces that would come on the market in and around town. Debbie had lots of nostalgic stories to tell about hanging out at Ed’s in her youth; “We always felt this place had amazing potential,” she says. So when they heard that Paul’s Kitchen was about to go out of business, they jumped at the chance to lease and renovate the space. “I’m getting older,” says Carmine with a smile. “I don’t want to climb roofs anymore.”
Still, his experience in the construction trade paid off in the rebirth of the former greasy spoon and SUNY faculty hangout. The Russos reconfigured the space, installed new flooring and a wraparound counter and repainted the vintage woodwork in tasteful shades of slate blue and rust. They put a cozy loveseat and coffee table in one corner and hung lovely prints of Italian streetscapes on the walls. Under the glass tabletops are collages of real newspaper clippings from the Old Country, and there’s a vase of fresh-cut flowers on each table. Music from the ‘50s and ‘60s plays softly in the background. Rather than the kitschy look of a stereotypical American pizzeria that’s striped in the red, white and green of the Italian flag, the space has the welcoming feel of a genuine Old World café.
Wraparound windows fill the seating area with daylight even on a dull winter day, and the five wrought-iron tables on the patio out front are sure to become a draw once the weather warms up. “In Italy, that’s what people do,” notes Carmine. “They want to be al fresco and have their coffee.”
While they wait for the outdoor café season to arrive, the Russos are taking steps to get their neighbors into the mood by providing a daily Coffee Happy Hour from 2 to 5 p.m., with price discounts on all desserts and the espressos and cappuccinos to wash them down. The baked goods are all made in-house by Anya Ritz, the daughter of Trudy and Ed Ritz, former owners of the late lamented New York Video Exchange; and the organic fair-trade coffees are custom-blended for Russo’s Italian Deli by Chris’s Coffee Roasters of Albany. If cold drinks are more to your liking, the place carries a full line of Pellegrino sodas imported from Italy — including the hard-to-find Chinotto flavor, which somewhat resembles birch beer — as well as Manhattan Special coffee soda.
Debbie, who claims not to be much of a cook herself, handles the business end: ordering, bookkeeping and so on; and both of the Russo children have come to work for the family business full-time. “My daughter knows more about cheese than anyone should,” says Debbie proudly, and Marina is also in charge of making up the salad and antipasto party trays that are an intrinsic part of the Deli’s growing catering service. The Russos’ big kitchen is equipped to provide both freshly made hot foods and salad trays for Christmas parties, and a smaller version called the Mini-Tray is available for takeout as a healthful and tasty alternative to fast food for harried working people.
