by Andrew Morrison | A new Italian eatery called Pronto is opening next week at 3473 Cambie (formerly Art’s Flowers & Gifts). The design of the charming, 37 seat room is by Stefan Gagnon (Les Faux Bourgeois, Jules Bistro) and Scott Cohen (Gastropod, Les Faux Bourgeois, The Waldorf). They’ve really done a lovely period number on it. The interior look and exterior branding (in Futura font) gives it the feel of a cool, modern restaurant in the East Village, circa 1950. I half expected Al Pacino to slink in and make a b-line for the revolver behind the toilet when I stumbled upon it a few days back (without time or a good camera).
Owner Angela Maida (an Italian) is borrowing the food concept from the intoxicatingly aromatic Porchetta on East 7th St., specifically by copying their namesake porchetta sandwiches to the letter. The menu is brief and done in changeable white letters on a slatted blackboard, similar to what you’d come across in an old diner (see Cafeteria on Main). From what I was told, chef Brian Fodor (ex-Pinnacle Hotel, Zin, Dockside) will be keeping it very simple: mostly soups and sandwiches with a few specials and sides. For booze, it’s beer and wine only.
A note on the name: when we employ “pronto” as a colloquialism, as in “get it done, pronto”, we are saying “get it done, fast”. In Italian, however, it means “prepared” or “ready”, as in “È pronto per ordinare?”, or “are you ready to order?”
i love futura almost as much as i love porchetta.
but please god – let`s not let it get played out? 🙂
Awesome!! I have been waiting for Meat & Bread to open a second location!!
Glad they kept the black and white letter menu board, their focus on Porchetta and beer and wine options the same!
Congrats!
Wow, suziefoodie.
That was kinda harsh.
Do you feel that was necessary?
I spoke to the owner today and the restaurant actually has no affiliation with Meat and Bread. Rather, it is based off of Porchetta NYC – the story is that the owner’s husband went to New York and fell in love with the sandwich.
I can’t wait to go for a late-night cheese and wine dinner at Pronto!
Great work, guys!
I think the comment you refer to was a bit of a ribbing.
Hipstamatic iPhone photos? Really?
I can’t be expected to lug around a DSLR with me at all times (or maybe I can). Sorry to disappoint.
[…] same person who wrote the preview piece on us in Scout – Mr. Andrew Morrison – also gave us a mention in the Westender. Here’s what he […]
[…] Magazine wrote a sweet preview piece on Pronto. It’s the very first article written about us, and it has some great lines, like […]
No one owns porchetta sandwich. it’s been around forever before M&B
I like the photos btw.
[…] by Andrew Morrison in the Westender. Andrew was the first person to write about Pronto, in a piece that appeared even before we opened, for Scout Magazine. We’re grateful that he came back to write a review, which has some great […]