(Photo: Hannah Whitaker/New York Magazine)

When Torrisi Italian Specialties opens for morning coffee and counter-service lunch on December 30, both the concise menu and the grocery-style shelves will pay tribute to the American products co-owners (and Café Boulud alums) Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone grew up on. Their insistence on strictly domestic finds (corona beans from Idaho, California vinegar) presented certain challenges. (“We’re curing our own olives and anchovies,” says Torrisi, who, incidentally, swears by Progresso bread crumbs.) The opening menu is limited to classic heros, like potato-and-egg and chicken parm, plus vegetable antipasti and lasagne. Dinner should launch by February (250 Mulberry St., nr. Prince St.; 212-965-0955).

See More: Torrisi and Carbone on the Philosophy Behind Their Italian-American Deli

Related:

• Archive: “Restaurant Openings & Buzz”
• Articles by Robin Raisfeld | Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: Jan 4, 2010 issue of New York | Subscribe!