Closing Bell: Remembering Joe's Superette
Lost City has a lovely eulogy up for Joe’s Superette, the Carroll Gardens mainstay that closed last week. The post focuses on the deli’s prosciutto balls, and has this to say about the institution’s place in the neighborhood: “I’ve been thinking about those prosciutto balls a lot since Joe’s closed, and how I’ll never taste…
Lost City has a lovely eulogy up for Joe’s Superette, the Carroll Gardens mainstay that closed last week. The post focuses on the deli’s prosciutto balls, and has this to say about the institution’s place in the neighborhood: “I’ve been thinking about those prosciutto balls a lot since Joe’s closed, and how I’ll never taste them again. I always knew Joe’s was one of the treasures of Carroll Gardens. But I guess I didn’t fully realize how essential it was. The culinary heritage of the neighborhood is vanishing. Fratelli’s, which made great ravioli, is gone. Lattacini Barese, which sold the best homemade mozzarella in the area, is ten years gone. Helen’s, with it’s fabulous lasagna, is a distant memory. What does that leave us with? Caputo is a fantastic bakery, no question about it. Court Street Pastry still upholds a standard, but Monteleone Bakery has passed through so many hands lately, you can’t trust its treats. Esposito is an excellent pork store, with great soppressata, but there are other pork stores just as great in the city. Ferdinando’s Focacceria makes some wonderful Sicilian specialities, but I’d be lying if I said the quality hasn’t fallen off in recent years. And, with the exception of the House of Pizza and Calzone, all the good neighborhood pizzerias—Mola, Leonardo’s—have closed. To me, of all these merchants, Joe’s, the most modest one, was also the irreplaceable one. For it did something—one thing—that no one else did nearly as well or as purely.”
Memories of Joe’s S Perette [Lost City]
I was a regular. They were the best at the few things Leo made, the selection of cold cuts was more extensive – always had the Italian specialties – than anywhere else in the neighborhood, they were a higher grade and they were always fresh. No one else but Leo made caponata that was just like my mother’s. Fact is they were better than anywhere else at what they did. And if you didn’t know that then you were expecting something that they didn’t provide and you never shopped there much. I could always count on Leo to make up nice platters for crowds – never asked for a deposit – and I could call in an order from work and he would have it ready when I got off the train. Requiscat in Pace Leo.
Caputo’s deli, with homemade ‘ricott’…. many other items
don’t forget them
And I agree with Lost City that House of Pizza & Calzone has the best pizza in the nabe.
Agree on Mazzola’s lard bread, which I’ve lived on for 20 years. Though I prefer Caputo’s olive bread.
Sorry to see the old man go, but come on the food was beyond mediocre. In the 20-some years I’ve lived in the area I have not seen good Italian food of any kind in Carroll Gardens, until Frankie’s opened.
By babs on May 23, 2011 4:45 PM
Mazzola’s lard bread is a reason for living in Brooklyn unto itself.
…
The first time I ate at Vinny’s – big portions, cheap, nufced – the bread made my knees weak. I asked where it was from, they answered Mazzola. Next day was my first trip. Still one of the 20 best days of my life.
c’mon…everybody likes Joe’s balls.
No one has commented on how salty Joe’s balls were. I never had a chance to try them.
BoerumHill – brilliant post (so true)