Celeb chef Gabrielle Corcos’s long-awaited the tuscan gun opens its doors in Windsor Terrace
by Catherine Gigante-Brown
You wouldn’t expect to find a celebrity chef’s eatery on a quiet, tree-lined street off the main drag. Then again, everything about Gabriele Corcos’s much-anticipated food shop, The Tuscan Gun, is pleasantly unexpected. It’s like stepping into a savory sliver of Italy in the shadow of Prospect Park.
Facebook and Twitter are abuzz with praise for the co-star of Cooking Channel’s Extra Virgin’s lemon-rosemary muffins (hands down, their biggest breakfast seller, which is understandable—they’re sublime) and cornmeal pound cake festooned with fresh berries. Even the scones have a Tuscan twist, boasting pancetta and Parmesan. (“It’s my take on the traditional American breakfast,” offered Corcos.) Also on the breakfast bill is creamy Greek yogurt with a choice of two toppings, including three heavenly house-made granolas.
The coffee selection, fueled by Lavazza, is robust. The espresso bar includes macchiato and shakerato, while the cold brew is in such high demand they can hardly keep up. There’s also an ample assortment of teas and unique sodas like lemon thyme and orange fennel, plus San Pellegrino favorites.
The lunch menu is small but thoughtful. There are Corcos’s signature salads (fennel or chick pea), soup, and a trio of paninis, his legendarily porchetta being the hands-down customer favorite. Three pastas are on hand, too: traditional puttanesca, a rosemary and sage infused porchetta and sugo di pomodoro.
“Our sauces are big sellers,” said Corcos. “The same sauce you have on your pasta here is available in our fridge for you to take home, too.”
Prices are “crazy cheap,” he added, especially for the area. “People ask why I don’t charge $12 for a plate of pasta, but that’s not what we’re about.” His mission, instead, is to convey that authentic Italian cuisine isn’t about all the pasta you can eat, but instead real, peasant food, hearty, delicious dishes served unpretentiously—on beautiful imported floral plates, and with jelly jars of Sweet William on each table.
Corcos explained his inspiration for opening an eatery.
“I had so many requests from people who missed us at food festivals that I rented a café to do private dinners last fall,” he recalled. “There were 1,500 people on our waiting list.” When space became available near the house he shares with wife and Extra Virgin co-star, actress Debi Mazar, and their two daughters, he decided to take it over.
The restaurant’s name pays homage to Corcos’s mother, who once pointed her finger at Mazar and warned her to be sure to feed her son and grandkids in the Tuscan way. Or else! Thus, inspiring her moniker, “The Tuscan Gun.”
Designed by Corcos and his business partner, the bistro sports the crisp lines of a modern café with warm gray walls, bright red accents, sparkling white tiles in the cooking area, and polished wooden floors and tables. Black and white vintage photographs decorate the walls.
He purposely hired staff straight out of culinary school with no preconceived notions about the food-service trade. “My way is of running a restaurant is unconventional,” he admitted. “Here, it’s not about turning over tables. I believe the hospitality industry should put the customer first.”
Also nontraditional is the fact that there are no paper menus. The offerings are displayed on an LED screen that doubles as an interactive board for cooking classes and demos.
Open since early May, Corcos is seeing brisk business. “Weekends are exceptionally good,” he said. “People are coming in from Manhattan and neighbors are stopping by for morning coffee. Already, kids are asking parents, ‘Can we go to our place?’ To me, that’s the biggest compliment I can receive.”
The Tuscan Gun
199 Windsor Place / thetuscangun.com