NYC Steakhouse Pietro’s Reopens in Midtown East

All it took was two phone calls, and “everyone” knew that Pietro’s, the 93-year-old Midtown East institution, was back in business. “You tell the right person … the whole country club knows,” says Bill Bruckman, the former busboy who took over the restaurant from the original owners, brothers Natale and Pietro Donini, in 1992. Bruckman spoke to a couple of the right people. “Next thing you know,” his son and co-owner, David, adds, “the phone’s ringing.”

It hasn’t stopped. Neither have the emails. The regulars have already made their reservations at their newly relocated country club in the city, which returns at full capacity this week. Some have already stopped by for the soft open; they’ve had to wait 15 months for the Pietro’s chicken Parm, shells à la Nat, Caesar salad, and steak to return. They didn’t want to wait any longer. Because even though Bill doesn’t think the “Italian steakhouse” label is accurate for what has always been a Northern Italian restaurant, it’s stuck, and he knows his clientele wants — what else? — “a good steak.”

The beef is in capable hands: Luis Jara, the restaurant’s chef of ten years, is back as well, and he’s preparing the recipes the same way as always. “That has been my motto since we took over,” Bill says. “No change — nothing changes.” That ethos starts with his purveyors and ingredients: “There should be no change whatsoever.” According to David, approximately 60 percent of the staff has also come back.

The only things that are really different are the address and the room. Previously on East 43rd Street in the former Pfizer building, Pietro’s is now on Second Avenue, a few blocks uptown, in a space that most recently housed another Northern Italian spot, L’Angeletto; prior to that it was Chazz Palmintieri, also Italian (yes, from the actor), which was preceded by Nino’s Positano. The roots were there, and Bill knew it was right the moment he saw it: “I said, This is it. Make an offer.”

Structurally, everything was left intact. Some white walls got a coat of burgundy paint, same as the old digs, to put the Pietro’s stamp on it and add some warmth. The Bruckmans placed some old photos and memorabilia on the entrance wall, too, to make the customers feel back at home immediately. They may find they like the new space: A full dose of light floods through its wall of front-facing windows. It’s brighter, airier, and seems roomier even if it only has a few more seats than before. (There were 125 at the last address; the new room can fit 150, but they’ve trimmed it back to around 135 to give diners more space.)

“After all these years, we’ve landed a spot where we were able to keep the vibe going without being too fancy,” Bill says. Much of the same art has been rehung, and they’re commissioning a mural collage on one wall where they’ll hang some of the diners’ plaques that used to be positioned at tables throughout the restaurant. “It’s not like it used to be. Back in his day,” says David, nodding to Bill, “it was a privilege to get a plaque — you’d have to really know someone. But now it’s like, How do you tell somebody no?”

Meanwhile, his father is worried about one unsalvageable item: a wall with a growth chart for its customers, which of course couldn’t be moved. “I’m going to get killed for that,” Bill says. He’s known some of his regulars since they were small enough to be measured for that chart. “I’m here 40 years,” he says. “When I watch these kids, they would come in, little snotty-nosed pains in the neck, and now they’re big executives with children.”

The owners have started to think about recruiting a new generation of regulars, but they don’t want to force it for fear of disrupting their vibe. David’s optimistic, however: He’s noticed younger diners don’t want the place to change: “That old-school Italian thing is trendy to all the young people. They’re loving it.” The zoomers he’s seen coming into Pietro’s in the last few years, “it’s not like people off the street,” he said. It’s people whose great-grandfather, grandfather, then father used to go there, “and then they tell their friends and that’s pretty much how the word gets out.”

The Bruckmans should have significantly more foot traffic on Second Avenue, including residential types, which was nearly impossible at the former side-street address. Tenants upstairs have been begging for the restaurant to open, and there are lots of other large apartment buildings nearby. The corporate clientele on Third Avenue will be as welcome as ever, and they’ll soon have a new midday canteen. Yes, Pietro’s will once again soon be open for lunch. Bill is plotting a Burger Pietro’s topped with mushrooms, peppers and onions, just like the signature chicken. He’s also excited about new dinner specials, like a flank steak with chimichurri sauce. And he finally got rid of the calf’s liver, much to Jara’s chagrin, plus the equally unpopular home fries and coleslaw. These are changes, true, but only small ones.