Posted by Adam Kuban, January 10, 2006 at 10:43 AM
In a story headlined "The unkindest slice of all," the New York Daily News reports on the reasons behind Lento's closing: declining business and what seems to be a family dispute.
[Linda] Cahill's grandfather, Eugene Lento, turned the space into a pizzeria 73 years ago after the speakeasy he ran began losing dough at the end of Prohibition.
Upon his retirement, Lento handed the business to sons-in-law Anthony Tortora and Herbert Connors, and in 1988 Cahill and three others took over.
Lento's daughter, Mary Lento, inherited the building at 7003 Third Ave. when Lento died in 2002.
"My grandfather reassured us there would be no reason to worry," Cahill said. "We didn't think there would be a problem because why would anyone want to close their father's legacy?"
The reporter contacted me for comment, which I gave. But I sound funny, even though the quotes are accurate.
We heard some scuttlebutt late last week about Lento's closing. Bay Ridge Blog offers more supporting evidence: "Went past Lento's tonight, and it was closed at 7:30 p.m. And the word Lento's was cut out of the awning. I hope that they have not closed. That would be awful."
Operating as a pizzeria since 1933, the place was a neighborhood favorite and, for some, a destination pizzeria. When I lived in Bay Ridge after first moving to New York City, Lento's was easily a once-a-week affair for me.
So here's to Lento's, R.I.P. Slice will pour some on the ground for you.
This is another week-old one that we neglected to post about during our renovation. The Daily News did a roundup of New York City's best pizzerias last week. As we told Eater, the new foodblog from the folks who brought you Curbed:
A nice roundup, I think. A lot of it is old hat to me, but there were some nice surprises in there, particularly a couple Brooklyn places (Graziella's, Laura's) that have been lurking one or two neighborhoods over from Slice HQ.
Irene Sax knows her stuff, and I agree with most of her assessments, although I don't know why she rated a chain Patsy's on the Upper West Side instead of the original in East Harlem. What's nice here is that they've really done a comprehensive roundup of the best places in each borough instead of picking, say, a top-five or top-ten list. It's a nice piece that's actually useful to anyone in any of the five boroughs.
You really should click through to the article and have a look at Ms. Sax's quick rundowns. For as long as we've been publishing Slice (and probably long before), Sax has been the News's pizza expert.
Here, we'll list Sax's picks and link to our reviews, when possible. When not possible, I, uh, well, I just offer up comments and such willy-nilly. Read on after the jump....
I can't help it. After five years of living in New York City, the first two of those in Bay Ridge, I can't help but mentally utter "THE FRESHMAYKAH" after hearing, or thinking of, the name Lento's.
Lento's (THE FRESHMAYKAH!) is a Bay Ridge institution, having stood on the corner of Third Avenue and 70th Street since 1933. When I called the Ridge home, Lento's was my go-to spot for whole pies, despite the 20-block round-trip walk. (It's eat in or carry out; no delivery.)
SAY NUMBER 13: Dom DeMarco, Slice's "Italian hero," makes the cover of this week's Village Voice. The alt-weekly's Robert Sietsema tallies his top 100 Italian restaurants, DeMarco of Di Fara fame clocking in at lucky thirteen.
Robert Sietsema of the Village Voice runs down his top 100 Italian restaurants. Seeing as how pizza is Italian or Italian American (depending on style), there are more than a few pizzerias in the mix.
The usual suspects appear throughout as well as a few surprises and what might be hidden gems. Following, we've digested the list, ignoring any nonpizza establishments. For the full list, click here.
We were delirious yet dismayed to see Dom DeMarco of Di Fara Pizza on the cover—heartened that Mr. DeMarco is once again getting the recognition he deserves but upset that the crowds at his pizzeria will inevitably grow larger (and also perplexed that he ranked no higher than thirteen while less-deserving places sit in the top ten).
Well, without further ado, here is the list, parsed for pizza entries...
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In a story headlined "The unkindest slice of all," the New York Daily News reports on the reasons behind Lento's closing: declining business and what seems to be a family dispute. 
