TONDA PIZZERIA OPENS IN EAST VILLAGE MARCH 2009

Featuring New York's best fire-baked pizza, foccaccia, and piattini (small plates)

NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 2009 – TONDA (‘round’) a contemporary Italian Pizzeria, will open mid-March at 235 East 4th Street located near Avenue B in New York’s East Village. With a focus on nutrition, quality and value, Tonda will be a friendly new neighborhood place to dine and linger.

The centerpiece of TONDA will be an 8 foot wide fire-burning oven adjacent to the entrance, in which the majority of the menu offerings will be baked on a rotating stone pivot. Crusts will be consistently thin and crisp-charred given the 1000 degree temperature maintained within the oven.

'Maestro Pizzaiolo' Michele Sceral of Naples has been flown in to debut an authentic menu as well as to supervize the personalized pies to be made by a team at Tonda in the tradition and high standard he garnered at the Napolitan Pizzaiolo Association. The pizza institute will also open a branch in New York in 2009.

Michele Sceral as 'maestro' has 15 years of experience and will utilize mostly locally-sourced nutritious ingredients and flours. Special water will also be used to make the crusts for all menu items. Owner Bob Giraldi collaborated on the TONDA concept, menu and hospitality staffing with restaurateurs Luigi Comandatore and Dario Milanin, with whom he is partners in the popular BREADTribeca restaurant located downtown.

Following upon their reputation for offering New Yorkers and visitors alike a memorable atmosphere, service, and food at a reasonable price, the owners aim to please both neighbors and out-of-towners looking for an easy-going, new East Village experience and destination.

Hospitality, intimacy and a vibrant crowd will be the hallmark of the Giraldi/Comandatore culinary and conceptual collaboration at TONDA. Restaurateurs Comandatore and Milanin grew up working with their families in the pizza business in Genoa, Italy before establishing their own ventures; Bread and Lulu in Nolita. Giraldi has launched numerous popular restaurants that include Jean Georges, Vong, Mercer Kitchen, Diablo Royale, The EU, Gigino Trattoria, and Prime Steakhouse, among others.

Creative piattini (‘small plates’) will complement the fire-baked foccaccia and flatbreads. A wine list offering primarily Italian whites, red and rosés will also be available. Delivery in the immediate neighborhood will be offered as well. Menu, wine list, floor plan, chef, pizzeria staff and owner profiles will be available on the new TONDA blog, to debut mid-February at TONDAPIZZERIA.blogspot.com

TONDA may be reached by telephone during its construction and pre-opening phase via 212.254.2900. Dinner only will be served at March opening; brunch and outdoor seatingscheduled for Spring 2009. For more information or a site visit by appointment, please contact Gotham Public Relations Inc. at 212.352.2147