☞ EAT: Manhattanville Pizza Eatery to Open

The space at 3143 Broadway, between LaSalle and Tiemann Place, has failed in the past by trying too hard to be contemporary, but a new brick oven pizza restaurant might now have some success if it chooses to go the other direction. Walking by the former space of the shuttered restaurant called 125 Stop, we saw the full gut renovation in process of the once overly swank lounge. The immediate area has some true NYC grit to it since the tenement storefronts face the elevated subway tracks and the nearby housing projects. In the past, the former restaurants have tried to provide an upscale, elegant atmosphere, but the incongruous nature of the surroundings really did it in for those businesses.

The good news is that the new eatery might just fit in and provide the right balance to this outer border block of Manhattanville and Morningside Heights. We found the recent DOB permits approving the construction of the pizza oven in the interior space, and it seems that this type of restaurant will probably be popular with long time locals, Columbia Students and International House residents that frequent the block. Let's just hope they get rid of the flashy amber marble facade and bright brass doors out front. The restaurants that do work in the area, such as Pisticci and Toast, embrace the rustic-brick aesthetic and blend in with the original character of the neighborhood. The nearest subway to this location is the 1 train at 125th Street. Photo by Ulysses