THE PLAN

107 First avenue

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Because the bar boasts 12 beers on tap, Mr. Benevenga believed it necessary to construct a second walk-in freezer in addition to the one left over from when Bonjoo, the Korean barbecue, was still in operation. Both will be in the basement. The basement is where the offices, storage room, employee changing room, locker and another bathroom for the employees will be, said Mr. Benevenga, who estimated that the building was erected in the late 1800s. When Mr. Benevenga first toured the abandoned space, what he saw was a series of alabaster and marble Buddha heads strewn across the rear dining room, near the entrance to a small back yard where the restaurateur will now store endless bundles of firewood. But where, pray tell, did the Buddha heads end up? I gave one to the previous chefhes an artist, so he took it home to paint it, recalled Mr. Benevenga. And then the smaller ones, the alabaster ones, I took home for myself.

hen Robert Benevenga, co-owner of popular Nolita pizzeria Lasso, sought to replicate his Associazone Vera Pizza Napoletana-approved pies at a second location earlier this year, he briefly considered a Los Angeles branch, on the theory that rent was less expensive on the West Coast. But when nothing panned out in his two neighborhoods of choice, Silver Lake and Echo Park, Mr. Benevenga latched on to Bonjoo, a former Korean barbecue joint at 107 First Avenue in the East Village. After removing rows of gaslit barbecue stations and what he described as oversized Buddha-head decorations, the restaurateur and his partner moved forward on installing a pair of massive domed wood-burning ovens, which were created by Brian Klipfel of the Fire Works Masonry in New Jersey. Last week, Mr. Benevenga, an engineer by day and part-time lighting expert, reviewed the furniture plans with The Commercial Observer and explained why, in January of this year, he chose to ink a deal at 107 First Avenue for the East Village location of Lasso, otherwise known as Lasso EV.
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For that authentically Italian Neapolitan-style pizza, cooks often strive for an impossibly thin, crispy crust, executed by employing woodburning ovens that can heat up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit in mere minutes. While new coal-burning ovens are almost never permitted in New York, wood-burning ovens, while heavily regulated, can still be installed across the five boroughs. In Mr. Benevengas case, New Jersey oven-maker Brian Klipfel was sought out to create two such domes. The one that well mainly use is the bigger one, said Mr. Benevenga. The one in the front, were hoping down the road, as business picks up, well start lighting that one up at night and then using it as a backup or spillover oven.

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Mr. Benevega couldnt have easily predicted that the wraparound copper bar near the front entrance of the pizzeria, which he had custombuilt, would cause minor headaches, especially during weekend dinner rushes. Yet because of its diagonal slope, designed to allow bartenders and other employees to enter and exit, the bar makes adding an additional two-seat table near a narrow hallway nearly impossible. You have the bar sticking out, plus a table and chair, and so its a lit bit of a bottleneck, acknowledged Mr. Benevenga. I keep screaming and telling staff, Dont put people there! But its hard not to. While traffic flow can be hectic in a busy pizzeria, Mr. Benevega insisted that space abounds at the center of the restaurant, where, besides the kitchen and two bathrooms, three octagonal tables regularly draw dinner crowds. In actuality, the octagonal design was cribbed from tables custom-built for his original location. The first location is just basically one room, and the two most desirable seats are the same shape as those three octagonals, acknowledged Mr. Benevega. So we kind copied that style, if you will, from the original design. It was his style and we copied it.

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For any restaurant, proper ventilation is key. But with Lasso and its massive wood-burning ovens, installing air ducts with direct, unobstructed access to the roof was imperative. Luckily, when hes not flipping pies, Mr. Benevega moonlights as a designer of industrial airpollution-control equipment, such as the very ventilation system he needed to build at the new location. The landlord was very flexible, said Mr. Benevenga. Through my lawyer, we basically gave him a set of drawings right up front and had him sign off right as we signed the lease. So he didnt check on us.

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38|September 11, 2012|The Commercial Observer