'Two Meatballs' Ready To Roll Into North Salem

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. – A new eatery is coming to North Salem. It is called “Two Meatballs,” and its owner, Anthony Rubeo, is looking forward to seeing old friends and faces. Rubeo was the owner of the Stoneleigh Creek Restaurant, based in Croton Falls for 10 years before it moved to Armonk. “I feel like I’m coming back home,” he said.

The new venture will feature New York-style pizzas, with emphasis on all-organic products, including the flour. The tentative menu lists more than a dozen specialty pizzas; a variety of calzones; and regular, whole wheat and gluten-free pizzas with your choice of toppings.

“Our gluten-free pizza is unique,” Rubeo said. “The crust is made from polenta, so it’s gluten-free. It tastes delicious, and it doesn’t have the cardboard consistency that gluten-free flour creates.”

Rubeo describes his dishes as “Italian-American,” which he considers a singular cuisine.

“When the immigrants from Italy came to America they didn’t have a lot of money, and the products here were different,” he said. “So they made do with what they could afford, and over the next hundred years it turned into a cuisine of its own. There are Italian-American dishes here that you’d never see in Italy, like chicken Parmesan or baked ziti.”

Rubeo grew up in a family of restaurateurs, who originally came from Abruzzi, Italy. “My father owned the Halstead Inn in Harrison, my aunt owned Uncle Henry’s, and my great-aunt had Manzi in Hastings. I learned to cook as a teenager. My grandmother had diabetes, so she’d sit in the kitchen and tell me what to do.”

Two Meatballs will have seating for 16, but its primarily business will be takeout and delivery service. “We welcome people to eat at the restaurant, but we’re really bringing our products and service into the home,” Rubeo said. “We’ll also be selling some Italian products like pasta and fresh mozzarella. And we’ll be baking our own bread.”

Where did the name come from?

“I was arguing with a relative of mine about the name, and a friend was listening. And he said, ‘You guys are a couple of meatballs.' So we called it Two Meatballs. It’s hysterical. And it’s catchy enough to be unforgettable.”

Rubeo hopes to open Two Meatballs in mid-September. It is in the shopping plaza adjoining the North Salem post office at 60 June Road.

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