STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Domenick Cinquemani built The Corner Grind Cafe in Stapleton with his nickname in mind.
"The call me 'The Fresh-a-tarian.' The only thing in the freezer here are French fries," he maintains. "Everything else is fresh daily. We have imported prosciutto."
The restaurant's offerings include a "Hot Bar" where the entrees change daily. It all depends on what's looking fresh at the markets in which he shops. On this Wednesday for lunch, for instance, Dom's putting out Chicken Chimichurri made with "pesto on steroids," roast beef with onions and brown gravy plus a pan of sliced porchetta.
"We make everything in-house -- homemade turkey, homemade roast beef," said Cinquemani.
He introduced porchetta about a week ago, a boned-out pork shoulder filled with fresh herbs, garlic, onions and parsley, all bound in butcher's twine. He roasts it for about three to four hours, depending on the weight.
And what results, Cinquemani will tell you, "It's very herb-y and tender with a crispy outside and juicy meat inside. We can either serve it on a platter with potatoes on the side or as a panini pressed with baby spinach and fresh mozzarella cheese."
Highlights of the menu include omelets all day, sandwiches, homemade waffles, vegan burgers, beef burgers, bagels with specialty cream cheeses like strawberry, veggie and scallion. He boasts that the chicken and tuna salads are "second to none."
The restaurateur originally owned Caffe Artisti up the block, but closed down to move into this corner location. "Over here I have a much bigger space, a pool hall, a parking lot...and I fell in love with the windows, to be quite honest with you," Domenick said with a smile.
To start in these first few weeks, Cinquemani will open at 9 a.m. daily and close around 6 or 7 p.m.
"We want to hit that point where we're open 'til midnight on the weekdays and later on weekends. That's the thing, the neighborhood is telling me what time to open up," he said.
Cinquemani draws from the North Shore's art community.
"Painters, musicians, cultural types...there's a lot of art and culture and I'm just smack in the middle of it," he said.
Is he an artist himself?
"No, not me," Domenick says. Although he did craft much of the detail in the place including tree-trunk woodwoork as a wainscotting and a shellacked section of a tree as a bar top.
"You can come here to eat, have a couple of drinks..." said Cinquemani. And, you can shoot some pool. Adjacent to the coffee shop, a set of doors opens into a billiards hall with three tables and bar.
"I have a third room in the back where there's going to be a bar and more tables," said Cinquemani who is thrilled about the dart and pool leagues already coming to play.
"Eventually I want to do a grand opening, have a little carnival in the back, invite the whole neighborhood to come here," said Cinquemani.
His liquor license is imminent.
By noon , customers filtered into the corner spot.
"We heard great things and thought we'd check you out!" enthused a patron who stepped up to the counter. With that, Cinquemani sold her on sliced Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, that pesto he raves about, EVOO and balsamic vinaigrette.
Cinquemani loves his neighbors, gets along well with Phil Errigo of Errigo's Restaurant and Paulie's across the street. And, he likes the feedback from guests so far.
"The only complaint I've had," he confesses, "is that the portions are too big."
The Corner Grind Cafe is located at 510 Bay St., Stapleton; 718-524-6592.