The Strange, Sordid Story of PeteZaaz
Technically, it should have been the most wonderful time of the year for the scrappy Crown Heights pizza shop, PeteZaaz. Come summer, the doors get thrown open at the back of the dim, skinny storefront, revealing a hidden oasis of umbrella’d tables and boxes brimming with trailing herbs, the perfect setting for late-night, C-grade movies flickering on a projector screen, enjoyed while nursing cheap beers and snacking on cold fried chicken-topped pies.
At least, that’s the way it’s gone in the past.
But after a protracted falling out with his partners, owner Pete Entner recently elected to take a back seat in the business, and the results certainly haven’t been pretty. With the cat away, the business devolved at a rapid pace, with processed shredded cheese swapped in for the promised “motz,” irate Yelpers citing low-quality, “imposter” pizzas, and nightmare take-out experiences, involving two hour wait times and ice-cold, upside-down slices.
So despite previous grand plans for expansion, both Entner and partners have decided to cut ties with the enterprise for good, meaning that there will be no promised waffle house/pizza bar in the old Glass Shop, and more regrettably, no PeteZaaz. With Entner back at the helm, the parlor is currently operating with a limited menu until the end of the month, before the entire business goes up for sale.
The silver lining is that Entner will soon turn his attention to Boomwich, an upcoming, similarly eclectic sandwich shop on Atlantic Avenue. For PeteZaaz acolytes, hopefully it will also serve as some sort of landing pad for cold fried chicken, coconut-dusted tofu, and baked purple potato pies.