Once upon a time Brooklanders had to leave the neighborhood if they wanted anything fancier than General Tso’s Chicken or buffalo wings. But in 2012 Ettore Rusciano, who originally hails from Italy, opened the Neapolitan pizzeria Menomale. Its name, which comes from an Italian idiom meaning “thank goodness,” seemed appropriate since the restaurant’s arrival to the neighborhood was quite a relief.
This year Rusciano and his wife Maria are aiming to repeat the feat of bringing Brooklanders what they’re really missing by opening Salumeria 2703, an adorable market carrying a surprisingly wide variety of Italian foods just a few doors down from Menomale. There’s fresh, housemade pasta and sauces, imported cheeses and cold cuts, special teas and Lavazza coffee, olives, and anchovies. Most of the items that aren’t made in house are things you can only get at Salumeria, imported from small distributors or mom-and-pop Italian businesses.
Before opening Salumeria 2703, Ettore and Maria toured the other Italian markets in the area and discovered that they all sourced their products from the same distributor.
“It’s a little on the commercial side,” Maria told DCist.
I suspect you have to be an Italian to fully appreciate the range of products; some seemed to be unique only because one was made in a tiny village in the north of Italy and the other was made in a tiny village on the next mountain over. This is a store stocked by a man who says the word “Cento” with a slight but detectable note of scorn. Both Ruscianos wax poetic about their imported canned tomatoes’ flavor for five minutes before we move on to the next subject.
The Ruscianos can tell you where in Italy each of their products comes from. There are Sicilian anchovies, a spreadable sausage (!) from Calabria, cured filet mignon, and a special lard that should be served as a spread on bread. “It’s very decadent,” Maria says, in case you had any doubts.
You will pay for this stuff, of course. The anchovies are $40 a pound, the filet $33 a pound. Boar’s Head this is not, in more ways than one. But as a small indulgence—as Italians seem to think about their meats and cheeses—the price point makes sense. (As a rule, it’s safe to say that other cultures eat less than Americans; during another visit, a clerk tried to assure me that the teensy portion of lasagna offered for sale would serve two people. Maybe two Italians, but certainly not us red-blooded Americans.)
In addition to the imported products, Salumeria 2703 stocks an impressive variety of housemade items: fresh pasta ($7/lb, which serves 3-4 people), marinara sauce ($5 for about a pint) and prosciutto in olive oil ($4.50), which makes a great carbonara base. There’s also fresh Italian bread, baked twice a day and often still warm when purchased. Ettore even makes mozzarella daily, using Trickling Springs Creamery milk.
The Ruscianos hope that by having two businesses, they’ll be able to increase their negotiating power with suppliers and offer even more products. In the meantime, Maria says they’re still doing a lot of the work themselves, like driving to New York once a month to meet with distributors and loading up a van with the best goodies to bring back to D.C.
They also hope—soon—to start selling housemade cannolis and other desserts, and to get a freezer case to stock housemade ravioli as well as gelato by the pint.
Salumeria 2703 is located at 2703 12th St NE. It’s open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 4:30-9:00 p.m., Saturday 12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m, and Sunday 12:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
