Okay Go K!

Before it even properly launched, [K! Pizzacone] became a legend. A to-go box from the restaurant’s opening day sold for $56 on eBay, and one man from Charlottesville, Va., was so enamored with the idea of the pizzacone that he took a bus to New York during a category-5 blizzard, just to get a taste. “It was delicious,” he wrote in a blog post, which was merely signed “Alex.” But Alex’s excitement for K! Pizzacone isn’t unusual. On opening day last month the tiny, day-glow take-out joint was packed with the hungry, the curious and, of course, the food bloggers.

Adam Kuban from Serious Eats and [Slice], a blog all about pizza, was among the ranks salivating to try the new dish. “I'd been waiting years for pizza cones to land in New York City,” he explained over email. In his [blog post](http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/01/pizza-in-a-cone-crispycones.html), Kuban dedicated photos, texts and a suspenseful “opening of the box” video to document his experience. “It was fun to eat, but ultimately it ends up being a little pricey for what it is.”

But what is it exactly? K! Pizzacone serves pizza in what resembles an ice cream cone. Basically, you go in, pick your size ($5.90 for large or $4.90 for small), and the brightly-clad counter person will stuff your cone with cheese, red sauce or pesto, and any basic pizza ingredients you want ($1 extra buys you as many “toppings” as you can handle). Then into the specially designed, 16-cone-per oven it goes, and, five minutes later, you have a crispy shell oozing with hot, cheesy goodness.

Inspired by a similar concept in Brazil, Russia and Italy, the idea for the restaurant came from owner Ingo Pinto. After moving to New York from Portugal two years ago for business school, Pinto decided his future would be better served by actually starting a business. So he and a business partner (who wishes to remain anonymous) thought it was time to bring pizzacones to the city.

“In New York, when you are walking around you want something fast,” explained Pinto. “I am a fan of pizza and there are lots of kinds—from gourmet to dessert—so I wanted to come up with a concept, and the cone was working.” His partner added over the phone: “Pizza doesn’t have to be flat.”

The pair opened the shop near the end of February in what used to be a frozen yogurt joint. According to Pinto, they spent months looking for a venue that would carry enough foot traffic and—in the small space near the Empire State Building, the City University Graduate School and Herald Square shopping area—it appears they struck gold. In just the short time they have been open, K! Pizzacone sells approximately 200 to 250 cones per day, according to Pinto. Made with top-secret dough, the cones are baked in a kitchen in Connecticut and shipped fresh daily.

Each cone comes in a variety of flavors: classic pepperoni with mozzarella, a breakfast cone, a vegetarian blend or a spicy chili cone—that tastes like a bread bowl full of cheesy chili. Two rich, dessert cones—stuffed with a melted dark chocolate and your choice of sweet banana flambé or mixed berries—are also available.

On the savory side, I particularly liked the four cheeses, with its thick, yet fluffy blend of mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and Parmesan—which goes great with the mild pesto sauce. The mushroom-bacon came out dry and a bit heavy on the bacon. But the pepperoni with black olive and the easy, dash-and-dine convenience of eating it redeemed the pizzacone in my opinion. Kuban the pizza connoisseur, however, is not convinced.

“It’s a novelty, and in the end, how can you beat a great New York slice?” Kuban asked. But based on the continuing stream of customers, it appears people will flock to try a new way to eat the pie.

“I think the whole thing about people having to choose between a slice and cone, I don’t see it that way,” Pinto’s mysterious silent partner said in a phone interview. “You may want pizza in a cone one day or a slice another. I don’t see it as a replacement, I see it as a different way of eating it.”