Don Peppe, the much-loved Italian restaurant which has been on Lefferts Boulevard since 1968, is about to have a very busy year. Not only will it be a major part of the final season of Entourage, in which Turtle will try to open a Hollywood outpost, but its owners are also plotting a real second outpost in Lower Manhattan.
The restaurant's owner, John De Luca, tells Page Six that he is hoping to open a second Peppe next year and is eyeing spots near the Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking District. He hopes the new restaurant will include a lounge and a bar in addition to its famous red-sauce Italian fare.
As for the TV stuff, the show's Executive Producer Doug Ellin says that in the final season airing this summer Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) will try to open a Hollywood version of the restaurant with a number of sports names as co-investors. Already signed to make cameos are the Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire and the Yankees' Mark Teixeira. Carmelo Anthony and Alex Rodriguez are also reportedly in talks to appear. Good thing Don Peppe serves Italian and not sushi, or Jeremy Piven would be in trouble.
All of which sounds great if Entourage is your thing. But didn't HBO's funnier Curb Your Enthusiasm already do the famous-people-opening-a-restaurant-in-Hollywood storyline in its third season? And, despite it being a reality show and not "scripted," is it wrong that we think we are more excited for Famous Food, the upcoming show in which "celebrities" like Heidi Montag and Ashley Dupre compete to "open" a Hollywod restaurant called Famous Food?
