According to a news report from nytimes.com, “The same scene of heartbreak played out over and over on Sunday on a ragtag patch of Neptune Avenue in Coney Island, where the word “scrappy” may be better suited to describe the metal in the auto shops than any sort of community spirit.”
“Since 1924, Totonno’s pizzeria has been a beacon on the block, remarkable for its longevity, for the deliciousness of its food and, maybe most of all, for its ability to embody a host of Brooklyn-fuhgeddaboudit-pizza clichés — Oh! The sauce! The family atmosphere! The line out the door! — without collapsing under them. Totonno’s had it all, including a no-nonsense owner, Louise Ciminieri, known as Cookie to her friends, as happy to put you in your place as she was to put you in a seat,” said the story. “Until Sunday, the day after a fire wrecked the place, closing it indefinitely. Firefighters were called at 8:44 a.m. on Saturday, and had the blaze out by 10:35. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.”
