That’s amore.
A Brooklyn Italian eatery is showing love to Jose Alvarado by naming a dish after the neighborhood kid-turned-Knicks superstar.
Patrizia’s on Broadway in Williamsburg has dubbed its spaghetti and meatballs meal after the point guard, and plopped the pasta in a bread bowl made to look like a basketball.
“He makes the neighborhood special, especially for the younger kids. It makes them feel a part of the team,” said Antonio Alaio, 37, who has owned the shop since 2009.
Alaio said the saucy dish was renamed as part of a special Knicks menu — which also includes the viral blue-and-orange Jalen Brunson Rigatoni and free shots if the team wins.
Alvarado grew up in and spent his childhood on the courts of Williamsburg before his family moved to Queens, where he soon became a standout athlete at Christ the King High School in Middle Village.
Plenty of neighbors claim to remember Alvarado from his youth, Alaio said.
Honoring him on the menu was a no-brainer during the team’s historic run, especially after the shop owner heard that the player loved the $26 pasta dish.
“We found out his favorite dish is spaghetti with meatballs, so we decided to do it — give a little homage to him,” said Alaio.
“We did it in a bread bowl that looks almost like a basketball, and to make it a little more different, iconic.”
Fans have been flooding the shop to get a taste of the pasta — selling approximately 600 pounds of pasta since launching the Alvarado and Brunson menu items on Monday.
Even Alvarado’s family members have come in and gobbled it up, according to Alaio, who is a lifelong Knicks fan.
“We are gonna keep it on the menu after the games are over, maybe it will become a stable — Alvarado spaghetti and meatballs in a bread bowl,” he said.
“Game Four — they wouldn’t have won it without him. His presence on the court next to Brunson, it changed the whole game,” he continued, reliving the moment Alvarado knocked down a game-changing three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
The shop owner is planning a big bash for Alvarado and to celebrate the Knicks — whether the team wins or loses.
“It’s a great moment right now and seeing the energy right now is amazing,” said Alaio.
“This team is easy to love. [If the team wins], it’s gonna be the biggest celebration we’ve ever had in New York!”
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