The owners of Eugenio's Cafe Gelato are almost done taking over the former Subway shop at 458 Broadway, where they relocated over the winter and spring.

I stopped in Friday afternoon when owner Eugene Bizzarro and his mother were taking a break from putting the final touches on the beautifully renovated space. There's no trace of a Subway, or of the short-lived cafe that was there before it, Bocca Viva.

The floor has been made over with red tiles; the low-hanging orange and yellow lamps from the old shop, (remember when it was across Broadway, just past the Wine Bar?) warm up the deep gold paint on the walls. A virtual family tree is displayed in the form of black and white photos hung in gilt frames.

"I put my own personal touch on it, so it feels like home," said Bizzarro, whose own home is on Phila Street in Saratoga Springs, with his wife and young son.

Family matters and the premature birth last week of his twin daughters had set back the reopening date for the shop by at least a month, said Bizzarro.

But Friday, the proud new dad and his mother were waiting for a health inspection to be finalized and said they hoped to open this weekend. 

He plans to try some new ingredients and flavors, and start using organic fruits and sugars for the first time. Look for Eugenio's trademark gelato -- made from scratch on the site -- authentic Italian espresso, homebaked desserts and all the other delights that filled the glass dessert case at the old location.

For more information, call the shop at 691-6000.