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Business & Tech

Upscale Pizzeria Cafe Focuses on High Quality

New Neapolitan-style pizza restaurant is open on South Washington.

There has been quite a transformation at 415 S. Washington this summer, one that should leave pizza lovers quite pleased.

Salvo Scrima and his wife, Antonina, have taken over the former Pizza Paesano location and have beautifully flipped it into an upscale pizza café, a near replica of what one would find in Italy. Antica Pizzeria Fellini serves authentic Neapolitan pizza, as well as salads and sandwiches, all with a commitment to true Italian-based preparation and ingredients.

Neapolitan pizza is typically thinner in the middle with a sometimes bulkier crust on the edge of the pie. The middle of the pizza is tender, while the crust is crisp. Main ingredients are typically tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, and the pizza is always cooked in a wood fire at high temperatures.

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There are no shortages of places to get pizza in Royal Oak, especially downtown. So, when Pizza Paesano on South Washington closed and Antica Pizzeria Fellini opened in its place, it might be easy for people to just assume it’s one greasy pie joint replacing another. Mention this in front of new owner Salvo Scrima and you’ll get a swift correction. For one, you’re not going to find pizza that has been sitting out for hours on a rotating warmer.

“Our restaurant is inspired by the upscale pizza cafes in Italy,” Scrima said. “We will give you the best possible pizza. If you eat a pizza in this place, you’re eating the same pizza you would get in Napoli. We want to be the best pizza place in Michigan, quality-wise and in our prices.”

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Through a rich, Italian accent, Scrima (formerly of Italy, he’s been in Metro Detroit for the past 15 years) makes the same claims any restaurateurs would: his  product is superior and they strive to be the best. The difference? Scrima is backing it up.

To get an idea of the transformation at 415 S. Washington, one has to only take a peek inside the restaurant. The lighting is considerably brighter that what was there, with small glass chandeliers dotting the dining room. Anything Formica was replaced with granite. There are tables for two and four, laid with white tablecloths amid a background of — and this may sound corny — folks speaking Italian from the kitchen. It’s bright and airy, and, if anything, incredibly welcoming.

Antica Pizzeria Fellini offers about a dozen thin-crust pizzas, ranging from $5 for a bambino pizza with fresh mozzarella and pepperoni to $17.50 for something a little more involved.

The house specialty is the Fellini, a star-shaped margherita pizza (sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and grated parmigiano), with its corners stuffed with vegetables and ricotta cheese. The Calzone pizza is shaped like its namesake, but is stuffed with ricotta, salami, sauce, basil and Romano cheese. Tender in the middle with solid heels of crust on the edge, it’s a light-tasting pie that doesn’t weigh you down and leaves no grease on the plate.

“Fresh desserts are coming in the next couple of weeks," Scrima said. "We’ll have a ricotta and pear cake, as well as fresh tiramisu, fresh cannoli and baba,” he said, describing the latter as a traditional Neapolitan dessert.

Soon, customers will be able to enjoy adult alcoholic beverages, as Scrima said a bistro license is in the works and should be in place in the next couple of months.

The restaurant will soon have a social media presence, and lately, word of mouth has been bringing in diners, Scrima said. With a new mark on the Royal Oak dining map, Royal Oak Restaurant Association President Carrie O’Neill said this could only be a good thing.

“Anything new and different that attracts people to Royal Oak is definitely two thumbs up,” she said.

Antica Pizzeria Fellini is a member of the Italian-based Associazione Verace Pizza Neapolitana, a sort of governing body that ensures pizza makers are using fresh ingredients when they say they do and that they are using preparation practices in accordance the organization’s standards. Scrima said officials from Associazione Verace Pizza Neapolitana will visit the restaurant in the coming weeks. He said he expects the restaurant to be certified by that organization.

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