Brandon Pettit Will Open Dino's Tomato Pie This Fall

Beautiful news, Delancey fans:  chef/owner Brandon Pettit (also of next door Essex) is opening a new Italian spot called Dino's Tomato Pie, this time on Capitol Hill. Distinct from Delancey, Dino's will be "more bar than restaurant," reports Seattle Met, and will serve square, thick-crust pizza baked in pans. (This style that started in Sicily and has grown popular on the East Coast, where it's also sometimes called grandma pie or tomato pie.)

Per Met: "‘I like the idea of doing something a little bit trashier and more Jersey, more authentic to the flavors I grew up with,'" Pettit said.

"I like the idea of doing something a little bit trashier and more Jersey, more authentic to the flavors I grew up with," Pettit said.

"Granted, Pettit's take on "trashy" still involves local ingredients like housemade guanciale, Zoe's Meats pepperoni and, kale from Willowood Farm in Coupeville. Customers will specify either a white or red sauce base, and select off a list of toppings. The rest of the menu will be short, simple, and likely involve a Jersey salad (Pettit's term for a pile of iceberg or romaine lettuce with the most basic of vegetables on top)."

Dino's is scheduled to open this fall at the corner of Olive and Denny. It will include a takeout counter and and eventually calzones, as well as possibly some thin crust, Delancey-type pizza. Pettit has also been toying with opening a distillery, which is apparently still in progress.