The smell of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella will soon be wafting in the building that once held popular neighborhood Eastern Avenue bar Kelly's.
Richard Pugh and business partners Steve Ball will open
Johnny Rad's Pizzeria Tavern at 2108 Eastern Ave. within the next month. And at the request of community members, Pugh promises that the Upper Fells Point restaurant will feature karaoke just as Kelly's did.
The 2,000-square-foot restaurant will serve Neapolitan-style pizza with fresh, crushed tomatoes and herbs. Pugh has put his own twist to the Neapolitan crust � pizza with a thin center but with thick edges.
In addition to vegetarian options, pizza toppings will include cured meats such as prosciutto, sopressata, and, hopefully, Italian sausage from Di Pasquale's Italian Marketplace in Highlandtown.
The business partners spent more than $60,000 to renovate the 60-seat restaurant.
How did they come up with the name? Johnny Rad's is the name of a lounge singer in the 1987 movie "The Search for Animal Chin." As you might have guessed, the owners are big skateboarding fans and their love for the recreation will be reflected in the d�cor, with skateboarding murals.
In addition to pizza, the restaurant will serve entr�e salads, burgers and unusual bar bites, including edamame with sea salt, hush puppies and black bean hummus.
Pizzas will cost between $8 and $20, depending on the toppings.
Pugh says he chose the neighborhood because it has been lacking a pizza joint and the location is in between the two bustling neighborhoods of Fells Point and Canton.
Victor Corbin, president of the Fells Prospect Community Association, agrees that the area could use a pizza place.
"We're looking forward to him opening up," Corbin says. "It's added activity in that section of the community."
For more information on Fells Point, click
here.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Richard Pugh, Johnny Rad's