Cap Hill super trio teaming up on new pizza joint in heart of E. Pike

2 of the 3 from a campaign vid

A pizza joint with some interesting names behind it is being planned for an area of Pike already so crowded with hipster goodness that the new place is going to do business out of a converted garage.

Vellotti's Pizza is being planned for the garage beween Caffe Vita and Super Genius Tattoo on E. Pike. The license describes the business as a "Restaurant / lounge — spirits, beer and wine (50 percent or more dining)." Even more interesting is the super trio on the paperwork behind the lounge.

Vita's Mike McConnell, Jason Lajuenesse of Neumo's and Seattle band promoter, entrepreneur and political insider David Meinert are teaming up on the new E. Pike joint. Meinert is also the driving force behind the Capitol Hill Block Party.

Busy week for Meinert. Busy pizza world for McConnell (on the right in the picture below) who also operates the Via Tribunali chain in Seattle and recently bought, then shut down, Madrona's Cremant restaurant.

tsb 109 Originally uploaded by Caffe Vita

Francesco Angiuli, director of operations for Via Tribunali, confirmed that the restaurant is being planned and is in the process of securing licenses and permits. He wouldn't confirm other details about the restaurant but did drop one important piece of data. "This won't be Neapolitan style pizza," Angiuli said. "It's going to be a different kind of place with New York style."

We'll see if we can track down some more information including confirmation that the location is, indeed, planned for the garage and storage area next to Vita and whether Meinert and Lajuenesse's involvement is a harbinger of live music at the venue.

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