Hot Dish Review

Seems like a lifetime ago when I first stepped foot into Fellini’s. It was the pizza joint’s original space in Little 5 Points, a long narrow space along the strip on Euclid….I believe it was part of what is now The Porter.

Back then, Little 5 Points was a dangerous place, swarming with pierced and tattooed teens, skinheads, punks, hippies, and drug addicts. Fellini’s was notorious for having a rather surly staff, but they served the best damn pizza in town. And they served it by the slice….perfect for us punks living in poverty. Not to mention, 80% of our food budget was dedicated to liquid nutrition.

Fellini’s quickly outgrew its first location, moving around the corner on the plaza. That is where me and the guys in the band spent many hours of many days, drinking cheap pitchers of beer and eating enormous slices of pizza with super-thin crust and just the right amount of sauce and cheese. Additional toppings could be added, then the slice would go into the big oven behind the counter, coming out crisp and gooey. I always got mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, and extra cheese.

When the notorious pizza joint moved to Ponce it lost much of its personality, however, the pizza hasn’t changed. Only my third visit to this location, LC and I stopped by for a slice after we picked up his daughter at the airport last week. The three of us sat on the patio, enjoying the beautiful Summer day.

Huge slices were brought out by a skinny, tattooed chick (some things never change), mine with black olives and ham. LC ordered jalapenos, of course, so I had to steal a few pieces. Copious amounts of parmesan and hot pepper flakes finished our slices.

Looks like Fellini’s has cleaned up its act, with the slick exterior and family friendly atmosphere, but its rock ‘n’ roll soul lurks just below the surface, a sizzling subversive memory right under the cheese.