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There’s a new pizza on the block — is Grimaldi’s scared? (Uh, no)

By Sarah Portlock and Gersh Kuntzman
The Brooklyn Paper
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The Brooklyn Paper / Sarah Portlock
Hey, paesan: Louis Termini is about to open Ignazio’s, an old-style pizzeria that’s barely 20 yards from the pie king, Grimaldi’s, setting up a clash of the titans that recalls how Morton’s the Steakhouse blew away Peter Luger.

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There’s a new pizza kid on the block in DUMBO a mere 100 yards from legendary pizza giant Grimaldi’s — but Ignazio’s owner Louis Termini (pictured) maintains that there’s room for both.

“I’m not a rival — I’m a friendly neighbor,” Termini said, smiling through his thick, long beard. “They’re a landmark, and I’m the new kid on the block.”

No rivalry? As if. After all, the pizza on Termini’s menu is called “The Pizza” — a suggestion that there is no other version. And his Sicilian version is called “Opus Rex,” a Latin term for a kingly work of art.

Like Grimaldi’s, Ignazio’s offers plenty of toppings, from the usual suspects (sausage, pepperoni) and some newcomers (seaweed?). And the solid wood and copper interior gives diners an alternative to Grimaldi’s Sinatra-covered interior.

Termini said learned how to make pizza from his Italian grandmother, and has operated seven other pizzerias in Connecticut. But he grew up eating pizza every afternoon in Bensonhurst, and knew it was time to come back to Brooklyn.

Grimaldi’s owner Frank Ciolli said he’s not worried about the competition for his restaurant, which sports long lines on most days.

“I’m happy if anyone comes along who’s better,” Ciolli said. “If he can do it, great, but the proof is in the pudding.

“If he’s better than us, I’ll go to him, too.”

Ignazio’s Pizza [4 Water St. at Old Fulton Street in DUMBO, (718) 522-2100]. Closed Sunday and Monday. Cash only. For info, visit www.ignaziospizza.com.

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

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