Pizza Inferno Out, Academy Bar & Kitchen In on Fillmore

Pizza Inferno is set to burn its last on Fillmore, and arriving in its place will be a new upscale pie spot, Academy Bar & Kitchen. The 70-seat project comes from Nicholas Pallone, who's been the executive chef at nearby Florio for the past four years (he just left last month), and will feature Neapolitan-style pies from a wood-fired oven, as well as housemade charcuterie like salumi, sopressata, and cotechino. Pallone, who's emphasizing sourcing from local farms, also plans to pickle and cure lots of ingredients in house, brew his own vinegar, and mill his own flour for pizza dough. And beer fiends will be pleased to know they'll have 25 craft brews on tap, as well as a few wines.

To bring Academy to life, Pallone has teamed up with Oakland-based designer Swell Spaces to remodel the space and bring in the new wood-fired oven, as well as artist Christian Rothhagen, who'll be doing an installation. He says he's aiming for an "open, airy" look with reclaimed wood tables and a front bar of ingredients inspired by the one at Bar Jules. Academy is currently looking to raise $50K on Kickstarter, with rewards that include two drinks a month for as long as the restaurant is open (a mere $100), and an annual four-course dinner for two, with drink pairings, for the next decade ($1500). If all goes well, the plan is for Pizza Inferno to shutter on March 1, with Academy building out that month for a mid-April opening.