Restaurateur Brown to close Mass Ave Pizzology, open new eatery

Restaurateur Neal Brown, who’s already busy taking over the Recess space south of Broad Ripple for a new eatery, also is cooking up something new in the current location of Pizzology on Mass Ave.

Brown confirmed to IBJ on Wednesday morning that the downtown Pizzology location at 608 Massachusetts Ave. would close on Feb. 19, and that he would replace the Neapolitan pizza joint with a Southern European restaurant named Stella.

"As much as we have loved having Pizzology on Mass Ave, we also thrive on challenging ourselves and providing growth opportunities for our team," Brown said in a prepared statement. "With that in mind, we have an amazing team on Massachusetts Avenue that we want to see grow, so we’ve decided to close Pizzology, invest in the space and our people and reopen as Stella."

Brown’s remaining Pizzology location at 13190 Hazel Dell Pkwy. in Carmel would remain open, he said. The Libertine Liquor Bar in the basement of the Mass Ave Pizzology also would continue to operate.

Tellingly, his Facebook page most recently included a poem that started, “My candle burns at both ends/It will not last the night/But ah, my foes and oh, my friends/It gives a lovely light.”

IBJ revealed on Feb. 2 that Brown had agreed to take over the home of Recess at 4907 N. College Ave. from celebrated local restaurateur Greg Hardesty, who's planning to retire. In its place, Brown plans to open the Japanese farmhouse bistro Ukiyo.

Ukiyo will begin accepting reservations on March 1 for April bookings.

Stella is expected to open March 21. Its kitchen will be helmed by chef Matt Stum, who will focus on wood-fired cooking, raw and preserved seafood, vegetables, and cured meats from Southern Europe.

The Mass Ave Pizzology opened in 2014 in the former location of Aesop's Tables, as well as using retail space immediately next door.

Brown's other Carmel-based Pizzology, located in the Village of West Clay, closed Dec. 23. It opened in 2014.