New Faces, Familiar Foods At

Pizza Palace Restaurant

Whether craving anything from a burger to prime rib, to soup and a sandwich — or, of course, a pizza — dining desires can be satisfied at Newtown Pizza Palace and Restaurant on Church Hill Road, opposite Commerce Road. A fixture in Newtown for nearly 50 years, the Pizza Palace passed hands on June 1, from brothers John and James “Jimmy” Antonopoulos to that of Dila Dushku, her brothers Alex and Gino, and longtime family friends Elias and Catherine Sofronas.

The experienced restaurateurs are very happy, they said, to take over the “Newtown institution” and the core group of very loyal customers.

Ms Dushku has been in the restaurant business for 22 years, as a waitress, bartender, and supervisor, and for the past 16 years, running Aunt Chilada’s Mexican Restaurant on Whitney Avenue in Hamden. She has worked with the Antonopoulos brothers since March, to ensure that the transition between owners was as smooth as possible. “John and Jimmy still frequently help us out,” said Ms Dushku.

In the 97-seat Pizza Palace restaurant, customers are seated at comfortable wood-trimmed booths, which provide a degree of privacy. At the front of the dining room, wide windows offer a view of bustling Church Hill Road. Gentle lighting brightens the area at the opposite end of the large room, offering a more intimate dining area. Walk-in customers can place an order and wait on one of the padded benches by the front door, which affords a view of the pizza-making process. Stuccoed interior walls are painted with a honey-colored wash, presenting an atmosphere as warm as the greetings extended by the staff, many longtime employees, to customers old and new.

All of the dough and the Pizza Palace signature sauce are made daily on premises, with red or white pizza available on Italian-style thin crust or the original Pizza Palace Greek-style thick crust. The restaurant has created its own blend of shredded cheeses, as well, to make Pizza Palace pizza stand out from others in the area. Pizza Palace is happy to offer a whole wheat crust in any size, as well as a gluten-free pizza crust, in the 11-inch size.

For large parties, the restaurant offers a special: receive one free cheese pizza for every five pizzas ordered at one time. The varied menu offers such perennial favorites as grilled cheese sandwiches, Southern fried chicken, and chicken Parmigiana, but customers enjoy Greek specialties introduced by the former owners and carried on by Ms Dushku and company, like gyros, moussaka, and pastitsio. Other choices include stuffed three-egg omelets that come with fries and toast, available all day and in the evening; small or large salads; more than a dozen grinders; two dozen sandwiches; a selection of pastas; fresh seafood served fried or broiled, including a deluxe scallops, sole, clams, and shrimp combo platter; and a variety of dinners, all served with soup and salad, and warm bread and butter.

Start off the meal with fried calamari, a particular favorite appetizer at the Pizza Palace. Other appetizers range from potato skins to the spinach pie with feta cheese, tomatoes and olives, stuffed grape leaves, and even a crispy bruschetta.

The Pizza Palace has numerous daily specials for both lunch and dinner, leading with a choice of three homemade soups. A “specials” insert is typed up and inserted into the regular menu each day. “The menu may look a little different because of that,” said Ms Dushku, “but all of the specials known to lifelong customers are still there.”

Regular dinner offerings such as milk-fed veal, eggplant Parmigiana, and shrimp or chicken scampi are joined by dinner specials that range from American favorites like meatloaf and pot roast, to eggplant rollatini, liver with bacon and onions, stuffed brook trout, chicken Dijon, and beef stroganoff. A variety of sautéed dishes, including chicken Mediterranean, sole Française, chicken piccata, and many others, are also popular with customers. All are served with either regular or whole wheat pasta, or fried, baked, or mashed potatoes. For those who prefer, a second vegetable serving can be substituted for the potato.

 A little change is a good thing, though, noted the new owner, and a few lighter items have already popped up on the menu. A Cobb salad with lettuce, bacon bits, tomato, hardboiled egg, and avocado is catching on, and can be ordered with an addition of chicken, steak, or shrimp. Another new salad is Dila’s Special Salad, with mixed greens, cucumbers, carrots, olives, tomato, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Any of the standard salad dressings complement the salads, but Ms Dushku hopes that customers will try her own Dee’s Salad Dressing. The delicate herbal vinaigrette is made on site. Even though it is not yet listed on the menu, customers can ask for it by name.

Veggie burgers have joined the sandwich menu. The moist, meatless burgers are topped with avocado and tomato, are served on a hamburger bun, with a side of sweet potato fries.

Lunch specials, which can number up to 40 on any given day, include a cup of soup, french fries, and a small beverage. Grilled chicken sandwich, meatloaf, sausage rostica, and cavatelli with broccoli and garlic are just a few of the many popular lunch specials offered at the Pizza Palace. Dinner specials might feature breaded or broiled pork chops, chicken Florentine, or veal and peppers.

Regular diners may be in on this new secret already: the breakfast pizza. Topped with scrambled eggs, a choice of breakfast meats, and mozzarella cheese, it satisfies the appetite any time of day. The offering of the breakfast pizza, said Ms Dushku, anticipates that Pizza Palace will be adding breakfast hours in the not too distant future, and even if customers do not see it on the menu, the staff is happy to put one together.

The wine list features reasonably priced wines from California, all available by the glass, half carafe, full carafe, or by the bottle. Naughty Nurse beer, brewed in Hartford by City Steam, Blue Moon from Coors in Colorado, and Harpoon IPA from Harpoon Brewery in Boston are among the dozen craft and domestic beers sold at Pizza Palace.

“Customers have been fantastic, and are really embracing us as new owners,” said Ms Dushku. “I hope that they will one day have the same warm, fuzzy feeling for me that they have had for Jimmy and John.”

Delivery to local businesses is available at lunchtime only. Customers may fax orders at 203-426-9388 or call 203-426-6114.

The full menu is available for takeout and can be found online at NewtownPizzaPalace.com. The Pizza Palace also caters for parties, large and small.

The Newtown Pizza Palace and Restaurant, 65 Church Hill Road, serves from 11 am to 11 pm, seven days a week, and accepts all major credit cards; checks are not accepted. Phone, 203-426-6114; fax, 203-426-9388; or visit NewtownPizzaPalace.com.