Italian restaurant Pizza Parm opens in Islip

Pizza Parm, a fast-casual restaurant from the Bohlsen Restaurant Group,... — Pizza Parm, a fast-casual restaurant from the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, opens Tuesday, serving lunch and dinner and offering delivery via MINI Coopers named Meatball One and Meatball Two. Credit: Pizza Parm

By Melissa McCartmelissa.mccart@newsday.comMarch 8, 2016

Pizza Parm opens Tuesday in Islip, a 40-seat restaurant from the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, the family behind Monsoon in Babylon Village, Verace and Tellers in Islip, Beechtree in East Islip, H2O in Smithtown and Prime in Huntington.

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” said Kurt Bohlsen, who craved late-night pizza one night around the same time the Port Royal Grille had closed in this location.

Bohlsen and his partner and brother, Michael, decided to take over the space by opening a fast-casual spot with executive chef James Canavan in the kitchen, a former pastry chef at H20 who rose to sous chef at Prime in the 19 years he’s worked for the group.

He’ll be making New York-style pizza in a Marsal deck oven as well as garlic knots, Italian chicken wings, salads, a handful of pasta dishes and sandwiches in the meatball parm family.

Prices range from $3 to $8 for appetizers, $7 to $10 for salads, $8 to $19 for sandwiches and $12 to $14 for pastas. Pizzas start at $14, with the most top-heavy versions like a stuffed meat pizza at $28. Pizza is also sold by the slice, starting at $2.50.

“We’re concentrating on fewer items,” Kurt Bohlsen said of the relatively short menu. “We want to focus on process and quality of ingredients.”

The restaurant also will offer delivery with its custom MINI Coopers, named Meatball One and Meatball Two.