An authentic New York-style pizzeria is being brought to downtown Detroit by business partners who have invested $2 million and promise to serve the best pie in town.

Mootz Pizzeria and Bar is scheduled to open in mid-January at 1230 Library St., with a soft opening likely in the beginning of the month, said Tony Sacco, longtime local restaurateur who owns the new eatery with Dean Walters.

New York-based pizza chef Bruno DiFabio is leading the kitchen with plans to serve up big, floppy pizzas from a recipe he claims will be completely different than other pizza shops in the market.

"It's not New York-style pizza — it's authentic New York pizza," he said.

Detroit's pizza scene, which gave birth to Detroit-style thick-crust pizza, is already rich with variety. Buddy's Pizza serves up a popular square, while Supino Pizzeria in Eastern Market dishes up a well-liked New York-style round, to name a couple of prominent examples. Southeast Michigan is also home to two national pizza chains: Ann Arbor-based Domino's Pizza and Detroit-based Little Caesars.

The new 4,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 80 in the main dining room and 17 at the bar, in addition to 24 seats on the patio during warmer months. Sacco said he and Walters have invested about $2.2 million into a build-out that began about four months ago. The interior will feature tables and booths arranged in a traditional New York pizzeria fashion.

What sets apart the shop, though, is the pizza, Sacco said. He hired DiFabio as a consultant to develop the recipe and set up the kitchen. DiFabio does not have ownership stake in the restaurant.

DiFabio said the pizza is cooked with starter dough that is fermented for 18 hours before being added to the rest of the batch. This method — called "biga" — produces lighter, airier pizza that is crispy, "much more flavorful and healthier," he said.

Local restaurants such as Bigalora Wood Fired Cucina and the soon-to-be reopened Como's use a similar fermentation process in the production of their pizza dough.

A 12-inch pizza will be priced at $15 or $16. There will also be gnocchi, pastas and salads, as well as "on the go" slices for $5. There will be a full bar with market-rate offerings — $12 cocktails and $5-$8 beers.

Hours for Mootz, short for "mozzarella," have not been set, but the restaurant will be open daily at 11 a.m. for lunch, dinner and late-night, Sacco said. It will employ about 50 people. There will be entrances to the restaurant from Library Street and Belt Alley.

Sacco was a co-founder of Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza chain, which operates three restaurants in metro Detroit. He sold his ownership stake in 2009.

Northville-based Martone Design Studio LLC handled design for the new restaurant, and The Colasanti Group was the general contractor.