Mark Kurlyandchik

Detroit Free Press

Despite steady business and positive press, Supino impresario Dave Mancini's foray into upscale northern Italian dining is coming to an abrupt end.

Mancini plans to shutter his Eastern Market restaurant La Rondinella after its last dinner service Saturday, barely a year after it first opened.

If all goes as planned, the restaurant will re-open Jan. 31 as an expanded version of Supino, which currently occupies the small space next door. (The two restaurants share a kitchen.)

"I learned a lot about what full service is and what fits better for me is not a fine-dining approach," Mancini, 43, said. "The idea is still to have good service, good food, good wine, but with a little more casual approach."

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In my review of La Rondinella, I noted that the restaurant offered quality Italian fare for Olive Garden prices — a winning formula for impressing critics and diners, not so much for running a profitable business.

"The long and the short of it is I wanted to keep it approachable and affordable, and I think I succeeded to a degree but it was really hard to turn a profit," said Mancini, 43. "I found I was working more hours and it wasn’t making any difference."

Mancini said he raised prices a little bit over the course of the year at La Rondinella but didn't want to abandon his goal of offering good food at affordable prices. After mulling over his options for a couple months, he finally made the decision to close and simplify at the beginning of December.

"I was pushing myself and wanted to do something new. I wanted fresh energy to try something creative. To me, just an expansion would be a little bit boring. The last year was not boring at all."

The expanded Supino will have a more casual vibe than La Rondinella, with paper napkins and less of a focus on craft cocktails.

The menu will focus on Supino's trademark pizzas, plus a pasta of the day, seasonal salads and a few riffs on Rondinella favorites as appetizers. The meatballs, for one, will still be on the menu.

Italian wines by the glass will be the main draw of the bar program, Mancini said, though a few simple cocktails will still be on offered.

La Rondinella's ambitiousamari program will also be cut back to make things a little easier on service staff.

"It was pushing the envelope maybe a little further than might’ve been practical to keep the place as accessible as I can," Mancini said of the restaurant. "It’s created a two-headed beast. I’m trying to unify the staff a little bit.”

The current Supino space will be used primarily for carryout, while the La Rondinella space will be the sit-down, dine-in portion of the restaurant with full tableside service. Both will be open for lunch and dinner five days a week. Sundays might also be added down the road.

“It feels like a loss," Mancini said. "It also feels like a fresh opportunity. It’s life, I guess. There’s good and bad to this. I feel like this was another one of my babies and it didn’t work out. But I’m excited about where we’re going to take it. I think it’s going to be better than ever.”

Supino Pizzeria, 2453 & 2457 Russell; Lunch and dinner, Tues.-Sat.; No reservations; 313-567-2051.

Contact Mark Kurlyandchik: 313-222-5026 or mkurlyandchik@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mkurlyandchik and Instagram: mkurlyandchik.