Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Plans for a revamped Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe in the Marina have gotten more extensive than first planned. The cavernous space at Chestnut and Steiner was already due for a makeover that'd take the lush (and frankly dated) Edwardian-ish space with its grand pastry case into the post-salumi age, reborn as Rulli Risto-Bar. The concept pays homage to Italy's casual wine-and-snack joints, with a whiff of upscale Marina. Now, even more structural changes promise to radically change the place. Owner and pastry maestro Gary Rulli -- with input from Italian-born exec chef Angelo Auriana -- has decided to remove the pastry case entirely, replacing it with a wall of wine bottles. Plans call for an antique Berkel meat slicer -- the restaurant world's fetish du jour -- to be on full display. Auriana and chef de cuisine Massimo Covello are already trying out sophisticated new small plates (word is the lobster and roasted beet salad with burrata is killer). Rulli Risto-Bar's full unveiling is slated for July, after a late-June closing.
Tags: Angelo Auriana, Emporio Rulli, Gary Rulli, Rulli Risto-Bar, Image
