Chef Eric Winbigler is opening an Italian eatery in The Grove, as Ian Froeb of The Riverfront Times first reported. Winbigler’s new project, Crostini Restaurant and Lounge, will be located at 4501 Manchester Ave., in the space formerly occupied by Phil Noe’s Mia Rosa, which closed last August.
Winbigler told The Scoop that, as the restaurant’s name implies, crostini – Italian for “little toast” – will star on the appetizer section of the menu. Among the crostini Winbigler has in mind are goat cheese and pesto; prosciutto, mozzarella and kiwi; and a sweet version filled with cheesecake and topped with blueberry.
The restaurant will serve both lunch and dinner. The former will primarily include an offering of paninis, with Winbigler citing combinations such as sausage, pepper and onion or roast beef, cheddar and horseradish. “A quick, easy and cheap lunch,” summed Winbigler, who estimates a lunch price point between $6 and $9. Expect dinner entrées to run between $14 and $18 and to include classic Italian pasta dishes as well as a few “uncommon” items, a list of which Winbigler is still finalizing. Winbigler is also hoping to attract families to the restaurant since, he noted, that few restaurants in the neighborhood currently serve that demographic.
Apart from refinishing the wood floors and other touch ups, the space needs little work. Thus, Winbigler expects to open doors in mid-July for a few trial runs before a grand opening on August 1. Once open, Crostini will operate Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
This article appears in May 1-31, 2011.