Spring is upon us, and that means one thing to Restaurantarama—alfresco dining! Ah—the breeze, the buskers, the poor food servers trying to negotiate pedestrian traffic on the Mall—these are the things we dream about all winter long. One of the many popular Mall patios, of course, is the centrally located outdoor seating of Sal’s Caffe Italia. And now there’s another reason to enjoy the warm weather season—Sal’s has undergone many renovations, including the addition of new front French doors that can fully open to provide a sort of hybrid indoor-outdoor dining experience. Sal’s began their renovations early this year with fresh paint, a new flat screen TV and new tiled awnings above the kitchen. But that was just phase one for this Sicilian family-owned eatery that’s been serving Italian fare since 1985. As of two weeks ago, in addition to the new front, the place has a new tile floor, a new drop ceiling, new tables and chairs and a new leather banquette.
 Owner Joe Finazzo warms up a seat in Sal’s Caffee Italia, which has undergone many renovations, including the addition of new front French doors. |
Also prettying up the pizza and pasta place are new family photographs, including several showing owner Joe Finazzo as a young boy in Carini. Finazzo’s daughter Nancy tells us her dad emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1966 at the age of 20 (and spoke no English at the time). He opened his first restaurant in New Jersey and moved to Charlottesville to take over Sal’s at its initial location in the Shoppers’ World shopping center on Route 29N. Finazzo also used to own the Sal’s Pizza in Earlysville, but sold that to a friend a few years ago—the Sal’s Pizza in Crozet is owned by Finazzo’s brother. Nancy says she and her siblings—two brothers and a sister—grew up learning every aspect of the restaurant. “We can do everything from flipping pizzas to payroll,” she says. Apparently, Finazzo understands what the rest of us learned from Don Corleone: “A man that doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”
La cocina moderna
The old Kiki space is getting close to its rebirth. Owner Michael Fitzgerald tells us the new place shall be called Ventana and will serve “modern Mexican cuisine.” The name means “window” in Spanish, which is fitting, as this Fifth Street SE location has a rather large one that makes people watching, both from within and without, part of its charm. Not that you can do much peering in at the moment—the place is papered over, of course, and Fitzgerald is trying to keep the new interior under wraps. “I’ve let too many people take a peek already,” he tells us. Restaurantarama won’t spoil the makeover surprise, but we will tell you there’s lots of custom-built work, and Fitzgerald allows that he’s indulged in a lot of glass mosaic tiles. As for the menu, it’s coming from Fitzgerald’s fellow Il Cane Pazzo alum: chef Howard Griffin. The latter tells us the food will be tapas-style—think salsa samplers. Plan to get your updated mole in about two weeks.
Prime suspects
Last week, we told you that the folks behind pending new steak and seafood restaurant, The Upstairs, suspect they may be the only folks in the area serving USDA Prime beef. Turns out, one of their neighbors on the Mall—Hamiltons’ at First & Main—has been serving Prime beef tenderloin for a few years now. Executive chef Jeanette Peabody contacted us to give us the scoop. She tells us that although Prime tenderloin is easy to get—she procures hers from U.S. Foodservice—she confirms that it is expensive. That’s why Hamiltons’ 7oz. grilled and aged beef tenderloin entrée is $32. You get what you pay for, people!
Quick sips
And finally, you may have noticed that an ABC license application has been posted outside of enoteca for a few weeks now. Michael Keaveny, director of operations for the Central Restaurant Group, tells us the Italian wine bar is in the process of getting approved to serve premium liquors, such as Scotch, Campari and grappa.
Got some restaurant scoop? Send tips to restaurantarama@c-ville.com or call 817-2749, Ext. 48.
