“Putting a kind of exclamation point on the experience and really rounding everything out,” Fricker said. The wines will concentrate on Mediterranean regions, particularly Tuscany and Piedmont, as well as southern Spain, Corsica, Greece and areas of Portugal.Ī server will visit tables with an amaro cart, offering guests aperitivos as well as giving recommendations. However, customers can also look forward to two new areas of focus, namely natural wines and amaros. The selection of cocktails will still be martini- and Negroni-forward, Fricker said. The Gin Room will remain largely untouched by the renovation, retaining its essential look and feel. “It’s going to have some olive tones to it, but it’s still going to be very light and classy, bright and vibrant.”
“I want it to be a surprise, but it’s going to be very much our personality,” he said.
“New flooring, new walls, new lighting, new artwork, the full nine yards.” Fricker was reluctant to give away details of exactly how the space will look. “The only thing that’s staying is the tables and chairs,” Fricker said. Salve Osteria is on track to open on May 27, with a full renovation set to transform the dining room. “Doing dishes that were more uniquely me.” “Just using techniques and flavors that I haven’t used in a while – miso, yogurt, harissa, blue cheese – all these things I love using,” he said. Wynn said doing research and development for Salve had helped him rediscover a “groove” that he felt he hadn’t experienced since Taste’s closure. “His vision of what he wanted his restaurant to be fit with what we wanted our restaurants to be.” It was soon clear to Fricker and Bahrami that Wynn was the partner they were searching for. After a few false starts with other prospective partners, Fricker learned that Wynn was available and looking for new opportunities. “That’s a really great dish,” Bahrami said.īahrami and Fricker had been planning for the transition from Cafe Natasha to a new concept for the past few years. Diners can also look forward to a roasted half chicken with harissa, fregula sarda and yogurt. One dish will be a spin on a Caesar salad that will swap out romaine for brined then grilled cabbage leaves, tossed with cheeses and breadcrumbs and dressed with a miso-based bagna cauda. “We’ll try to stay within what’s in season – what grows together goes together,” he said. Wynn, formerly the executive chef at Taste and most recently at Peno, will head the kitchen, leading with a “harvest-centric” approach with Mediterranean influences.
The pair is partnering with Matt Wynn, formerly of Taste and Peno, to launch Salve Osteria in the Cafe Natasha space at 3200 S.
Just over a week after they closed down Cafe Natasha following a series of sold-out farewell dinners, Natasha Bahrami and Michael Fricker have announced their next move.