The rumor of Craig Stoll’s Mission expansion is made real as Mission Mission breaks the news that the never stellar Ramblas Tapas Bar is shuttering to make way for the Delfina chef’s fourth SF venture. Given the penchant of high-end chefs in the area to try their hand at regional or non-taqueria-style Mexican food (Stoll himself recently did a stint at the Tacolicious stand, and Eater noted a cheeky tweet involving some ‘R&D;’ south of the border), we’re sticking to our original guns that Stoll is hitching a ride on the Rick Bayless wagon. Update: 7x7 got Chef Stoll to clear up all the rumors, and the concept is going to Roman, not Mexican.
The working title is Locanda, and Stoll expects to open by fall, after Ramblas shutters around the end of May. The menu’s going to include a lot of pastas — at least twelve in all, some extruded, some rolled, and some dried. “If I can get a wood fired grill in there, the entrees will all be proteins from the grill,” Stoll says, “But I don’t know if we can afford it.”
Also, there’s going to be a full bar with nicely mixed drinks, he says, but, “It’s not going to be all mixologisted out.
As for the rumor about a second Delfina up in Pac Heights: that’s apparently an empty one.
Delfina’s Fourth Restaurant: Craig Stoll Finally Speaks [Bits & Bites]
Adios, Ramblas Tapas! Buongiorno New Delfina Outpost! [Mission Mission]
Earlier: Delfina Looks to Expand Further in the Mission, Maybe With Mexican Concept? [Grub Street]
