Napa Valley Inspired Restaurant Proposed at Former 'Centro'

One year after neighbors rallied to shut down the controversial Ashland Avenue restaurant Centro, new restaurant entrepreneurs are aiming to transform the space into a Napa Valley themed eatery.

Joe and Mary Kay Calabrese, owners of both Zia’s Trattoria and Café Touché in Edison Park, have set their sights on 3819 N. Ashland Ave. near the border between Lake View and North Center.

The two presented their proposal for the new restaurant at Monday’s Southport Neighbor’s Association meeting, outlining how they plan to create a new reputation for the space after Centro’s controversial battle with neighbors.

“We want to do a Zia’s Trattoria in that space, and we’re going to do a little bit of the French bistro mixed in there, too,” Joe Calabrese said. “We just got back from a trip to Napa Valley, so we want to make it look like a tasting room from Napa. There will be cabinets of wine along the inside of the walls, and it will be a fresh, new concept. Zia’s is attributed to your aunt’s cooking, and this will be attributed to your aunt’s cooking from Tuscany.”

“We just got back from a trip to Napa Valley, so we want to make it look like a tasting room from Napa.”

He went on to assure neighbors the new Zia’s on Ashland will be nothing like Centro, which CBS Chicago reports brought too much noise and crime to the area. Calabrese cited the Edison Park location’s Zagat rating of 23, Yelp rating of 4.5 stars with 115 reviews, among other television appearances.

The proposed restaurant will have about 230 seats, and the restaurant owners of 16 years plan to completely redesign the building from the inside out. From new arching windows facing the parking lot to an upgraded storefront, Calabrese says he’s proposing plenty of construction work at the property.

“We’ll put an extensive amount of build-out in the businesses here,” he said. “From the parking lot, which obviously needs to be restored, to the parameter which will be fenced in with nice wood fencing. All that Chicago common brick will be restored on the outside and inside. That’s something we found from exploratory digging in the dining room.”

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In response to concerns from neighbors about parking, Calabrese said the business might offer free valet service like he does at his other restaurants. That way more cars can be packed into the lot, minimizing people roaming neighborhood roads looking for parking spaces.

The initial plan for the restaurant is to be open every night for dinner, and every night but Monday for lunch. The owners are also considering Saturday and Sunday brunch options.

And at this point in the process, Calabrese is hoping for a summer opening.

“It seems like this is taking a really long time to get this open,” Calabrese laughed. “It was going to be April, but now it seems like it could be more like June or July. If we miss the summer, that will be really upsetting.”

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