Food writer to open a restaurant

April Lisante, who spent 10-plus years as a reporter, food writer and editor at the Daily News, is going into the restaurant biz with her husband, Christian Gatti.

It'll be Avril -- French for "April" -- a 50-seat white tablecloth BYO at 134 Bala Ave. in Bala Cynwyd, in the corner space across from the Bala movies that was Café Shira.

Food will be provincial Southern French with a little Northern Italian, including homemade pasta and bread plus flatbread from a pizza oven. Apps will be in the $8-$12 range, with entrees $22-$32. They're hoping to open Aug. 1.

Lisante met Gatti on assignment in 2003 for a hot-young-chefs feature. His background includes City Tavern (Concepts by Staib), White Dog Cafe and Audrey Claire.