South Street Italian, by way of South Philly
Joanna Spitalieri, whose family has lived on Hutchinson near Fitzwater in Bella Vista for a hundred years, is building it out as Spitalieri's Italiano Ristorante, a BYOB.
Gnocchi ended its 16-year run last month at 613 E. Passyunk Ave. (just off Fifth and South Streets), in favor of Haddonfield, where it's now known as MiaMare.
The former spot, between Leziz and Cohen's Hardware, is getting a new tenant:
Joanna Spitalieri, whose family has lived on Hutchinson near Fitzwater in Bella Vista for a hundred years, is building it out as Spitalieri's Italiano Ristorante, a BYOB.
Spitalieri most recently lived in the Orlando area, where she helped a friend with a dessert cafe. But after her brother, Eugene, died of cancer, she realized that she needed to fulfill her longtime dream. She will employ her mother in the kitchen.
She's decorating in a contemporary style with a touch of vintage - "not your typical Italian restaurant. In my head, it's beautiful."
She's aiming for a late-March opening.