Handmade Pasta Restaurant Opening Here in Early 2024
After a flurry of new dining options debuting here in 2023 (Maison Margaux, Butcher & The Boar, Porzana, Bricksworth, Puralima, Egg On A Roll, the kitchen at Public Domain–opening soon, and Treats–coming next month), it’s looking like the North Loop’s momentum will continue in 2024.
Shortly after the New Year, executive chef Joe Rolle (pronounced Raleigh) and co-owner Stephen Rowe plan to open Dario, a “handmade pasta and vegetable-focused concept,” as Rolle describes it, with offerings of meat, fish and raw items as well.
Stephen Rowe (L) and Joe Rolle (R)
“It’s a culmination of what I like to eat, what I’m good at and what I want to give to other people,” Rolle said.
He has 18 years of experience as a chef, including at Borough which he helped open in 2013. Rowe, meanwhile, is also making a return to the North Loop where he helped launch the cocktail program at Marvel Bar and spent 10 years as a bartender there until it closed in 2020.
“My experience there was transformative,” Rowe said. “One of the best takeaways from that place was the team, and that’s what we’re trying to bring over to Dario. We want to bring that sense of teamwork.”
Dario, which is Joe Rolle’s middle name, will open on the ground level of the T3 Building, where Dalton & Wade used to be. Rowe said they’re redesigning the entire space to be lighter, more colorful and less boxy. They’re also planning a seasonal outdoor patio.
There will be an open kitchen and eight to ten types of handmade pasta made fresh each day in a dedicated room that’s in full view of guests.
“You can see it as you enter the restaurant, from any angle or anywhere in the restaurant,” Rolle said. “It’s all glass along the side of it and in front of it.”
They will have seating for 110 inside and an additional 40 outside when the patio is available. Their opening is tentatively planned for mid-January.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer