ManhattanJack Plans Altamura Italian Fine Dining Uptown

Things are heating up Uptown again, as Jack Petronella, owner of beloved Prytania Street bakery ManhattanJack, tells Eater he is planning to open a new Southern Italian fine dining restaurant, Altamura, this year. "It's always been our plan to do the restaurant and the bakery," Petronella says. "We just didn't know which would come first."

He's currently working with a contractor to revamp a building on Magazine (exact address unknown at this time), and may even be able to open the doors by May 2014. The restaurant will feature Southern Italian cuisine, in honor of Petronella's family— especially his grandmother— who originally hail from the Italian city of Altamura in the Bari region.

Petronella is crafting the menu himself, with the help of family recipes and an emphasis on traditional, regional fare, including all things parmesan and bolognese. No word on any other chefs coming on board yet, as Petronella sounds like he intends to launch the restaurant himself. The city of Altamura is also known for its amazing bread, so expect some of those mad ManhattanJack baking skills to be on display here too.

While not a lot of details are known at this time, Petronella notes that Altamura won't have an open kitchen, but diners will be able to see inside via a large window. Plans for a streamlined, gorgeous state of the art kitchen are underway with pendant lighting and perhaps even a chefs table in time. Sounds swanky.

Eater will keep you posted as we find out more about Altamura. Got a hot tip about an upcoming restaurant? Leave a comment or send us an email. As always tips are greatly appreciated.

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