Chef Michael Gulotta Will Bring Italian Eatery Tana To Treo in January

Michael Gulotta, the Restaurant August alum who brought damn fine chicken wings and chef-driven Vietnamese to Mid City in the form of MoPho, is expanding with Sicilian kitchen Tana at Tulane Avenue cocktail bar Treo, Ian McNulty reports this week.  The new concept will open January 8 (note: Treo will be closed for a week after New Years).

Michael Gulotta at MoPho [Photo:Brasted

This won't be the first time Gulotta has worked with bar owners Stephen and Pauline Patterson—he runs Rum & The Lash at their Banks Street game day mecca Finn McCool's along with his biz partners Jeff Gulotta and Jeffrey Bybee.  But Tana will be a bit more upscale, with a name inspired by Gulotta's grandmother and cooking that pulls from his Sicilian heritage, coastal bounty, and time spent training in Italy. Expect shareable plates, housemade pastas, room for private events, and dishes that pair well with Treo's craft drinks:

Cured tuna with melon salad; grilled long-stem broccolini; busiate (or corkscrew pasta) with charred octopus and a ragu of boudin noir; malfatti pasta dumplings made with Creole cream cheese and finished with local caviar; thin-crusted caramelized onion tarts; and trenette noodles with clams and chile peppers.

Now wipe your drool and take note that the MoPho empire is also considering going full brick-and-mortar with Tana if the concept is well-received.