Hungry diners won’t have to wait much longer for a taste of Mike Cordero’s latest Italian venture. Carbonara in Gainesville is nearly ready to open. And his other new restaurant, Capellini’s in Ashburn’s Brambleton, is taking shape.
Cordero expects Carbonara, his old-school Italian restaurant in Gainesville, to open September 1 or 2. The date is pending a final health department inspection scheduled for August 27.
“The restaurant is completely done,” Cordero says. “We’re just waiting for one more session, which is the health department, and once we get that, we’re able to stock this place up.”
The 6,300-square-foot, 240-seat restaurant has been designed to evoke the feel of an old-school Italian restaurant in New York. “My designer hit it right on the nose,” Cordero says.
Photo by Michael Butcher
Carbonara Opening Schedule
Carbonara will initially open for dinner. Cordero expects to add lunch once the staff is fully settled, a strategy he has used at his Arlington restaurant. The 80-seat outdoor patio will also open later, once the staff is accustomed to handling the large dining room.
On weekends, Carbonara will feature a full Frank Sinatra band, rather than the single Sinatra-style singer featured at Cordero’s Arlington restaurant.
For Cordero, Carbonara is about more than another restaurant opening. After more than 50 years in the Italian food business, he says the restaurant is a chance to return to his roots as a chef.
“I was always in the Italian food business since I was 13 years old,” he says. “I’ve got two sons that are in the business as well, and they were like, ‘Dad, let’s open up some bars.’ We were very successful in the bar business, but everybody forgot me as a chef. And that’s what I wanted to do with Carbonara: Put myself back on the map as a chef.”
Capellini’s in Brambleton
Photo by Connor Reed
Cordero’s second project, Capellini’s, is moving along more slowly. The Brambleton restaurant is currently in the permitting phase, with construction expected to be completed around January.
And diners shouldn’t expect Carbonara 2.0. “It’s totally different than Carbonara,” Cordero says. “It’s more Northern Italian cooking. It’s going to be a little bit more upscale.”
Even the tableware will have a different look. While Carbonara uses traditional old-school Italian-style plates, Capellini’s will feature more art deco-inspired pieces modeled after those Cordero has seen in Italy. Some dishes from Carbonara may make the transition to Capellini’s, but Cordero says the new restaurant will have a largely different menu.
Chef Mike Cordero (Courtesy Connor Reed)
The projects are part of a broader culinary vision for Cordero, who is also preparing to release a cookbook called Respect the Sauce. The book, originally expected sooner, has been delayed slightly and is now anticipated in late September or October. Cordero has also trademarked the phrase and plans to expand it into a line of culinary merchandise, including knives, cutting boards, T-shirts and hats.
And he may not be finished with Virginia — or Italian restaurants. Cordero says he is considering eventually bringing the Carbonara concept to Florida, where he owns a home and has been getting to know the market. Boca Raton is one area he’s considering.
For now, hungry diners won’t have to wait much longer: Carbonara is nearly ready to serve its first plates in Gainesville.
Feature image courtesy Carbonara
