It's been four months since Gino and Floria Uli, the husband-and-wife team behind Divino Cucina Italiana in Hastings and Hudson Prime Steakhouse in Irvington, opened North River Oyster Bar in Sleepy Hollow, but already, they've got something else up their sleeves.
Two things in fact.
The duo, who burst on the Westchester dining scene in 2019 with Divino (and later their speakeasy known as The Speakeasy at Divino), are planning to open Grand Café, a Cava-like Mediterranean breakfast and lunch spot in White Plains (140 Grand), and Salt, a Coastal American grill that is taking over the Port Chester space long occupied by Pasquale Ristorante, which closed this past summer (2 Putnam Ave).
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Gino Uli said he hopes to open the cafe, which will focus on grab and go, sometime in late November while Salt should open in late January (pending permits and construction). Salt, he said, will be a mixture between his new oyster bar and Hudson Prime, with a large fish display on ice in front and a host of grilled meats (though no porterhouse or tomahawks). He is gutting the place (minus the kitchen) so things could take longer.
As for why he wants to expand when so many others are closing, he believes he's found the right recipe for what works, so why not go bigger?
"Pasquale was there 30 years as was the Divino space, which previously had been Tony's, and also Il Sorriso, the restaurant Hudson Prime went into, so it feels like these are good spots," he said. "After places have survived that long I think people are excited to see what's next."
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester duo to open 2 more restaurants 4 months after last one
