Three-Course Carmel

Hot Spots : A back-lit bar, pounded copper surfaces and an opened entry area give the new Vesuvio a loungier feel.
Fresh fodder from a trio of culinary pillars.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
I’ve watched Carmel icon Rich Pepe – he of Peppoli and Little Napoli fame – trade punches with a pro boxer a fraction of his age and earn the keys to Hoboken, N.J., from the mayor, but I’ve never seen him quite this excited.
He was touring me through his newest project, Vesuvio Bistro Italiano in the former Piatti, last week. Maybe he was stoked because the place, as he said, “is beginning to look like a restaurant and not a construction site.” Maybe it’s because of the new firepits and a rooftop stage he’s scheming, the sexy surfaces and Pompei-style murals in place, or the fact that a May open date looks realistic. But I think it’s the fact that his two prodigal sons will help steer the ship.
With racy PR force of nature Katana Alexander running the hype, you can expect it to be a scene when it opens.