Jordan's to become an Italian restaurant
Lee Biars, managing partner of Diamondback Tavern in Ellicott City and a sometime commenter on this blog, told me the owners of Diamondback have joined with new investors to open an Italian restaurant at 8085 Main St. where Jordan's Steakhouse used to be.
The new place will be called Portalli's, and Lee promises "a good mix of unique cutting edge preparations as well as classic Italian favorites." ...
Evan Brown, one of the owners, will be Director of Operations. He may not sound like he's Italian, but the name "Portalli" comes from his mother's side of the family. Brown will be leaving the Greystone Grill, where he's the general manager, to come to Portalli's. Before that he was at the Prime Rib.
The executive chef will be Keith Holsey, who was also at the Greystone Grill. He was a sous chef at Jordan's before that.
Portalli's menu is still in the development stage, but dinner entrees should fall somewhere between $10 and $25.
"We plan on incorporating everything we love about Italian cuisine from all areas of Italy including several traditional Portalli family dishes," Lee told me. "The goal is to create an Italian dining destination that will have enough originality and creativity for foodies, but will also be approachable for the casual diner or families looking for a fun night out."
The target opening date is mid- to late November, but that will only happen if various licenses come through in time.
(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)
Comments
This is great news. We have too many mediocre/boring restaurants in Old EC. The Diamonback is one of the few with interesting food (Tersiguel's is great, but more of a special occasion place). I just hope they jazz up the atmosphere more than they have at the Diamondback. The cold gray paint and laminated tables really downplay the character and charm of the space. In Old EC, we only seem to be able to have one or the other: charming atmosphere or interesting food (again, excepting Tersiguel's). Many of the eateries are really missing the boat. This new venture sounds promising.
Posted by: Amanda Lauer | October 9, 2009 9:36 AM
soooo I have a Jordans gift card, will you honor it????
Posted by: diane porter | October 12, 2009 9:33 PM
Yes, we will be honoring all Jordan's gift cards/certificates for the full amount.
Posted by: Lee | October 13, 2009 10:13 AM