There is always something new on the Italian dining scene. This week brings fresh reasons to make a reservation or order a cocktail. Here are the stories that caught our attention.
La Sponda opens on Miami’s waterfront
Gioia Hospitality Group opened La Sponda on Sept. 19 at Vita at Grove Isle in Miami. Founders Thomas and Kassidy Angelo looked to their family’s Puglian heritage when creating the restaurant.
Chef Danny Ganem’s menu includes house-made pasta, crudo and seafood. Among the opening dishes are spaghetti alla chitarra with Burgundy truffles, paccheri with branzino and bistecca Fiorentina. The Italian wine list will include selections from Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia.
La Sponda will initially serve dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with reservations available through Resy.
4 Grove Isle Drive, Miami, FL 33133 @laspondamiami
Want to be the first to know about Italian food events, restaurant openings and culinary travel? Subscribe to the Appetito weekly newsletter.
Monteverde team announces a second Chicago restaurant
James Beard Award-winning chef Sarah Grueneberg and her Monteverde partners, Jaime Canete and Rob Mosher, plan to open Trattoria Lo So in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood in winter 2027.
Executive chef Bailey Sullivan, a 2026 James Beard Award Emerging Chef finalist, will lead the kitchen. The menu will include meats, seafood and vegetables prepared on a robata-style grill, fresh pasta cooked al forno and dried pasta from Italy’s Mancini Pastificio Agricolo.
The 120-seat restaurant will have a 17-seat bar, a fireplace and a view of the live-fire kitchen.
2044 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
Ginger Ristorante celebrates Negroni Week
Ginger Ristorante in Midtown Manhattan will offer three takes on the Negroni during Negroni Week, held Sept. 21-27.
For Negroni Week, they are serving creative cocktails like The Devil Drinks Negroni with sprays of lemon and orange essential oil water, The Coffee & Negroni, topped with black coffee foam and dark chocolate chips, and the Negroni SPQR, that combines Italian gin, Campari, Cynar and Italian vermouth.
Ginger's focus on healthy ingredients guides their philosophy. They offer a wide selection of organic options, homemade pastas and brick-oven pizzas.
Negroni Week supports Slow Food and its work toward a more sustainable food and beverage industry.
123 West 49th Street, 10020 New York @gingerristoranti.ny
