[ ABOVE: Jianna will be located on the second floor of Falls Park Place and features a large wraparound balcony. Rendering by Kevin Culhan Architect. ]
The Italian eatery is set to open early 2017
Imagine sitting on a second story veranda overlooking Falls Park dining on fresh oysters and modern Italian cuisine. Greenville diners will soon have that option when Table 301 Restaurant Groups’ latest concept, Jianna, opens early next year.
The 5,800 square-foot restaurant will feature a 40-foot bar that offers both indoor and outdoor seating on the second story of the new Falls Park Place development at the corner of Main Street and Falls Park Drive. Jianna is also set to have an open kitchen and pasta making area.
“One of the first lessons I learned in this business is location, location, location,” said Carl Sobocinski, president of Table 301 Restaurant Group. “When I saw the drawings and plans, I couldn’t think of a better location than this overlooking Falls Park. It’s got the highest foot traffic, hotels nearby, parking options and that wraparound deck.”
“We all wanted to bring a new and unique dining experience to downtown Greenville and Falls Park Place is the perfect venue with its wraparound outdoor balcony seating that looks out over Main Street and Falls Park, said Ryan Peiffer, vice president at Hughes Investments. “Carl has a wonderful vision for the space and it fits in perfectly with the project. People will be amazed.”
So why an Italian restaurant when there are other Italian eateries in downtown Greenville? “We took a look at Greenville, at what we have and what we don’t have. We wanted to do something Italian that was more approachable and more casual,” said Sobocinski. “This seemed like a great need in our community.”
Jianna will offer four to five varieties of raw oysters, in addition to sliced-to-order prosciutto di Parma, house-made pasta, antipasto and crudo, and feature local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. While the menu is still being finalized, expect to see items such as a Kobe beef tagliatelle with butternut squash, as well as polenta with mushrooms and parmesan cheese.
“We’re going back to the roots of Italian cooking but doing it in today’s more modern flavors and accompaniments,” said Sobocinski.
Jianna will be under the culinary leadership of Chef Michael Kramer, who came to the Table 301 Group in April 2013 as an executive chef of culinary operations. He also recently served as executive chef at The Lazy Goat.
The new restaurant’s name, Jianna, comes from Kramer, who got his start in the business working at Jianna in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco under chef Marc Valiani. Valiani died a few years ago and Kramer contacted his family to see if he could use the name and pay tribute to his mentor.
Greenville’s Table 301 Restaurant Group also owns Soby’s, Soby’s on the Side, The Lazy Goat, Nose Dive, Passerelle Bistro, Papi’s Tacos, Highway 301 Food Truck, Southern Pressed Juicery and Table 301 Catering.
Sobocinski says Kramer has developed great relationships and will be putting together a team of both internal Table 301 staff and new hires.
Jianna is targeting an early January 2017 opening.
