One of this year's most eagerly anticipated restaurants will open its doors next week. March, a tasting menu concept from Rosie Cannonball owners Goodnight Hospitality, will begin service on March 31, the restaurant announced.
Described as a restaurant "that explores the evolution of the Mediterranean through its food, history, and cultures," the name "March" references the border between two territories, and the food will take its inspiration from the mix of cultures that take place in those regions. The restaurant will serve a ticketed six or nine course tasting menu created by chef-partner Felipe Riccio.
To be clear, the experience will offer a new perspective on fine dining with prices to match — six courses for $145, nine for $195 with both standard and "premier" wine pairings available for both. Trained sommeliers will serve as captains to facilitate the dining experience, and the dining room is adorned with high-end artwork and other bespoke touches.
March opened in November for a brief run of lounge service that previewed its offerings. Now, diners will have the opportunity to sample the restaurant's full experience, which draws upon Riccio's work in restaurants throughout Europe as well as his personal heritage of being a Mexican native with an Italian father and a Spanish mother.
At opening, the menu will feature dishes inspired by the Maghreb in Northwest Africa and its intersection with other nearby countries. For example, March's tagine will feature less utilized cuts of meat such as lamb heart and pig’s ear, a nod to the "quinto quarto" meats eaten by working class Romans. Tuna Ventresca, rich tuna belly with Cuquillo olives and a sabayon made with roasted peppers, is inspired by a classic Tunisian sandwich.
Wine pairings ($65/$85; premier, $125/$185) draw upon the restaurant's 11,000 bottle cellar, which has been built to feature a broad selection from producers selected by partner and master sommelier June Rodil and general manager/beverage director Mark Sayre.
March's cocktail offerings will be similarly elevated. Bar manager Alex Negranza's offerings utilize eight herbs native to the Mediterranean that make up March's logo. Oregano gets utilized in a variation on the classic Zombie tiki cocktail. In another, a Greek liqueur gets paired with Japanese whisky and Sarsaparilla bitters.
All that drinking and dining will happen in a suitably glamorous space. Goodnight worked with Houston-based Curtis & Windham Architects and New York City’s Studio Robert McKinley on the intimate, 28-seat space that's divided into a lounge and main dining room. The space's artwork includes a Murano glass chandelier, artwork by German artist Christoph Ruckhäberle and Brooklyn-born, Texas-raised Matt Kleberg, a painting by Oliver Jeffers, and an oversized piece in the private dining room created by Argentinian artist Alexandra Kehayoglou. Haley Riccio, the chef's wife and an industrial designer, created custom tables for the dining room.
“In a sense, the entire experience of March is our love letter to the hospitality industry and our community through food, wine, culture, people, and the constant passion to continue to learn about them,” Rodil said in a statement.
The restaurant features an 11,000 bottle wine cellar.
