July 1, 2014 – Visitors to Old Town Salinas are cupping their hands to windows, peering through gates, and generally poking around 201 Main Street a lot more often these days—and with good reason. The once-derelict Wells Fargo Bank building is finally getting set to open as a sleek, sophisticated entertainment complex housing six food businesses and an event venue. The target date is August 1, but that’s not set in stone—they’re still awaiting final health inspection from the city. “After four years, I’ve given up on giving out dates,” chuckled Jesse Kehoe, vice president of the Berkley Group, which owns and will operate the complex.
The project began with two years of seismic upgrades to the building, which dates to the early 20th century. The Berkley Group, that includes Jesse’s brother Seamus, and is headed by their father, Gerry, maintained much of the structure’s original marble, as well as some interior brick walls and the high ornamental ceiling in the largest of three eateries, Giorgio’s. The complex has a lot of unusual, and dare we say, really cool features, which Jesse proudly showed off on EMB’s recent visit. Kehoe said the interior design was a collaboration among the owners, painters, and Lea Madrid, who also played a major role in designing the interior of nearby Gold Leaf Spice and Tea.
The first two places to open in the 28,000 square foot complex will be Giorgio’s restaurant and a ground-floor coffee shop called Ticino. Chef Alessio Giannuzzi planned Giorgio’s menu as a reflection of the Salinas’ agricultural heritage, with commitment to local and organic sourcing. There’s a spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs, prosciutto, and Grana Padano, as well as a kale caesar. The wood-fired oven will be turning out tasty pizzas featuring ingredients like artichokes, mushrooms, and zucchini. Prices run from $9 for a salad to pastas in the $13-19 range, topping out with braised short ribs for $22 and a 16-ounce New York steak for $28. Giannuzzi, who was the executive chef at Il Fornaio in Carmel and later opened and ran a restaurant in Italy, has also been executive chef at Apple Computer’s headquarters in Cupertino.
Kehoe said Giorgio’s will seat 210 diners, including the bar—which, along with the long counter in front of the open kitchen—is the coolest feature in the place. Both are topped with imported green onyx that’s beautiful in its own right, but when Kehoe flipped the switch on the LED lights under the countertops, the effect was breathtaking. Next door, Ticino will serve up Italian coffee, fresh breakfast treats baked from scratch, along with salads, soups and paninis for lunch. During the day, Ticino’s customers will occupy the outdoor piazza, with its four fire-pits and heaters for chilly mornings. At night, it’ll be what Kehoe calls “prime dining space” for Giorgio’s customers.
The piazza is dominated by dramatic stone waterfall with a gas fireplace running along the bottom. At the back of the first floor is Citracada, a more intimate venue that seats close to 100 and will serve Spanish-style tapas for family-style dining and sharing.
The second floor will be home to Grapes of Eden, a wine bar focusing on Monterey County wines. The complex’s event venue can accommodate over 600 people indoors and on the two balconies overlooking the piazza. Kehoe anticipates it will be used for everything from weddings to business meetings. The basement is the future home of Exchange night club. This level posed some of the most daunting structural challenges. Kehoe said that to put in the bar—which occupies the space that was once the vault—they had to cut through two feet of concrete and rebar with a jackhammer. The vault doors, which are in four pieces that weigh seven tons, could not be removed from the basement, so they’ll be framed with wood and glass and made into VIP tables. Some remaining safe deposit boxes provide unusual ornamentation on one wall. A 1,000 square foot dance floor was added by cutting through another concrete wall and removing 700 yards of earth using shovels and wheelbarrows. They anticipate having both live music and DJs, with a blues/jazz vibe.
The complex is already hiring. In its initial phase, Kehoe said they’ll have about 30 employees, mostly part-time. He thinks the jobs will be great for local students. They’re going to make sure they take the time to train all of them thoroughly. “Everybody wants it to open,” said Kehoe, “but at the end of the day, we want to have our staff trained right. We spent four years building it; what’s another two weeks for training?” Meanwhile, the rest of us will be peeking through the windows and peering through the gates, longing for opening day.
About the author
Elaine Hesser grew up in rural Pennsylvania and started cooking at age 6. By age 9, she'd made her first dinner and at midlife, is amazed when high school graduates can't scramble eggs. After the U.S. Army paid for her B.A., it also moved her to Monterey County, where she served on active duty at Ft. Ord and Ft. Hunter Liggett. She has a wide variety of interests, but is most passionate about faith, writing, and food - and encourages everyone never to stop learning and looking for truth.
