New Milwaukee restaurant Safina's is resurrecting family recipes from Giovanni's for more casual downtown spot
A version of Giovanni's restaurant is coming back to Milwaukee in a more casual establishment that still is centered on family recipes by the Safina family.
The restaurant, named Safina's, will be run by three brothers, Giuseppe (Joe), David and Sal Safina. Their father, Giovanni Safina, will also be a part of the venture, pounding and cutting veal as he did at the previous restaurant.
The new restaurant is coming in October to the former Phoenix Cocktail Lounge space at 783-785 N. Jefferson St.
The area is really a mixture of young and old with the hotels in the area, Jazz in the Park, Bastille Days, so we wanted to kind of make it a more welcoming place for everyone," Joe Safina said. "Giovanni's is more high-end, Safina's is more casual."
The menu will consist of comfort food with Sicilian and southern Italian roots. Some dishes coming to Safina's includes Sicilian-style pork chops, Branzino, black fettuccine and Bolognese. Appetizers include plates like bruschetta, salami and cheese plates, and eggplant strips.
The restaurant will have a full bar and a second level for overflow seating. The ambiance will be rustic, modern Italian with wood and marble finishes, Joe Safina said.
It has been more than four years since the brothers closed Giovanni's on North King Drive. Before that, the restaurant was Tutto, a sports bar also owned by the brothers.
Joe Safina has stayed in the local restaurant industry since then, assisting at Sanford and as the sous chef at Harwood Place. Sal and David Safina own The Sofie cocktail lounge, next door to the new Safina's restaurant.
"We're excited, and I think it'll be a good thing," Joe Safina said. "We have a lot of patrons that come into our other establishments and ask when we're going to open a restaurant again."
Jordyn Noennig covers Wisconsin culture and lifestyle. Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Milwaukee restaurant Safina's opening to downtown this fall
