{"id":33106,"date":"2023-02-19T06:55:20","date_gmt":"2023-02-19T14:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000029766"},"modified":"2023-02-19T06:51:04","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T14:51:04","slug":"new-mediterranean-inspired-restaurant-expected-to-open-in-naples-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/food\/new-mediterranean-inspired-restaurant-expected-to-open-in-naples-this-summer","title":{"rendered":"New Mediterranean-inspired restaurant expected to open in Naples this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is expected to begin construction this week in the Naples location that was home to Russo\u2019s Italian Neighborhood Ristorante & Bar, a local staple for 30 years until its closure in 2018.<\/p>\n

The new restaurant, called Marlena, is expected to open this summer at\u00a0 5854 E. Naples Plaza.<\/p>\n

Owner Robert Smith said he hopes to \u201cbring a new taste\u201d to the restaurant, named after his late mother-in-law Marlene, who died in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarlene was a very salt-of-the-earth wife and mother who loved cooking at home and getting inspired by visits to her neighborhood Italian restaurant,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

Breaking down the restaurant name into two separate Spanish words, \u201cmar\u201d for \u201csea\u201d and \u201clena\u201d for \u201cfirewood,\u201d Smith said he felt it was the perfect choice as it also reflects the restaurant\u2019s culinary mix of \u201cthe California coast and its European influences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A rendering of the new restaurant, Marlena, which is expected to open in summer 2023. Courtesy photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The menu will include eight small plates, two rotating pastas, two rotating grilled items and eight pizzas. The dishes are built around the restaurant\u2019s Josper charcoal grill from Spain and a Mugnaini wood-fired oven from Italy.<\/p>\n

A graduate of CSULB, Smith spent the majority of his college years and thereafter split among Italy, Germany, Spain, Huntington Beach, Long Beach and San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Smith says the restaurant will be a \u201cfusion\u201d of all his culinary travel experiences.<\/p>\n

In April, Smith departed from his most recent position as director of operations for Pizza Antica under the Bacchus Restaurant Group in San Francisco. Smith said his 25 years of experience in the business has laid the foundation for his new venture.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to give people some great Italian-centered dishes with sprinklings of other Mediterranean cuisine using Californian ingredients and fresh farmers market produce,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also excited to be part of the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the locals want this restaurant space to be reactivated since it\u2019s been closed for so long,\u201d Smith said. \u201cSo bringing in good design is very important to me and to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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