This past Saturday night, the hubby and I headed over to Laurel for a final dinner. Laurel, once a culinary leader in San Diego, is now closed for a month and a new Italian concept is being created in its place. Laurel was one of Bailey Gardiner’s first restaurant clients (back in the day). And more personally, it’s where Paul (now hubby) and I had our first date and he later proposed (I know, cue Streisand singing Memories).

Proprietor Tracy Borkum told us about the new concept, her gigantic new oven and her inability to find the right name for the restaurant. So she is holding a contest to see if anyone can hit the right note, and if they do, they will receive a dinner each month at the restaurant for a year. Quite a deal in these times.

Since Tracy doesn’t have a blog (I’ve tried to convince her believe me) I told her we’d post the details here (FYI, she’s not a client). And since this really is turning into a community affair, and the wine was flowing, Paul agreed to take photos of the demo and remodel so we can all see what’s going on (go to changinglaurel.com to see his personal photo/story project).

Here are some particulars to get the ideas flowing, directly from Tracy:

Changes are Underway

We’ve already scraped the floor, demoed the banquettes and purchased the mother of all pizza ovens!

Think of a modern Italian kitchen combined with the history and comfort of an old rustic country barn.

A bit of bohemia, a touch of home and many stories created with found objects new and old. A focus on raw, sustainable material is evident, with much product coming  from recycled/reclaimed local sources.

Cuisine
The culinary focus of our yet to be named “Italian American’ neighborhood restaurant and wine shop will highlight the cuisines of various Italian regions with a distinct California ‘farm to table’ flair for which the Urban Kitchen Group (Kensington Grill, Chive, Laurel, Urban Kitchen Catering) has become known.

Chef Joe Magnanelli (who previously oversaw Laurel’s kitchen) is excited to preview his Italian roots and create a menu that is fresh, simple and seasonal.  Highlights include artisan pizza, pasta, antipasti and other delights.

Menu prices are designed to allow guests to enjoy a more comfortable, wallet-friendly, dining experience with nothing over $20!

Wine Program
Our new list will follow a more aggressive retail pricing program, offering approximately 100 diverse selections all under $50 per bottle. California, Washington, Oregon, Argentina, Chile and of course Italy are among the major wine-producing regions that will be showcased in our program: the wines of the Americas and Italy.

Along with a diverse selection of wines by the glass, guests will be invited to visit our retail area to select a bottle for dinner (nominal corkage fee will apply) or purchase wine to go.

There you have it. Grab a glass of vino and start making your list. Come July, you might be the lucky monthly diner. Send your list to contact@sdurbankitchen.com

Photo Credit: ©2009paulmbowers

UPDATE: Deadline for submissions is this Sunday, May 31st.