Lupo Verde Osteria’s Delayed Palisades Market Is Ready To Go

The Palisades’ months-old Lupo Verde Osteria is finally ready to unveil its subterranean Italian market next week, but it’ll be without the anticipated reservations-required chef’s table its outgoing chef Matteo Venini originally had in mind for the cozy addition.

The Palisades’ three-story neighborhood Italian eatery (4814 MacArthur Boulevard) is scheduled to debut its white tile-wrapped downstairs space on Monday, August 20 for breakfast and lunch service, alongside an array of grab-and-go imported Italian products stocked on shelves.

Upon opening the 3,200-square-foot restaurant this spring for dinner service, Venini told Eater he envisioned hosting intimate nine-course tasting dinners underneath inside the market. Now Venini is out as corporate chef at Lahlou Restaurant Group (Lupo Verde, Station 4, Lupo Verde Osteria, Lupo Marino), announcing plans last week to open his own (and pretty much rival) Italian eatery near Union Market, called Stellina Pizzeria, with another Lupo alum Antonio Matarazzo. Eater has learned Todd Sprik, executive chef at the Wharf’s months-old Lupo Marino and alum of Miami’s French-Mediterranean Le Zoo, is now stepping in to helm the kitchens at all three Lupo locations. It’s unclear whether he will revive or table Venini’s vision for a chef’s table at Lupo Verde Osteria’s new extension.

Lupo Verde Osteria’s market, projected to operate Monday to Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., is expected to feature morning items like chocolate croissants and cranberry and lemon cream pastries, along with espresso, cappuccino, latte, coffee, and tea. At lunch, there’s antipasti, paninis and pastas ($3.50 to $15).

Starters include marinated olives, beets with stracciatella and hazelnut vinaigrette, and a radicchio salad with orange, panelle, and speck. There’s also a veggie panini with ciabatta bread, pesto, grilled vegetables, and herb goat cheese and a meaty version with salami, ham, hot capicola, and provolone cheese. Similar pastas currently served upstairs will be imported to the market for lunch, including cacio e pepe with tonarelli, black pepper and pecorino and tagliatelle alle vongole with mussels, Calabrian chili, and breadcrumbs.

Lupo Verde Osteria/official photo

Lupo Verde Osteria’s newly expanded all-day model already has existing competition across the street; restaurateurs Barbara and Jeff Black’s new cafe Black Coffee opened this spring and just added an outdoor patio and happy hour.

Venini, a Tosca alum and native of Lake Como, Italy, lasted less than two years at Med Lahlou’s restaurant group and plans to sling pastas, sandwiches, and coastal Italian street bites at his new restaurant opening this fall (399 Morse Street NE).

• The Chef’s Table at Lupo Verde Alimentaria Has the Best Seats in the House [EDC]
• Stellina Pizzeria, From Lupo Verde Alumni, to Open Near Union Market [WCP]
• Lupo Marino’s Med Lahlou Served the Southwest Waterfront Even Before The Wharf Existed [EDC]