In an ambitious plan, the Italian pasta company Pastificio Rana will open a “full restaurant” in Chelsea Market this winter, with former SD26 chef Odette Fada at the pass, Diner’s Journal reports. Fada was previously the longtime chef at San Domenico until it closed in the space that eventually became Marea; more recently, she spent a year in Italy working for Pastificio Rana after leaving SD26, in April of 2010. In an article from 2008, the Times reported Pastificio Rana was preparing to launch a “slow fast food” restaurant concept and open its first factory in North America. Diner’s Journal offers one tidbit from Fada’s menu, an artichoke tortelloni with lobster bisque that the chef prepared at a Wine & Food Festival event last night. [Diner’s Journal/NYT, Earlier]
