Delayed by the pandemic, Marisi Italiano is now planning for a Spring 2022 arrival in La Jolla. Developed the Adler and Lombrozo families and named for their grandparents, the Italian restaurant is opening directly adjacent to the Wall Street location of the Adler’s Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar; it replaces Whisknlade, the neighborhood institution that shuttered in 2020 after a dozen years in operation. Operating for lunch and dinner, Marisi’s design is inspired by the Amalfi Coast and its cliffside towns along the Mediterranean.

Originally intending to launch early last year with former Cesarina chef Patrick Money, who currently helms Ambrogio15 at Sky Deck, the restaurant will now be led by Chad Huff, who comes to San Diego from Los Angeles where he was most recently the executive chef at Broad Street Oyster Co. in Malibu and has cooked at Felix Trattoria in Venice and at the Michelin-starred Providence.