The Washington D.C. upscale osteria Via Sophia will expand into Maine this May when it opens Italian seafood restaurant Via Sophia by the Sea in Kennebunk. The Via Sophia spinoff will be open year-round at 27 Western Ave., a space formerly occupied by Grissini Italian Bistro. The building has been vacant since last fall.

The restaurant is part of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection, which owns and manages nine boutique hotels and six restaurants in Kennebunkport and Kennebunk. Via Sophia by the Sea will be the group’s first stand-alone restaurant property.