Visitors to Dinkytown might have another place to wine and dine in the new millennium.
The Loring Pasta Bar, a branch of the acclaimed Loring Cafe, might open its doors sometime late this winter in the old Gray’s Campus Drug building.
Jason McLean, the owner of the Loring Cafe, said the Loring Pasta Bar “deal is signed and sealed, but not quite yet delivered.”
McLean added that everything is in order for the purchase to take place. He is ready to proceed, but first some formalities need to be worked out with the current owner of the building.
The inside of the Loring Pasta Bar will be modeled on the Cafe, with a live music stage and a variety of tables and booths. But because of limited space, the Pasta Bar will probably not have outdoor seating like the Cafe.
McLean said there will be live music seven nights a week, with a variety of international, jazz, contemporary, rock and occasional disc jockeys.
The Pasta Bar will offer an Italian-based menu, with many types of pastas and salads along with some of the Cafe’s famous entrees like the Yogurt Marinated Chicken.
The menu will not change. The freshly-prepared lunches and dinners range between $4 and $12.
Beer and wine will be available, but McLean is not certain whether the restaurant will feature a full bar.
— Peter Frost