San Diego's newly formed Grind & Prosper Hospitality company, which is in the process of building a New Orleans inspired bar & restaurant called Louisiana Purchase in North Park/Hillcrest, has taken over the East Village space that previously housed Salvucci's for the opening of Whip Hand - a casual-meets-fine-dining sandwich restaurant, French brasserie, and serve-your-own beer bar anticipated to debut this fall.
From Grind & Prosper Hospitality, which includes Pete Cich (Park 101, Miss B's Coconut Club, Pacific Beach Shore Club) as its founding member, Whip Hand will install in the restaurant storefront that housed the short-lived Salvucci’s at 935 J Street in downtown San Diego's East Village. The late night eatery will offer a casual-meets-classy vibe with a bar program centered around beer-based cocktails and a food menu of sandwiches jam packed with ingredients like turkey, porchetta and roast beef.
Whip Hand Executive Chef Christina Pancheri, who previously ran the kitchen at Carlsbad's Park 101 and Mission Beach's Miss B's Coconut Club before that, will construct a French brasserie-inspired menu with the help of consulting chef Anthony Pedroso. All items will be made in-house with local ingredients - from pot-pies to house-baked pretzel knots to sandwiches and breads. The eatery will also have a self-serve beer bank with 24 taps, along with a full cocktail menu. The restaurant will have a hassle-free payment system where guests get a card linked to their credit or debit card so that they can serve themselves.
Grind & Prosper is also working on the fall opening of Lousiana Purchase, which will take up a substantial section of the ground floor of designer Jeff Svitak's The Louisiana building of modern residential lofts on University Avenue between North Park and Hillcrest. Th bar and restaurant is being designed to evoke the unique flavor and culture of New Orleans and the vibrant Southern city's food and beverage scene.
