Two Dallas powerhouse chefs are teaming up to open two restaurants in Highland Park Village. Nick Badovinus (Neighborhood Services, Montlake Cut, Off-Site Kitchen, Town Hearth) and Julian Barsotti (Nonna, Carbone’s, Sprezza) will take over the two-story spot that was once Village Kitchen, Toko V, and Village Marquee. Construction will begin late this summer.
Badovinus will debut Perfect Union Pizza Company on the street level. “It will be a simple American-inspired collision of raw bar, rotisserie chicken, and pizzeria,” Badovinus says. “These are three of my favorite things. It summarizes my way of eating which is fun and lighthearted. It’s all about communal sharing.” According to Badovinus, the restaurant will be downscale and approachable with grab-and-go and delivery options. “I’m working on a pizza style that travels well,” Badovinus says. Fans of the pizza he developed at Fireside Pies will have to adapt to a New York-style over the classic Neapolitan.
Barsotti is going retro with Fachini in the upstairs space. “I’ve had this vision for a while,” Barsotti says. “It is going to be an homage to old school, upscale Italian-American dining, with a little bit of a New Orleans-Sicilian accent.” Like Carbone’s, Barsotti’s restaurant named for his maternal grandmother, Fachini is Barsotti’s paternal grandmother’s maiden name. “I like that synchronicity, and the name just has that old school Italian-joint ring to my ear,” Barsotti says. The dinner-only spot will be a glamorous restaurant with black-and-white octagonal tile floors, redhigh-backed booths, and waiters in dinner jackets.
“The goal is for the food to be revised and sensationalized versions of red sauce classics,”Barsotti says. “I want to create a dining experience that is evocative of a long past era, and is ultimately entertaining and fun.”
Barsotti and Badovinus are partners in both restaurants. Hopefully this duo will break the spell at this challenged location.
