An old hand in the neighborhood is opening Da Vinci Ristorante in the former Tre Scalini (1533 S. 11th St.). He's Sonny DeCarlo, who back in 1961 opened a sandwich shop called Steak-A-Roma in the building across the way at 11th and Tasker that is now Chiarella's.
DeCarlo bumped up Steak-A-Roma into a nicer place called Sonny's Seafood Italiano, which became better known as Frankie's Seafood Italiano. DeCarlo has owned 1533 S. 11th for some time, and was Tre Scalini's landlord before it moved around the corner to 1915 E. Passyunk.
DeCarlo is partnered with chef Francesco Parmisciano, whose resume includes 12 years with the Lamberti operation.
Yes, the concept will be Italian. High-end, says DeCarlo, but not high priced. Renovations are underway and he's aiming for mid-May.
In the photo above, Parmisciano is at left and DeCarlo -- yes, he's really in white denim jacket, black shirt crowned with a three-inch gold horn -- is on the right.
Below is a photo of his old sandwich shop, complete with Inquirer honor box out front.
