Who's That Girl?

Kenyon Price offers a mysterious Isabella

Comments (0) By Mark Stuertz Thursday, Nov 2 2006

When Kenyon Price rhapsodizes about Isabella's, his new Italian restaurant set to spring from Stonebriar Commons in Frisco, he speaks as though it were an actual lady. "She's well-traveled. Her homes are in Lombardy, Veneto and Tuscany. She's a very forward-thinking Italian," he says of the restaurant allegedly conceived in the likeness of a close personal friend. Hmmm. What does that mean? "You will find what I would say tension," he says, "between the modern lifestyle and the traditional lifestyle." Go on. It means classic Italian architecture notes such as vaulted ceilings coupled with modern touches in the bar, he says. It means classic dishes with modern twists. It means wine flows from Italy but also from California and "exotic" places such as South America and Washington. It means a music mix ranging from operatic crooner Andrea Bocelli to "kick-ass Italian pop" from Carmen Consoli. It means expansion. To bring Isabella's to life, Price, a former executive with Sfuzzi's, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, and St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, has teamed up with Sfuzzi alum Craig Vaught to plant the first Isabella's for roughly $750,000. They plan to clone up to 15 of her in spots all over including Uptown, Southlake, Austin and Newport Beach, California (1 percent pieces of Isabella are currently available for $15,000). Food? Price says he's pulling in an executive chef from Piedmont, while chef Rex Turner (Cafe Toulouse, Nick & Sam's) will handle the lady's sous obligations.

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Isabella's

1279 Legacy Drive
Frisco, TX 75034-6021

Category: Restaurant > Italian

Region: Frisco

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