That corner is too good to stay empty long. When Victor's on Water in Excelsior closed, there was already a deal in the works for it to become Red Sauce Rebellion, which opens officially on Friday. The building was famously once Bacon Drug, the rumored inspiration for the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" after Mick Jagger's summer encounter with local legend Mister Jimmy at the soda fountain. It had languished as a drug store and Chinese restaurant for years before Victor's poured millions of dollars into it for renovation starting in 2014. Though they closed earlier this year.
The new proprietors are Eli Wollenzien and Deacon Eells, who own Coalition (the original down the block and a newer version on 50th & France). A few others had looked at the space, and Wollenzien was hoping someone would keep it Italian, but when the others fell through, he decided to take it on himself. "We were just hoping something like Luke Shimp's Red Rabbit would come in, and when it didn't happen, we thought we'd bring it ourselves. A more casual approach to Italian food is what the people in town really want, so we're happy to give it to them."
The space has been recast with more warm wood tones throughout. They've done away with white tablecloths and brought in more accessible table settings and seating.
The bar has also been wrapped in warm wood, and treated with a colorful teal tiled back bar. "We wanted to open up this front part, and removed some dividing walls so that there could be more flow in this area."
Mirroring the back bar, a teal banquette runs along the window next to the street. There are the same number of seats, but with the new arrangement and types of chairs, it feels more open. They also tore out the former ceiling, exposing the beams, which lifted the height of the space and gave it a bit more air.
The corner near the kitchen holds a large booth that can fit around 10. If you look closely at the wallpaper, you'll see they are actual red rabbits, a little nod from Wollenzien.
"The goal was really to keep it fun and friendly. We want to make really good Italian food that you can eat any day of the week, in a restaurant that feels like an easy place to hang out." Servers wear t-shirts and long craft-brown aprons with jeans, the glasses on the table aren't stemmed, the vibe is more cheeky than refined.
The menus show that they are keeping it simple, not loading down with too many dishes, and bringing tried and true flavors to plates: Linguini with littleneck clams and pancetta, pappardelle with a beef & pork ragu, mushroom pizza with bechamel and smoky bacon. While Victor's was known for their thin crust pizzas, RSR is coming in with a biscuit crust pie in a cast iron skillet. Welcome.
I'm ready to get my holiday hands on much of this, especially after a movie at the Dock across the street. Red Sauce Rebellion opens right away for lunch and dinner on Friday, with no reservations to start. Go get your ziti on!
