Napa Valley Wine Country Inspires New Gaslamp Restaurant

Named after the primary road that winds through Napa Valley, Route 29 will capture the essence of wine county in a new restaurant that’s set to open in the Gaslamp next month. Replacing the former Chianti Restaurant on Fifth Avenue, the eatery is by Allesandro Minutella and Vincenzo Loverso, who are familiar with running restaurants in the downtown area; they also operate Greystone The Steakhouse, Osetra The Fishhouse, and Osteria Panevino in the Gaslamp.

Sharing executive chef duties with the Jesus Villa, the group’s director of culinary operations, is Daniel Bear. Bear, who has been working in kitchens since he was a teenager, cooked in Madison, WI and New Orleans, LA, before moving to San Diego where he was the consulting chef at Liberty Public Market’s FishBone Kitchen. In Route 29’s open kitchen, the chef’s will create California cuisine using seasonal ingredients with some European influences. Sommelier Nemanja Pejcic will oversee the wine program, which will focus on focus on Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhône varieties from California and Oregon; the 150-bottle list that includes 29 by-the-glass selections. Serving dinner nightly, the restaurant will also offer brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday.