‘Well-made Italian food ... at a great value’ headed to former Urban Table spot in JoCo

Local restaurateur Whitney VinZant’s latest project will be a laid-back place to go for a fun date night, business lunch, or getting together with friends and family to enjoy “really well-made Italian food ... at a great value.”

Va Bene Italian Eatery is scheduled to open in the former Urban Table space — in Corinth Square, 8232 Mission Road, Prairie Village — in late November.

The atmosphere will be “bright, clean and colorful” and it will emphasize a new and expanded patio, VinZant said in a statement.

General manager Kristi Burns was previously with the Webster House, which closed earlier this year. Executive chef Nathan Deters was with North Italia in Leawood.

Starters will include lobster crepes, pork and ricotta meatballs, and Sicilian rice fritters. It will have four salads including the Fig & Pear, and several pasta dishes such as ravioli and linguini with pancetta. It will make its pasta in-house.

Entrees will include an Italian pot roast, chicken piccata, wood-fired blackened swordfish, and the Sinatra burger (a 6-ounce patty with Green Goddess dressing, bacon, fontina cheese, tomato, field greens and balsamic glaze on a brioche bun.

It also will have pizza, desserts including a lemon pudding cake, and Italian spirits, beers and wine.

Va Bene will have 35 to 40 employees.

Kansas City’s Bread & Butter Concepts opened Urban Table in Corinth Square in mid-2011.

VinZant, founder of Louie’s Wine Dive, finalized his purchase of Urban Table earlier this month and it closed for remodeling.

He also purchased another Bread & Butter Concepts restaurant, Gram & Dun on the Country Club Plaza, which is adding new menu items

VinZant previously acquired Bread & Butter’s BRGR Kitchen + Bar locations and Taco Republic.

The Leawood BRGR has since closed and he is looking to relocate it in Johnson County. A new Taco Republic will open in the former Arby’s building in Prairie Village.

VinZant also has the popular Fresko Natural Food restaurant in Des Moines and he plans to open a Kansas City area location. Its menu includes salads, sushi, lobster rolls, flatbreads, tacos, sandwiches and entrees including a seafood stew and short ribs.

Thomas Pelkey is regional chef for VinZant’s restaurants and is working with Deters on the Va Bene menu.

This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 1:00 PM.