The Vernetti family, new owners of the Girasole in Larchmont Village, put up a “closed” sign in the window on September 28th, much to the chagrin of many regular Larchmont area diners. Not to worry, though, the restaurant will reopen in early 2015 after a renovation and expansion, and take on the family name: Vernetti.
Steve Vernetti and his wife Joanna have lived in the area for ten years and ate many meals at Girasole where founders Ermanno and Sonia Tolot served up pasta and carpaccio to the neighborhood. The Vernettis live in the St. Andrews neighborhood with their three children Stella, Lola and Bruno.
“We had this fantastic opportunity to purchase Girasole last year from Sonia and her family,” Joanna Vernetti told the Larchmont Buzz. “We are going to try to carry on the amazing tradition that Girasole has had for 20 years – hopefully for another 20 or 30 years.”
Steve noted that the staff will remain, as will many of the favorite menu items. “We will continue to serve the community with locally sourced produce and provisions from the Farmers Market. We will also be adding some new things like steaks and chops, salads, paninis, and new seasonal desserts.”
The new restaurant will incorporate 225 North Larchmont, the retail space just to the south formerly occupied by Noni Fashion, but won’t be expanding the dining area itself due to the “Q” conditions on Larchmont Boulevard. The Vernettis have worked closely with the city’s planning department to comply with the conditions.
They will expand and upgrade the kitchen, create a locker area for the staff, and add new ADA-compliant restrooms in the new space next door.  There will also be a small retail area where the Vernettis will sell Italian imported food and kitchen items.  The dining area will be renovated and redecorated, but remain the intimate space that locals have come to appreciate.
In its new incarnation, Vernetti will serve family style dinners on Sunday and encourage group dining on what is generally thought of as a day for family and friends. They plan to be open seven days a week and also have a brunch menu. With the Vernetti family behind the new restaurant, we can expect that it will still have that old-world, family oriented feeling that we’ve grown to love about this small, tasty dining room.
