David Grisanti’s on Main will open Tuesday, October 10th.
It’s not on Main Street in Memphis like his grandfather’s restaurant once was, but on Main Street in Collierville, Tennessee.
The restaurant, owned by chef David Grisanti and his wife, Robyn, is absolutely stunning.
It’s housed in the old P.O. Press Public House & Provisions restaurant space at 148 North Main Street, but it looks nothing like that restaurant, which closed in 2019.
Chandeliers and sconces are from Italy. Chairs are covered in merlot wine-colored fabric. The tin on the walls is gone. The walls are now painted “Emerald Gold” and “Natural Linen.” A wall made of stucco bricks divides the main dining room, which includes tables on one side and booths on the other.
The idea was to turn the space into “the style of a Tuscan building,” David says.
A mural inside is taken from a photo of the home of David’s great-great grandfather, the late Eustachio Grisanti, in Valdottavo, Italy. The original photo includes David’s dad, the late John “Big John” Grisanti, owner of the iconic The Original John Grisanti’s Restaurant, which was on Airways Boulevard at Lamar Avenue.
A massive 10-foot-by-8 foot wine cabinet includes the legendary bottles (now empty) of wine Big John bought and auctioned off for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. One was purchased for $18,000 and the other, for $31,000, David says.
David kept the bar pretty much as it was except to freshen up the trim. He also refurbished the six hanging light fixtures over the bar. He painted them black and punched holes in them to give them effect of looking like stars.
Diners will be able to learn a lot of the history of the Grisanti restaurants by just walking around the space. An oil painting on one wall was from Big John’s Airways restaurant. A framed segment of a 1950s-designed wallpaper from Grisanti’s on Main, which was owned by David’s grandfather, is in another frame along with a photo taken at the restaurant that shows the wallpaper.
A menu from Grisanti’s on Main reveals the days diners could order spaghetti for 75 cents and a steak for $5.
Grisanti’s on Main is bigger than his former restaurant at Sheffield Antique Mall, David says. His new restaurant seats 118 as opposed to 75.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own restaurant,” David says. “I wanted Tuscan style.”
And, he adds, “It goes with my style of food.”
David, who put in a spacious kitchen, says the menu will include the same items Big John served on Airways and David served when his restaurant was housed at Sheffield’s. Diners will see familiar items, including “Miss Mary’s Salad,” “Toasted Ravioli,” and “Elfo Special.” The red sauce for dishes, including the spaghetti and manicotti, will be the same passed-down Grisanti recipes. But David also will do specials as well as his own signature items, including his “famous prime rib.”
He’s also going to serve his popular sea bass as well as a lot of fish specials. “I love doing high-end fish,” he says.
David will offer gluten-free and vegetarian menu items as well as nut-free desserts.
Guests will dine to recordings of songs by classic Italian performers, including Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
Grisanti’s on Main will be open for dinner only on Tuesday through Saturday.
So, what would his dad think of David Grisanti’s on Main? “Looking down, I guess he’d be proud of us,” David says.
