Grub Street

We hear from multiple sources that plans are under way to re-create A Voce in other cities. At least two are in the works, we hear, but chef Andrew Carmellini warns us that no leases are signed yet. “You can have meetings every day, but it’s all bullshit until you sign on the dotted line.” We couldn’t agree more!

Despite what he calls a house policy of not talking about projects, Carmellini did explain the attraction of expansion, if he chose to. “A Voce has gotten a kind of power-scene vibe at lunch, and at night it’s packed and scene-y. That’s great for us, but when we first started it, the plan was for it to just be a modern trattoria,” he says. “It ended up being a little fancier than I thought it would be.” No word on when a restaurant might open, but it would be good for A.C. if it coincided with the release of his book, Urban Italian, in fall of 2008.