It's Official. La Rondinella Is Making Its Debut in Eastern Market

Is it open? Is it not open? While La Rondinella's private soft openings have been running for months, the official debut has been about as slow as pitch. Now it appears that owner Dave Mancini' long-anticipated Italian eatery is finally ready to go public. Sylvia Rector of The Detroit Free Press confirms that the Eastern Market restaurant is soft open, though the menu and prices are still evolving.

La Rondinella provides a "handsome and stylish but unpretentious" neighborhood atmosphere that is well worth the two-year wait, according to the critic. Expect a diverse menu that reflects Mancini's travels throughout Italy with moderate prices and well-crafted wine and cocktail offerings. Rector recommends the potato and salt cod fritters, meatballs, and roasted oyster mushrooms as well as the Michigan lamb shoulder. Stay tuned for more details.

La Rondinella is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.