Mezzaluna Tuscan Restaurant!!
Martin Alan Hirsch worked with the owners of this restaurant to create the ambiance of an Italian Tuscan restaurant. This was a former Mexican restaurant that was teal and peach. The idea was to create the look and feel of Italy with texture and color.
By using Sandstones and Lime Paint Washes in ochre yellow and burnt sienna, Mezzaluna now resembles a sidewalk cafe in Tuscany!
An angle view showing the sandstone walls washed with lime paint. The down lighting casting on the walls creates for a romantic evening at the booth tables.
This view shows the faux border on the column with Florentine scroll reliefs. Notice the limewashed walls in the background.
Detail of the Florentine scroll reliefs faux bordered at the top of the column.
Florentine scroll relief work on the lower wall of the bar. Over 30 scrolls applied and colorwashed in ochre yellow and burnt sienna.
Detail of the Florentine scroll relief work on the lower wall of the bar.
The entry wall of Mezzaluna textured in Sandstone and limewashed.
Detail of the finish showing the texture and limewash
Preparation is the key to creating quality finishes.
Here is Martin's crew preparing Mezzaluna for the faux painting applications.
Excerpt of Review in The Courier Journal-
January 10, 2004
When the Alameda closed last year, a period of mourning set in for area margarita lovers. The Southwestern bistro served what many claimed was the definitive tequila cocktail.
The zuppa Toscano soup was filled with white beans, chunks of potato, onions and carrots and nicely seasoned with rosemary.
Photo by CHRIS HALL
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Perhaps the best news about Mezzaluna Tuscan Grill, the restaurant that took the place of Alameda (and is still family owned), is that the Alameda margarita and gold margarita are still ensconced on the cocktail list.
On a positive side, there's the remodeled interior.
Martin Alan Hirsch has worked his faux finishing magic on the walls, giving them the warm, sun-washed look of Italian stucco. Comfortable booths are still in place, as well as larger tables in the center of the dining area. The result is both atmospheric and inviting.
Having very happily eaten and drunk my way through a large portion of Tuscany last summer, I was looking forward to the Tuscan-inspired dishes implied by the restaurant's name. What I had at dinner was pretty good bistro fare
First and foremost, the characteristic flavor of extra virgin olive oil. The cultivatable hillsides of Tuscany are planted with row after row of either olive trees or grape vines. (Fresh, inexpensive, fruity wine is another hallmark of the region.)
The cup of zuppa Toscano was filled with white beans, chunks of potato, onions and carrots and nicely seasoned with rosemary.
The entree portion of the menu is almost equally divided between pastas and grilled and sauteed main dishes. Gorgonzola and provolone cheeses, rather than olive oil, provide the Italian accent for a New York strip steak, Mezzaluna burger and rotini vegatali. And to be sure, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan also figure among the ingredients listed on the menu.
Capellini carbonara - Al dente angel hair pasta was tossed with a generous amount of peppery bacon and wrapped in a light Parmesan cream sauce. Of course, true carbonara is made with egg cracked and mixed with the hot pasta after the cooking water is drained, a practice that American health regulations forbid. But the Mezzaluna version was well-made and satisfying.
We shared an order of miniature cannoli for dessert. Tiramisu, Italian cherry torta and a chocolate torta also grace the dessert list.
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