Coming Soon: Italian American Diner Tarantino’s Is Moving Into the House of George Site

The Big Easy Group, which owns Anchovy Bandit and La Louisiane , is opening an Italian restaurant with a New York twist – and a theatrical name.

Tarantino’s will fill the space formerly occupied by House of George, which closed on Sunday. Over the coming weeks, the interior will be revamped by Studio 2049 and local artist James Brown, while executive chef and co-owner Shane Wilson curates the menu.

“People weren’t resonating with House of George as they once did, so we wanted to evolve,” Oliver Brown of Big Easy Group tells Broadsheet. “Initially we were planning on bringing Anchovy into the city, but … the idea evolved into a standalone concept. I am really pumped about this one.”

Brown believes dining trends are moving away from “big share plates in the middle of the table” and towards “experience-based dining”.

“At La Louisiane, you go down and you’re submersed; you could be anywhere in the world,” he says. “The service is tailored and there are fun little additions and moments built into the experience: you have the mini Martinis at the front door, the snail shots out of the escargot shells, the caviar cart. We’re looking for those kinds of moments.

“To us, American Italian is very New York; very loud, bustling, white tablecloths, spaghetti meatballs, ’60s, ’70s era. That’s what we’re homing in on. As far as South Australian references go, it’s our ode to Chianti, Amalfi , La Trattoria in that era.”

While the team is bringing in a “huge” pasta extruder, it won’t all be macaroni and noodles. Rather, much of the menu will be cooked over fire in an open wood-oven – think dry-aged bistecca alla Fiorentina with house condiments, whole Murray cod, and oysters Rockefeller. There won’t be pizza, but expect wood-fired flatbread and house-cured meats.

“Shane got a full pig in last week, and he’s broken it down and [is] doing all his own house-made charcuterie,” Brown says. “He’s going to make a bunch of his own cheeses as well.”

The name Tarantino’s is of course a nod to the American filmmaker. It rounds out the hospitality group’s references to the famous director – Anchovy Bandit takes its name from an old Quentin Tarantino screenplay, while La Louisiane is the name of the bar in Inglourious Basterds.

Tarantino is slated to open Friday June 27 at 30 Vardon Avenue, Adelaide.

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