Opening Alert: Kesté Succeeds Voro in Mile End

Voro is no more. The restaurant on Fairmount that never quite resonated with Mile End diners has made way for Kesté, a Neapolitan restaurant from veteran chef Gianluca Esposito. Caroline Voisard, wife of Voro principal Angelo Rindone, is a partner as well.

"The space is warmer now," reported Esposito today. "Voro had a little bit of an identity crisis. We want to create a family-style Italian restaurant." After more than a decade at bygone supper club Cavalli, the chef decided it was time to chart a new path. "I prefer to have customers who come a few times rather than once. With Kesté I go to the market myself, every day. I have my personal butcher, my fishmonger. The menu will be easy but good quality. A lot of plates to share." One of those plates, a mozzarella ball stuffed with tagliolini and pesto, breaded and deep-fried, is Esposito's signature (see below). The restaurant's mostly Italian wine list has a new look too, thanks to manager Danny Palazzo, late of Flyjin, Bottega, and, like Esposito, the Montreal Gourmet group.

Status: Kesté, 275 Fairmount Ouest, (514) 509-1341. Now open weekdays for lunch and dinner (save Monday), Saturday for brunch and dinner, Sunday for brunch only.

KESTÉ signature plate!!! A sheet of mozzarella from Quebec (freshly made), stuffed with tagliolini and pesto sauce, breaded and fried. #KESTÉ #MTL #Montreal #MileEnd #ItalianFood #Foodies

A photo posted by KESTÉ (@kestemtl) on Jun 23, 2015 at 7:54am PDT

h/t @phlop.