Showing off the various flavors of Italy, the first restaurant in Cary’s Fenton development will open this week.
The long-awaited Fenton has bet big on the Triangle’s love of dining, assembling new projects and new locations for local chefs and regional brands.
Colletta, an Italian concept from major Southeastern restaurateur Steve Palmer’s Indigo Road Hospitality Group, will be the first Fenton restaurant to open its doors, debuting Friday, Sept. 2.
Colletta opens with executive chef Oscar Gnapi at the helm, who has cooked in Paris, London and at Cary’s beloved An Cuisines.
This is the third Indigo Road restaurant to open in the Triangle, joining Oak Steakhouse and O-Ku in downtown Raleigh’s Dillon project.
“We are thrilled to now introduce a third restaurant to the Triangle’s thriving dining scene, led by the talented chef Oscar Gnapi,” said Indigo Road Founder Steve Palmer. “We believe Colletta’s elevated Italian American menu, gracious service and modern design will be a welcome addition to this community. We’re honored to be the first restaurant to welcome diners to Fenton.”
Foodie Fenton
Since it announced its first restaurant signing in 2018, Fenton continued to add ambitious and popular restaurant projects.
Along with Colletta, Fenton will also have the Triangle’s first Superica, a wildly popular Tex-Mex brand from chef Ford Fry; a new larger location of M Sushi from Durham chef Michael Lee; a new Dram & Draught cocktail bar and Crawford Brothers Steakhouse from Raleigh chef Scott Crawford.
Beyond the fine-dining world, Fenton is also adding a gigantic sports bar in Sports & Social, plus a new pro bull riding-themed bar, the PBR Cowboy Bar.
Meet the chef
Colletta chef Gnapi, who has lived in North Carolina since 2007, has cooked in the Eiffel Tower and for iconic chefs like Daniel Boulud and Michel Rostang. Gnapi said his time cooking in Europe will deepen the dishes served at Colletta.
“I have such a love and appreciation for the culinary arts and have been lucky enough to learn from some of the most talented chefs of our time,” Gnapi said in a release.
“I’m excited to draw on my knowledge of traditional European and Italian cuisine and deliver a memorable experience at Colletta – a meal any Nonna would enjoy.”
Guide to the menu
The Colletta menu offers many sides of Italian cuisine, including the Italian-American side. Dishes offer diners the choice to snack or feast, with antipasti options like marinated olives, fried calamari or a wood-grilled version of shrimp scampi.
A pizza oven cranks out classic and seasonal pies, like a fig and gorgonzola while summer sticks around.
On the pasta side, there’s a tagliatelle with cured pork and a creamy egg yolk, spicy shrimp spaghetti and a ravioli stuffed with ricotta and Italian sausage. On the Italian-American side, the classic chicken parmesan shows up. Groups can split larger dishes like an endlessly layered lasagna, whole branzino or grilled ribeye.
For those truly looking to feast, Colletta offers a three-course family-style meal, with dishes selected by the chef. If you’re just looking for an aperitivo, a Negroni is always in season, with Colletta offering a Negroni Biano version, altering its perspective with dry white vermouth.
The restaurant opensFriday at 5 p.m., with plans to add lunch and a weekend brunch in the future. Colletta seats a fairly large dining room, with space for 120, plus more than a dozen at the bar. A patio also has room for 60 more diners.
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