Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails, an upscale restaurant at the St. Johns Town Center, will become Prati Italia by mid-January, according to a release.
A Canadian restaurant with a similar name decided to expand into Florida, so chef Tom Gray decided to pivot the restaurant and transition it into Prati Italia. It will offer lunch Monday through Saturday, Sunday brunch and dinner every night. It also will have a daily happy hour.
Moxie will be open through the end of the year at its normal hours.
The interior and exterior of the restaurant will be transformed to match the new concept. Gray, his restaurant management firm CuliVino, and his wife and business partner Sarah Marie Johnston, will work with Atlanta-based design firm ai3 to update the interior and exterior of the restaurant.
CuliVino also manages Town Hall in San Marco.
The redesign will comprise new colors, decorations, new logos and improved soundproofing in the private dining area.
Prati Italia will serve pasta dishes, Roman-style pizza and cocktails. Some menu items include ricotta agnolotti with black pepper pecorino and lemon butter, gnocchi with oxtail ragout and hanger steak with roasted mushrooms, crispy potatoes, arugula and agliata.
The restaurant’s name is inspired by Rome’s Prati neighborhood.
Since Gray since he was 17, he’s enjoyed making pasta dishes. Prati Italia will give him the chance to incorporate more of those into the menu.
“It is fascinating how you can take two or three simple ingredients like flour, water and eggs and transform them into a dish that is comforting and craveable,” Gray said. “Over the years, I have always found ways to incorporate Italian-influenced dishes into every menu I create.”
Moxie opened in 2013 at the Town Center.
