Why Tony's Gelato Is Opening Before The Butcher's Wife on Morena Boulevard

"There is no better way to honor him than by continuing to welcome others with the same warmth, hospitality and love that he showed every single day." Angela Salemi said that in early July about her uncle, Antonio "Tony" D'Amato. At the time, his family was getting Baci Ristorante ready to reopen.

Three months later, her words describe a construction schedule. On Morena Boulevard, the next openings are coming in an order set by one family and one longtime partner. They decided to finish the project D'Amato cared about most before they turned back to the project he had dreamed up with that partner. If you've been watching the fencing at Luce and the quiet lot at the old Old Trieste building, the explanation for both is the same.

Three Addresses, One Name

D'Amato's work in the area covers three addresses on the boulevard, and they span almost 50 years.

D'Amato was born in Porticello, Sicily, and came to San Diego as a teenager. His first restaurant job was washing dishes at Mister A's. He worked his way through nearly every front-of-house position until he became a captain. In 1979 he opened Baci on West Morena Boulevard. Over the years it became known for white tablecloths, tuxedoed servers, a deep Italian wine cellar, and Sicilian cooking, and it was recognized more than once with the AAA Four Diamond Award.

In 2012 he opened Luce next door, in the former DaNino's space. It was a contemporary gastropub that he ran with his brother Gaetano and later with his children. The menu mixes California and Italian influences, and the bar centers on wine, craft beer, and cocktails.

People close to him said he had been stepping back gradually to travel with Maria, visit family in Europe, and go fishing. His children had long held active roles in the family restaurants. Tony and Maria raised two sons, Salvatore and Philip. Local tribute coverage said his son would take over Baci's operations.

Why Luce Went First

The decision that shaped this fall came from the third address. Joey Vaught is one of the primary partners in the San Diego hospitality company Verant Group. When Old Trieste closed in 2019, its property was transferred to him. He and D'Amato came up with The Butcher's Wife together years ago.

Vaught paused work on The Butcher's Wife so he could help the D'Amato family finish a project the restaurateur had cared about deeply: a substantial remodel and expansion of Luce Bar & Kitchen.

That choice explains why there's activity at 1959 Morena Blvd. and a quiet lot at 2335 Morena Blvd. Up close, the two projects can look like they're on separate tracks moving at different speeds. They're really one line of work, done in order. The September report on the project said that with Luce and Tony's nearly finished, attention is now turning back to The Butcher's Wife.

What Tony's Is Meant To Be

The new piece of the Luce expansion is a gelato and espresso shop called Tony's. According to SanDiegoVille, D'Amato had long wanted to open a neighborhood shop like the ones he knew in Italy, where locals could stop in for gelato and espresso. His children will run it.

What makes Tony's different from the other two addresses is the time of day it's built for. Baci is an evening restaurant with tablecloths. Luce is a gastropub. A gelato counter is for an afternoon walk or a quick coffee, and in more than four decades this family hasn't run anything like it on the boulevard. It fits the way friends describe D'Amato's own approach to the business.

"He was a true host. People in Clairemont and Bay Park are really going to miss him. Old-school places like that are going away fast. Nobody can just replace him."

A longtime friend told SanDiegoVille that in July. The same article recalls D'Amato near Baci's front door night after night, greeting guests by name, remembering anniversaries, and introducing new diners to longtime regulars.

Tony's and the remodeled Luce are expected to open together sometime between late October and early November. That window was reported on September 20, and it's an estimate, not an announced date. The September coverage also didn't say whether Luce is serving during construction. If you're thinking of stopping by before the reopening, call ahead first.

Old Trieste's Building, Seven Years On

The longest-running story among the three addresses belongs to 2335 Morena Blvd. Old Trieste opened there in 1963 and closed in May 2019. Ramiro "Tommy" Tomicich, who came from Trieste, Italy, founded it, and his son Larry and other family members ran it later. It was known for white tablecloths, tuxedo-clad servers, martinis, and, in an earlier era, a strict jacket requirement.

So for decades, this short stretch of Morena Boulevard had two formal Italian dining rooms. Baci and Old Trieste were less than half a mile apart, and both had tuxedoed servers.

The plans for the old building have changed a few times. In August 2019, SanDiegoVille reported that Vaught had bought the building on his own and was considering a neighborhood restaurant that might be called "Old Park." At the time, the name was described as tentative. The current plan is bigger than that. The Butcher's Wife is planned as an American restaurant with a full bar under a Type 47 liquor license. The redevelopment is meant to be a larger destination with several concepts that expands the property both outward and upward. Vaught will run it locally and independently, not as a Verant Group concept.

The target is spring 2027, and SanDiegoVille notes that construction schedules can change. WhatNow gave the same target and address in its own September 22 report. No published coverage so far gives a square footage, a design plan, or a menu beyond "American."

The Street Around Them Is Reopening Too

The restaurant openings are lining up with the end of years of Pure Water construction around the Morena district. On August 1, Hoodline relayed a City of San Diego update saying all construction on the Morena Conveyance South & Middle project was complete. Performance testing was the next step, and some minor work remained.

On August 31, eastbound Friars Road near Napa Street reopened after an 18-month closure tied to the Morena Pump Station. Work continues at the pump station, at the southwest corner of Sherman and Custer streets. NBC 7 reported that the city expects it to begin purifying more than 32 million gallons of wastewater a day by early 2027. A separate city pipeline project near the YMCA on Friars Road broke ground in 2024 and has no announced completion date, though the road stays open there.

The infrastructure and the restaurant projects are reaching the finish line around the same time. That means the boulevard will look noticeably different by spring 2027 than it did in the spring of 2026.

The Boulevard's Calendar, In Order

1. July 7, 2026. Baci Ristorante reopened after its scheduled vacation closure.
2. August 31, 2026. Eastbound Friars Road reopened at Napa Street.
3. Late October to early November 2026. The expanded Luce Bar & Kitchen and Tony's are expected to open.
4. Early 2027. The Morena Pump Station is expected to start purifying water.
5. Spring 2027. The Butcher's Wife is targeted for completion at 2335 Morena Blvd.

The family chose items three and five, and the order between them. Items two and four come from the city's schedule. Most of what you'll see on the boulevard over the next six months, from the first espresso at Tony's to the work restarting at the old Old Trieste site, follows the order the family and Vaught picked this summer.

When a long-held family property is in transition, deciding what to finish first matters as much as the work itself. Theresa Bish has worked with Bay Park and Morena families on those decisions for years, including trusts, timing, and property that has been in a family for generations. If you're weighing what comes next for a home your family has owned a long time, she's glad to start with a calm conversation and a free home valuation.