In what will be his largest restaurant venture to date, local restaurateur Adriano Paganini has inked a deal to take on the 200-seat, recently vacated Cafe Des Amis (2000 Union Street at Buchanan) for an as-yet unannounced new concept. Paganini only tells us, via a press release, that his new project will "embrace the philosophy of the group's other concepts; special and exciting, yet unpretentious," and it will be "distinctly fresh to Cow Hollow and The Marina, while encompassing the energy of the neighborhood." He's aiming for a late spring or early summer opening.

The big French brasserie that was Cafe Des Amis came with an extensive, expensive buildout back in 2010, complete with a Parisian-style zinc-topped bar, so it likely won't require much in the way of a remodel.

And Paganini has a pretty solid track record of success with his restaurant ventures around town. He was an original partner in Pasta Pomodoro, a business he sold off back in 2009, and went on to open the pizza-and-cocktail focused Beretta and Delarosa with a couple of partners, followed by Starbelly and Super Duper in the Castro, followed by Lolinda, El Techo de Lolinda, multiple more locations of Super Duper, as well as a new taco concept Uno Dos Tacos.

Stay tuned for more on the new project as it unfolds.