Show Me a Sign: Costata

Signage has gone up recently at Costata, Michael White's three-story Italian steakhouse opening tomorrow night in the former Fiamma space. White got his New York City start in Fiamma's kitchen as the executive chef when the restaurant opened in 2002. Ahmass Fakahany, who is now White's partner in the Altamarea Group, was a regular there. His favorite thing on Fiamma's menu was a pasta with truffle cream, peas, prosciutto, and parm. That's why you'll find "Garganelli alla Fiamma" on the Costata menu.

PJ Calapa, who also runs the kitchen at White's Ai Fiori in midtown, is Costata's executive chef. In addition to pasta, crudo, and seafood, the steakhouse menu will have filet cuts, strips, ribeye (boneless and bone-in), porter house, porter house for two, and tomahawk for two in addition to lamb and veal. Seven sauces are available to pair with the array of steak options.

Eben Freeman, who will also run the cocktail program at Altamarea Group's Tribeca project the Butterfly when that opens in the coming weeks, is in charge of the bar program at Costata. Hristo Zisovski, who joined the Altamarea Group in 2010 after seven years at Jean Georges, is the beverage director.

Costata's three floors seat around 170. A small standing bar and 35 seats make up the first. The second has an eight person bar, lounge, and 65 seats, and the top floor is a private event space that can accomodate up to 60 guests.

Costata opens tomorrow night.