Tasting double dose of Tuscany in Prosser

PROSSER -- There's a new, yet very familiar, restaurant opening in Prosser.

Jess and Susanne Ayala, owners of Tuscany Rustic Bistro on Sixth Street in Prosser, are opening a second restaurant -- Tuscany at Kestrel at Kestrel Vintners in the Port of Benton's Wine and Food Park on Lee Road.

The grand opening is at 5 p.m. today.

The winery always has had a full kitchen and dining room but used it only for special events, bringing in a caterer.

Winery founders, the late John Walker and his wife Helen, put the facilities in when they built Kestrel, said Harry Alhadeff, CEO for Kestrel Vintners.

"It's a beautiful kitchen, yet we were not using it. To me that was a shame," he said. "Yet, a restaurant is not our core business. I wanted someone who knew the business to run it."

After consulting with Helen Walker, Alhadeff approached the Ayalas in mid-February.

"I wanted a restaurant I enjoyed going to," he said. "They have excellent, excellent cuisine and are good honest people. That's important."

After talking with Alhadeff, the Ayalas did a lot of thinking.

"We realized how many customers we've turned away during the tourist season because the restaurant was full," said Susanne Ayala.

"There aren't a lot of places to eat in Prosser on a weekend evening, and now with Picazo 717 closing and moving to Kennewick, there will be even fewer," she said. "We thought we could offer more choices to the local population and tourists too."

The Ayalas have no plans to close their restaurant on Sixth street.

"Our commitment is to serve meals (at Kestrel) through the wine touring season, which tapers off in October," she said. "After that we'll just see how it plays out."

Jim Milne, executive director of the Prosser Chamber of Commerce, said, "It's exciting to see their expansion and it should be a good move for them. In my personal experience I've always had a great meal at Tuscany."

Menus at each restaurant will be Italian but not identical. Tuscany at Kestrel will offer only four entrees, plus a daily special. Appetizers will be limited to two selections, as will the salads and desserts.

They will only be serving dinner at the winery from 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. But they plan to serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays beginning May 27.

"The lunch menu at Kestrel will lean towards the tapa side of things, very light fare," said Susanne Ayala.

Naturally, at the Kestrel location the only wines on the list will be made by the winery. "Everything we produce is available at tasting room prices," Alhadeff said.

Entree prices at the Kestrel restaurant will run in the $16 to $20 range, with lunches from $6 to $10.

At the restaurant on Sixth Street, lunches run $6 to $10 and dinner entrees go for $10 to $20.

The restaurants can seat about 40 customers.

Tuscany Rustic Bistro is open from 4 to 9 p.m. daily for lunch and dinner. The Ayalas also cater events.

For more information on the restaurants and winery go to www.eattuscany.com and www.kestrelwines.com.

This story was originally published April 8, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tasting double dose of Tuscany in Prosser ."