Scoop: David Fhima planning Excelsior restaurant

What to expect: Fhima told Axios he's planning an authentic Sicilian restaurant that aims to be an Italian version of what he did with French brasserie Maison Margaux in the North Loop.

• The restaurant, scheduled to open in the spring of 2025, will serve house-made pasta, pizzas, gelato and "really good wine." It will also have an underground bar and an espresso counter open from 7am.
• "We call Maison Margaux the Little Paris of the North Loop. This is going to be Little Palermo of Excelsior," said Fhima, whose father was Sicilian.

The big picture: Fhima is the latest North Loop restaurateur to venture to Excelsior.

• Daniel Del Prado opened Layline last year, and Jester Concepts is planning another Parlour Bar in the lakeside town.
• "We want to emulate the North Loop's concentration of restaurants," Fhima said.

Go deeper: Read an Axios profile of Fhima, one of the busiest chefs in the Twin Cities.