Having a kid sister next to you all the time usually is a pain, especially 'cause it's dressed all in pink and lacks the jaunty ball cap of My Buddy. For a kid sis' restaurant you will want to play with, meet Barbacco.

Movin' in right next door to Perbacco is Barbacco, a more casual, yet totally sleek 66 seat "little sister" joint from the same chef/owner, done up both with a rich black marble bar/classy two-tops o' dark walnut for lingering, and an electronic menu screen at the entrance that facilitates quick lunchtime service, for when you've got to get back to Bonkers Arcade, like now! Oh no, it's closed??? Barbacco's starting out with Italian street food-style lunch items that range from roasted porchetta with grape/grilled radicchio/agro-dolce, to house-cured salumi plates, to fried ribollita soup, to the whipped salt cod sandwich with tomato, arugula, and a penchant for flaking out on Monday Night Football. When dinner ramps up in a couple weeks, expect fare inspired by all over Italia, e.g., Sicilian meatballs with braised chard, fried olives stuffed with pork and garnished with grated pecorino, and hen egg "Occhio di bue" on braised rapini w/ tomato and a meat spread called "'nduja", which is Italian for "probably spelled wrong but who cares, it's spreadable meat!"

Alcoholically speaking, Barbacco's pourin' 100 mainly Italian vinos, plus craft beers from local brewers like Anchor, Magnolia, and 21st Amendment, all of which Your Buddy'll totally dig, as soon as he's grown out of those weird blue overalls.

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