Editor’s Note: This is an update to a story originally posted July 24.

by TM Petaccia

Moffett Restaurant Group’s popular Italian concept, Stagioni, is getting a side bar. What was the Toccare Day Spa in The Villa retail development on Providence Road is becoming Sala by Stagioni — a bar/lounge with small plates that will serve as both a feeder space to the main restaurant and a separate neighborhood destination. Opening Thursday, September 18, the space will also house a 20-seat upstairs dining room for private bookings and charity events.

Sala will be open, 4-11 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

“It’s a neat spot,” says MRG owner Bruce Moffett. “The space became available and it kind of solved a lot of problems. Stagioni has such a small bar area that there’s really nowhere for people to come and have a drink before dinner.”

The addition of a private dining space was a big selling point that attracted Moffett to the space. “We’re asked frequently about private dining, for birthdays, business meetings, and like that,” he says. “We’ve never been able to accommodate that until now. It will also be nice for me because I’ll be able to do charity events and other things I like to do up there.”

In concept, Sala is similar to The Bar at Supperland, a separate building adjacent to the main restaurant in Plaza Midwood. Within the past year, The Bar at Supperland transitioned from a pure feeder bar/lounge to offering the restaurant’s full menu — something Moffett says won’t happen at Sala.

“I want to be careful about not having full meals there,” Moffett says. “I’m not sure our kitchen could keep up if we did that, and by the time we got it across the courtyard, I’m not sure how that would be. We’ll have small snacks and things like that, not part of the regular Stagioni menu.” All Sala snacks will be prepared in the main Stagioni kitchen.

Kelly Huffstickler, a longtime Stagioni bartender, will lead the Sala bar program.

“The bar will have a bit more European flair than Stagioni, which is purely Italian,” Moffett says. “We’ll do some classics, spritzes, Negronis, things like that, and some seasonal cocktails. But they will be reasonable, approachable — no 18-step craft cocktails. I really want this to have a neighborhood feel to it.

“It’s an extension of Stagioni, but will feel a little different.”