When casual Italian restaurant Città closed after less than a year at CityPlace last November, owners announced that a new concept was in the works. According to a new job ad posted on Craigslist, that concept is nearing fruition as a Tex-Mex restaurant “inspired by the Tejano culture in Texas and the border towns of Mexico.”

The change in conceptual direction is surprising both because Toronto seems to have an insatiable appetite for “rustic Italian” and also because chef Ben Heaton was originally at the kitchen’s helm. Heaton gathered popular and critical acclaim at his previous post as The Grove’s executive chef and co-owner. Città’s tepid review in The Globe and Mail, though, probably didn't help it much.

Kristen Hunter, senior publicist at Ink Entertainment (Charles Khabouth’s company, which co-owned Città with Hanif Harji’s Icon Legacy), confirmed that the new restaurant is in the works, but wouldn’t divulge specific details. She did say that Heaton is still with the company and has taken on a different role. 

According to the job post, the kitchen will start work on March 16 and, we assume, be serving Tex-Mex cuisine to hungry CityPlacers soon after.