Istanbul Bistro closed late last year and two restaurant veterans have opened the Italian Stallion Grill in its place.

The restaurant, whose name was inspired by the movie Rocky, is a fusion of Italian and American cuisines, said Joe Pantoja, who co-owns the restaurant with his partner Sina Adami.

Pantoja and Adami met while both were working at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Pantoja worked there for 10 years, the first eight at the midtown location, then doing a stint as the general manager at the Roseville location. He also helped the chain open locations in Arizona and the Bay Area.

Pantoja said they plan to run a very lean operation to start, with the two co-owners working there and a single employee, the chef Drew, whom they also met at the Old Spaghetti Factory and has also honed his skills at the Black Bear Diner. True to their word about running a lean operation, Pantoja was busily folding silverware into cloth napkins during the interview.

Eventually, the Italian Stallion Grill aspires to be a "landmark spot," and hope to open additional locations in the coming years.

Their menu is differentiated by a couple items - shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, a rarity they say at an Italian restaurant, and a tiramisu mousse, which they describe as a house made deconstructed tiramisu. He also said that their creme brulee was excellent. I'm looking forward to trying their signature dishes.

Looking at their menu, it's priced well for their neighborhood. The price for two entrees, two glasses of wine, and an appetizer and dessert would probably average between $50 and $60, including tax and tip. I expect they'll also do a lot of to go business on weekdays as people drive from their jobs downtown back home to East Sac.

Pantoja said that they also looked at spaces downtown and in West Sac, but this opportunity was both a great neighborhood for their concept, but was the right size restaurant for their initial ambitions. Turns out they might have been spot on. Their very first Friday night was a packed house with more than 40 guests. I hope their success continues.

I didn't have an opportunity to sample any of their food, but I think these two will ultimately be successful restaurant owners. They have the drive, the energy and experience to make it work. Given their obvious passion for the business, I think that their Old Spaghetti Factory will serve as a training ground for their more upscale dreams, and not a template for the food they intend to serve.

Italian Stallion Grill is located at 3260 J Street and can be found online at http://www.italianstalliongrill.com/.

Edit: H/T to Ally Gaffan of A Girl & Her Fork for the initial tip.

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