What's in a name? The Dime or Capital Dime?

Sactown broke the news last week that the former star chef of The Kitchen, Noah Zonca, will be opening a new restaurant shortly called Capital Dime at 1801 L Street. But there's been plenty of confusion since then about the official name of the restaurant. Some, including Noah and the staff, refer to the restaurant colloquially as The Dime, even though the actual name of the restaurant, as it appears on the actual logo above, is what will appear on the outdoor signage and all the menus, according to co-owners Rick Lobley and Zonca. "It's like The Sacramento Bee," Lobley explains. "It's called The Sacramento Bee, but everyone calls it The Bee." And there you have it. 

In other news, Zonca, who will be overseeing the chefs and menus for more restaurants down the line, says he's hired the remainder of his kitchen staff, with head chef duties going to Juan Vaca, currently at Mulvaney's B&L. Vaca and Zonca worked together at The Kitchen several years ago. "He's creative, he's a perfectionist and he's got the whole package," Zonca says of Vaca, who will start full-time with Zonca on June 29. "And his authentic Mexican food is like no other." And that will come in handy since there are already several tacos planned for the menu, and there will likely be some Mexican soups as well. Rounding out the new hires are chef de cuisine Ruben Perez, former head chef of Ink, and sous chef Brian "Chachi" Maydahl, most recently the sous chef at de Vere's Irish Pub.

Zonca also says his wine program will be called 50/50. That translates to 50 kinds of wine, all $50 and under, 10 of which will be served by the glass. The selection will be largely California wines, with a few Italian, Spanish and French wines as well.

Zonca says it's too early to pinpoint an opening date but hopes to be open no later than the Fourth of July weekend.