A Fine Prospect

Alex Ricci’s Prospects restaurant to serve up good eats and drinks for Raleighites—by Raleighites.

When the opportunity arrived for Alex Ricci to open his own restaurant in Raleigh, he naturally tapped residents to help him build the menu—think friends, influencers, fellow chefs and other “people who have really impacted both me and the food scene here,” he says.

That concept, Prospects Craft Kitchen & Cocktail Bar, is opening in the former Rainbow Luncheonette space on North West Street in December, but will evolve as Ricci continues to query guests for featured rotating dishes.

“I’ve written tons of menus, but I’ve never really thought about what my guests want and what dishes mean something to them,” elaborates Ricci. “So instead of having a chef-driven concept, it’ll be a guest-driven concept.”

The menu features Ricci’s elevated takes of those inspired, nostalgic dishes, like a Puerto Rican-inspired pork dish—a nod to his mom; and a steak dinner as an ode to Rainbow Luncheonette, with $5 from every one sold going to late Rainbow employee Tyler McDavid’s daughter’s college fund. Meanwhile, the bev menu features cocktails, boozy milkshakes and beer. 

Adding a super-late-night option to the city relatively lacking one, Prospects will serve food until 3am Thursday through Saturday. NTM the longest (and latest) brunch in the city (!)—11am to 6pm on Sundays—to ensure industry folk can still get a hearty weekend breakfast in, even if they worked a brunch shift elsewhere that day. 

To further encourage communication and relationships between Ricci and guests, an open layout ensures patrons will feel like they’re eating at his own home kitchen. And while the signature rainbow floors remain, Ricci enlivened the space with hydroponic gardens, spice racks and cool commissioned pieces from local artist Cassie Ott. … Peep the black-and-white painting of Anthony Bourdain that looks down at the chef as he prepares food in the kitchen. And look out for an alfresco parklet to connect Prospects to sister bar The Devereux, opening by the end of the year. @prospectsnc 

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