Local residents Glenn Haffner and Chris Campbell have announced the February opening of Aria Mediterranean Bistro at 614 Main St. in downtown Woodland, the former site of Tazzina Bistro.

Haffner and Campbell, a married couple who have lived in Woodland for 14 years (and Campbell for 11 years before that), say they”ll run a classy, white-tablecloth restaurant serving food from around the Mediterranean region with a focus on Italian fare.

To do that they have taken over the historic 3,000-square-foot space in the century-old Cranston Building, leasing it from Woodland businessman and City Councilman Tom Stallard.

“We signed the lease on Friday, and we got the keys (Monday),” Haffner said.

Haffner is executive chef and owner of the new bistro, which is scheduled to hold its grand opening on Feb. 6.

Haffner said he has 25 years of experience as an executive chef for three upscale waterfront restaurants and a popular Italian fine dining restaurant while living in Seattle. For the past 14 years he worked as a kitchen manager for Nugget Markets.

But in opening Aria he is fulfilling his lifelong passion, he said.

First, however, there is plenty of work to do. The couple plans to reupholster the booths, hang some fabrics and new artworks, paint parts of the walls, replace fixtures and make other improvements.

Once open, Aria will offer lunch and dinner from Monday through Friday, and brunch and dinner on the weekends.

“At lunch we”ll be more casual, no tablecloths, then for dinner we”ll put on white tablecloths,” Haffner said. Their intention is to give Aria a rustic-yet-refined ambiance.

A preliminary menu includes appetizers such as “Arancini del Mediterraneo,” which are crispy risotto balls stuffed with melting cheese and served with a sweet pomegranate and basil sauce, and entrees featuring imported pastas and local meats.

One of the salads, “Pollo Grilia Egiziano,” will feature curried chicken, toasted garbanzos, walnuts and dates served over fresh spinach.

Entrees such as “Pollo Arosta Lavanda,” roasted chicken with orange lavender glaze, and “Risotto con Agnello,” braised lamb shanks served over brandied risotto, will fill out the opening menu.

A full wine and beer selection as well as house-made desserts will complete the experience.

“We”re taking the best of Tazzina and making it better,” Campbell said.

As for her role, “I”m actually an architect,” she said. “But I”ll be here in the evenings greeting people.”

“I want to sing operas, but he won”t let me,” she joked.

Tazzina Bistro closed at the end of June this year. Owned by Rebecca Reichardt, the restaurant”s closure affected 28 workers. It had been open in the old Cranston Building for seven years.

Tazzina won a number of accolades, including an OpenTable.com Diners Choice award this year. In addition to coverage in regional print, online and television media, the restaurant was featured in Sunset magazine.

At one point Reichardt planned to open a second restaurant in Woodland — a steak house — but that plan never came to fruition.

Instead, she opened the adjoining Tazzina Vintage Lounge in October 2008, specializing in old-world preparation of classic cocktails from scratch, including the once-banned absinthe. The new proprietors have taken over that space as well.

Several pre-opening events and community benefits are being planned and will be announced in the near future, Haffner said.

“Woodland is a great community, and we have always wanted to be part of the renaissance of downtown,” he wrote in an announcement released Tuesday. “We see nothing but great things coming Woodland”s way.”