DarkHorse by Sal’s to open in former Sujeo space

Patrick DePula, Jed Spink and John Jerabek team up

Andrea Behling by Andrea Behling

Keni Rosales; Sharon Vanorny; Courtesy From left to right: Jed Spink, Patrick DePula and John Jerabek are the part owners of DarkHorse by Sal’s. “We want people to know we’re the same people and the same quality,” says DePula, owner of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies and Madison Magazine’s 2016 Chef of the Year. Spink, who puts in his last day on Dec. 1 as executive chef of RED, will be DarkHorse’s executive chef. Jerabek has been the culinary director for both Salvatore’s Tomato Pies locations for five years, and will assume the same role for DarkHorse.

Photo courtesy of Jed Spink Jed Spink's play on pot roast consists of braised short rib Parisienne gnocchi, tempura carrots, onions, celery and red wine jus.

Photo courtesy of Patrick DePula You can expect fresh pasta dishes from DarkHorse, like this pappardelle with fresh ricotta, smoked pork tomatoes and spinach, which was served at Salvatore's Tomato Pies.

Photo courtesy of Patrick DePula Above is a smoked chicken leg with Alabama white sauce, antique apple and black nebula carrot slaw served by Salvatore's Tomato Pies at an event.

Photo courtesy of Jed Spink Above is Jed Spink's take on "broccoli and cheese," a dish served at RED. While diners might expect a broccoli and cheese soup, Spink plans to surprise diners by presenting dishes such as this one, featuring tempura broccoli in a gruyere mornay cheese sauce with caramelized onion, roasted poblano peppers, ancho chile, toasted walnuts and Asian pear. Spinks last day as executive chef at RED is Dec. 1.



Photo courtesy of Patrick DePula Above is a scampi dish from Salvatore's Tomato Pies. The new DarkHorse menu will feature fresh pasta dishes. "It's going to be really nice to have a pasta maker of our own," says John Jerabek, one of the owners of the new restaurant. Jerabek, who has been culinary director of both Salvatore's Tomato Pies locations for the past five years, will also take on that role for DarkHorse.

Photo courtesy of Patrick DePula Chef Jed Spink created a Scotch egg with seared scallops and Fresno chilies for a Chef Week event held at Salvatore's Tomato Pies in Sun Prairie. Spink will be DarkHorse's executive chef.

Photo courtesy of Patrick DePula Pictured above is svizzerina, a hard-seared tartare with a duck egg, morels and ramp oil served with grilled bread. Salvatore's Tomato Pies owner Patrick DePula says the new DarkHorse by Sal's menu will feature somewhat classic dishes with modernized preparations and presentations. DarkHorse is set to open in mid-January in the former Sujeo space. The restaurant is being opened by Patrick DePula and John Jerabek of Salvatore's Tomato Pies and Jed Spink of RED.

Keni Rosales; Sharon Vanorny; Courtesy From left to right: Jed Spink, Patrick DePula and John Jerabek are the part owners of DarkHorse by Sal’s. “We want people to know we’re the same people and the same quality,” says DePula, owner of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies and Madison Magazine’s 2016 Chef of the Year. Spink, who puts in his last day on Dec. 1 as executive chef of RED, will be DarkHorse’s executive chef. Jerabek has been the culinary director for both Salvatore’s Tomato Pies locations for five years, and will assume the same role for DarkHorse.

Photo courtesy of Patrick DePula Above is a scampi dish from Salvatore's Tomato Pies. The new DarkHorse menu will feature fresh pasta dishes. "It's going to be really nice to have a pasta maker of our own," says John Jerabek, one of the owners of the new restaurant.





















The floodgates are about to open for three culinary creatives who have partnered on a new venture together.

Patrick DePula, Jed Spink and John Jerabek plan to open DarkHorse by Sal’s in the former Sujeo space at 10 N. Livingston St., and the possibilities are seemingly endless with this new concept that DePula describes as “a bit more rock ‘n roll than Sal’s is.”

DarkHorse will allow creative freedom with a focus on plates to share, fresh pasta dishes, plus 10-inch pizzas for those who crave a Sal’s-style pie. Spink, who on Dec. 1 will put in his last day after three and a half years as executive chef of RED, is part-owner and executive chef of DarkHorse.

“We can do anything we want,” Spink says. “We’re not going to be a themed restaurant. We’re the dark horse. Be ready for surprises.”

DePula, who has become known for his tomato pies served at the Sun Prairie and East Johnson Street locations of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, signed the lease with his partners on Monday, and they hope to open DarkHorse by mid-January. Jerabek, who has been Sal’s culinary director for five years, will now act as culinary director for all three restaurants.

“This restaurant is a different concept,” says DePula. They plan to expand the bar considerably, putting to use a full liquor license. From the way DePula, Jerabek and Spink describe possible menu items, it sounds like DarkHorse will offer Chef’s Week-level dishes for dine-in meals, plus quickly executed dishes for lunch and on nights when nearby venues have events.

“It will be creative and high quality, but the goal is to have lunch be quick with some grab-and-go items as well,” DePula says. The restaurant is housed in the bottom level of The Constellation apartment building, located on a fast-growing stretch of East Washington Avenue, also home to The Sylvee, Breese Stevens Field and 33,000 square feet of office space. Originally they were looking at locations outside of Madison for DarkHorse, DePula says. “But when the Sujeo space became available, that seemed like that was an ideal fit,” he says.

Their plans for the dinner menu traverse many different types of cuisine, often adding a modern twist on classic dishes.

“You’re going to be familiar with some of the dishes’ names, but you’re not going to know what’s coming fully,” Spink says.

Spink gave a few examples of the DarkHorse dish ideas he has, including an Italian beef, but instead of giving customers what they might expect — a Chicago-style sandwich dipped in au jus — he might offer a braised short rib with Italian veal jus, smoked Swiss cheese custard, house-made giardiniera and toasted bread on the side. “It’s more of a dish and not a sandwich. Far from a sandwich,” Spink says. “It’s going to have those flavors that you love, but it’s going to be conceptually different.”

Other dish ideas DePula and Spink have include a Scotch egg (like the Asian fusion version Spink created for a past Chef Week event at Sal’s), a broccoli and cheese dish (similar to one Spink created at RED) and carnitas (but it will be more than just shredded pork and salsa, Spink says).

“DarkHorse gives me the opportunity do any kind of fusion that I want,” Spink says. “And I don’t even like the word fusion, per say, because I really feel like it’s more “modern American,” because that is American [cuisine]. We’re so diverse.”

DarkHorse’s fresh pasta dishes will also have creative elements, DePula says. “We’re going to have some fun with classics,” says DePula, who offers entrees and plates to share at the Sun Prairie Sal’s. “We’ll have pasta, but maybe there’s nori butter in it.” Some of the other pasta dishes DarkHorse plans to have include cacio e pepe and a classic Bolognese.

“It’s going to be really nice to have a pasta maker of our own,” says Jerabek, who worked at L’Etoile when he first moved to Madison, then worked in Wisconsin Dells for a while before putting in almost 10 years with Food Fight Inc.

Four to six varieties of 10-inch tomato pies will be the only option at DarkHorse — those who want a 16-inch pie can head just a few blocks away to the Sal’s on East Johnson Street, Jerabek says.

Jerabek says the team is excited to have more creative freedom due to this restaurant’s location. “The scene is a little bit different,” he says. “Being downtown Madison I think lets us be a little bit more adventurous.”

And, of course, there will be a focus on local, seasonal ingredients. “Is it even worth mentioning that’s what we do? Because that’s what we do,” says DePula.

DePula says he likes the energy that Sujeo’s late-night noodle bar used to have. “That’s going to stay, except we’re modifying it a bit,” DePula says. The kitchen will be in view from the dining room, which will also undergo a lot of changes, he says. Supreme Structures Inc., the builder for the Sun Prairie Sal’s, will do the DarkHorse buildout.

DePula says Spink came on board with DePula and Jerabek’s restaurant plans after conversations took place following an event they all did together one night. “I’ve always respected [Spink] as a cook and think that he does an awesome job,” DePula says.

Before Spink joined the RED team, he had experience as executive chef at the west-side Eno Vino Wine Bar & Bistro as well as working as culinary retail manager and sous chef of Monona Catering.

Spink says it felt like the right time for him to step into restaurant ownership. “Pat, myself and John, we see eye to eye,” he says. “We’ve all been chefs before. It’s an industry that’s tiring and it can wear you out, and we’re trying to make it more sustainable. … It’s important to all of us to not be killing ourselves and just enjoy what we’re doing.”

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