Costa Del Sol to Be Supplanted by Palazzo de Nouveau

The fake Spanish ambiance of the old Costa del Sol restaurant, at the corner of Ninth Avenue and 50th, is to be replaced by the fake Italian ambiance of Terraza Toscana.

Pictures of the new eatery were posted on the plywood wall surrounding the plot, where workers were busy, busy, busy. Costa del Sol was never anything to gaze at, but this new joint looks like the owners took design tips from the late Mama Leone's. It's Noveau Italiano at its cheesiest. Earth-toned walls, chandeliers a-plenty, white tablecloths and salmon-colored chairs. I'd like to know who it was, decades ago, that decided this particular design scheme telegraphed classy, Old-World charm. Because, you know, it doesn't. It's more like my great aunt's too-clean, too-lacquered living room, writ large.