Giada De Laurentiis Sets Grand Opening For Baltimore Restaurant

BALTIMORE, MD — Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis has set a date for the grand opening of her new restaurant at the Horseshoe Casino. The celebrity chef made the announcement on Wednesday about her plans for GDL Italian by Giada.

The Italian restaurant will open to the public on Tuesday, May 22. It will be on the second level of the casino and is the first eatery for the star on the East Coast.

The menu will incorporate a special focus on antipasti such as meats and cheeses. Pastas, meatballs and seafood will also be featured. An extensive wine list, wine on tap and special wines from De Laurentiis's collection will round out the offerings.

Diners can make reservations using OpenTable. While May 22 is the first reservation date available, all tables for that date were booked as of Wednesday night, April 25.

Before its public debut, GDL Italian by Giada will host a private grand opening celebration on Wednesday, May 16.

This will be the Food Network star's third restaurant.

She opened her first restaurant, GIADA, at The Cromwell in Las Vegas in 2014. And she opened Pronto by Giada at Caesars Palace, also in Las Vegas, in February.

"I'm looking forward to opening my first restaurant outside of Las Vegas in a city that already boasts a proud tradition of authentic Italian dining," Giada said in a statement earlier this year. "Baltimore is a great food city..."

The restaurateur, who was born in Rome and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, has had shows on the Food Network channel since 2002. She has also published a series of cookbooks centering around Italian cuisine.

At the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, De Laurentiis will join two other celebrity chefs who have establishments there: Guy Fieri ("Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives") and Gordon Ramsay ("Master Chef").

She plans to showcase a large antipasto display at GDL Italian by Giada, which will be decorated with shades of tomato red, yellow and rose gold. Two of De Laurentiis's best-selling dishes will be available: lemon spaghetti and vegetable Bolognese. The menu will serve up a modern twist on traditional Italian dishes such as chicken parmesan, baked lasagna and Tuscan ribeye, among others.

GDL Italian by Giada will be on the second level at the Horseshoe Casino, 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD 21230. Hours will be 4 to 10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday; and 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

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Photo provided by Horseshoe Casino on behalf of Giada De Lorentiis.