Frisco Shutter
Frisco Italian restaurant closes despite ace team

While most of the news emerging from Frisco is of the "boom" variety, there is one bust: Vicini, the American-Italian restaurant from an ownership group that included cocktail whiz Brian McCullough, has closed.
Co-owner Robert Hall would say only that it is "in transition at the moment," but the doors have been closed since October 7.
The closure was seemingly sudden, since the restaurant was still posting updates on its Facebook page on October 6.
Vicini was a partnership between McCullough, co-owner of Standard Pour; Robert Hall, former general manager of Abacus; and Robert's wife, Stephanie Trosclair Hall.
Robert Hall grew up in Italian restaurants and wanted to bring something from his childhood. McCullough said when they opened that they were reaching out for "a lost piece of Americana, of being Italian-American and growing up in the '50s and '60s."
McCullough was not available for comment.
Their location at 7777 Warren Pkwy., in a space across from the new Cowboys complex that was formerly Tailgaters Sports Bar and Grill, did not seem to be the problem. Nor did ambience. The restaurant received a lavish build-out, with rich banquettes, varnished wood, natural stone, and a well-appointed kitchen.
The menu featured Italian classics with house-made pasta, charcuterie, wine, and a cocktail menu created by McCullough. A few chefs cycled through, including Kyle McClelland, Annika de Paula Loureiro, Ryan Carberry, and Jason Tilmann. The restaurant opened in January 2016.