COMING SOON: Delicia

After two and a half years of neighborhood opposition over zoning for parking, Nicole Harlan-Oprisu and her business partners are finally preparing to turn the lights on at 5215 N. College Ave. in the former Movie Gallery location. Slated to open next month, Delicia (Spanish for delight) will focus on Latin-fusion cuisine and craft cocktails. This will be Harlan-Oprisu’s fifth north-side venture, having collaborated with Demerly Architects to create a chic, relaxing vibe, with urbanized adobo-style accents.

Traditional South and Central American wines and cocktails will dominate the drink menu, as well as some playful craft concoctions. If you don’t like the heat, steer clear of the Fire & Ice margarita. The mean marg will come with a mild basil, hibiscus basil, habanero reduction. It’s the giant chilled ice balls made with three chilis (serrano, habanero, jalapeño) that you have to worry about. “The more the ice melts, the hotter and hotter the drink gets,” says Harlan-Oprisu.

Fans of new Latin cuisine can munch ceviche and warm octopus tostones to their heart’s content. There will be salads draped with Nopales (cactus), seared scallops drizzled with tequila-lime crema, and stewed porks flavored with plantains. In the spring, Delicia will serve takeaway fare next door at La Piccolina.