Colleague Jim Webster got to spend the weekend in the Diner 437 kitchen doing "menu testing." That was what chef Domenica Macchia was calling it. Webster says that mostly what happened was he sat there and ate whatever she put in front of him. He has details and photos at his blog here.

It looks like it is really going to happen. We haven't been able to get food from Domenica Macchia, who earned four stars for her menu at MJ's last year, since November. But through the fits and starts and changes of venue and business partners, her Diner 437, a project with Ringside owner Greg Pugh, is scheduled to open up tomorrow at 437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. The doors open at 11 a.m., and despite the quick turnaround, Macchia says she expects to have the whole menu available when they open.

The concept is high-end diner food, but there are sophisticated touches all over the menu. And the price point is set with hopes of building a base of regulars. Sandwiches -- seared tuna club, lobster salad, short rib, grilled cheddar with granny smith apple, crushed deviled egg -- are mostly under $10. Entrees -- grilled flat-iron pork steak, chopped Kobe beef steak, pan seared shrimp, marinated skirt steak -- all hover around $15. They'll have beer and wine, and the plan for the wine list is that no bottle will cost more than two entrees.