LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- John Varanese is no stranger to the restaurant business. He owns Varanese on Frankfort Avenue but he’s always wanted to open a refined restaurant on the riverfront. 

The owners of Falls City Boat Works no longer needed their 27,000 square foot space at 3015 River Road, so they decided to continue their business nearby and leased the building to space to Varanese. He knew exactly what the name of his new restaurant would be. 

"River House. It’s going to be a premiere dining destination along the river. It's going to feature southern cuisine with an emphasis in sea food and a raw bar," said Varanese,

He will also serve as the executive chef for the new restaurant and said he wants to give the riverfront's restaurant scene a much needed upgrade.

"I feel that we're going to take the dining experience and make it a little more elevated and a little more refined. So of the restaurants are a little more casual. Take that upscale feel and bring that to the river," Varanese said.

The $4 million project will offer indoor and outdoor seating, while using leftover materials as bait for boaters.

The lead architect for the River House project said he hopes to repair the docks along part of the riverfront so that boaters with a hearty appetite can pull right up and enjoy riverside service.

River House will only take up less than half of the building’s space and the owner said he has two additional concepts for the building he'll reveal at a later date.

As for his next door neighbors at Kingfish, he said doesn't see them as competition.

"Businesses can feed off of each other as opposed to being on an island by yourself," Varanese explained.

Construction for the River House will begin next week. The owner says it should be open for business by the first quarter of next year.

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