Leone's Bistro opens today in former Cottage Inn Cafe on Washtenaw in Ypsilanti Township

The opening follows 60 days of intense preparation to take the bistro from concept to fully functioning restaurant, Ralph Leone said. That includes everything from lease and renovations to the menu and service.

“We wanted to work through any (problems,” he said, “so that when people come in, we’re ready for them.”

Leone’s background has been in food service, having owned other Detroit-area restaurants over the years. He’s also worked in wholesale food and wine distribution.

His son, Greg, approached him about opening the new restaurant, the pair’s first in Washtenaw County. Ralph designed the menu, Greg will work alongside him and many family members helped with the design and setup, and now will work on-site.

The deal for the restaurant started about a year ago when the Leones spotted the location and thought it could work for them. As their plans gelled and they looked at other sites while zeroing in on Washtenaw County, they kept wondering if the building on Washtenaw was available. Eventually, they contacted listing broker Jim Chaconas of Colliers International.

The deal came together quickly , said agent Brenden Cavender of Collier’s, and they closed on the lease in July.

The former Cottage Inn Café had been closed for about 5 years, and the building wasn’t in good condition, both Cavender and Leone said.

But Leone saw the potential for the location. The high-traffic count on Washtenaw, the size of the dining room and the proximity to US-23 and the population center of Ann Arbor all were benefits to the location, he said. So was the recent investments by other nearby restaurant owners, like Asia City and Pacific Beach Burrito.

Leone won’t put a number on his own investment in converting the longtime Cottage Inn Café into his on concept, but he will say it’s more than he planned.

Yet he also believes it will be worth it to both solidify the mechanical systems and create his desired interior environment for guests. The color theme of scarlett and grey, the lighting, the black tablecloths all fit that vision.

“I’m really proud of what we did here,” he said. “It’s gorgeous on the inside.”

The renovations include creating a long granite bar along one wall, with bar-area seating separated from the dining area by translucent panels. The atrium across the front of the building also was redone.

And a keyboard in the piano bar corner of the main dining room is ready for a pianist/singer, and Leone expects to start jazz nights.

Leone takes special interest in the menu, which includes over 300 wines and 30 craft beers.

“All of the sauces are mine,” he said. So is the lobster salad dressing and many of the soups. Pasta is homemade, meat is hand-cut and some of the recipes come through his family, like an anchovy sauce.

The restaurant has an Italian flavor, but it’s not the sole cuisine, Leone stressed. Braised rabbit, venison tenderloin and kobe beef also are options.

While some entrees will be priced in the $20-30 range, “a good percent of the menu is $9-12,” Leone said. That price point reflects where the market is comfortable, due to the economy.

“I wanted the menu to be affordable, but I still wanted to do some special things,” he said.

The restaurant hired 32 people so far, and Leone said more will follow.

Eventually, he hopes to remodel the deck on the east side of the building, create a patio area, and carve out some private party business in a room on the east end of the dining area.

“I think the community will be really proud of what we put here,” he said.