After service as an officer in the US Army, Kaiser Gill (right) found a career with the FBI in the Counterterrorism Division in New York. He had a few other stops, including at a startup medical services company, before deciding to trade in desk jobs for his dream of opening Noelia Italian Kitchen in the former Finemondo space.

Kaiser’s vision for Noelia is a place for couples to come for a modern Italian dinner followed by dancing, as he says the city is devoid of this nightlife option. But to be clear, we’re not talking about 20-somethings dropping it like it’s hot after bowls of piping hot pasta. “We’ll be playing '90s music, jazz, and other things that make people happy,” he tells us. There will also be a projector on the wall playing silent movies or Cirque du Soleil.

His chef selection was a long time in the making. Kaiser was a regular at Extra Virgin before it closed in Shirlington. “One day when I open my own restaurant, I’ll make you head chef,” he told Carmen Gianna Piazza, a Northern Italian woman who once owned her own restaurant in Italy and who has made stops at Café Milano and Sette Osteria. Kaiser and Carmen have grown close and plan to take both of their families to Italy together in February. The restaurant opens Monday.