The next piece of huge 201 Main complex, Ticino Deli, to open on Monday. Wine bar's up next.

201 Main is nothing if not dripping with potential.

(So much so its main venue, Giorgio's, earned a spot in my Top 10 New Restaurants of 2014 despite being open only a few weeks. But it has since more than earned that ranking.)

Another piece of that potential will be realized Monday, when Ticino Coffee Shop & Deli and its fair-trade coffees, juices, yogurts, fresh-tossed salads, pastries and sandwiches opens to the public.

More specifically, the menu includes five panini like the grilled chicken-basil-parmesan-apple option ($7.95), in addition to build your own; a roasted vegetable-hummus wrap ($7.95); "gourmet of the day" specials like the grilled trip-tip on Wednesdays ($10.95); rotating soups ($2.95-$8.95); and tossed-to-order salads like the Asian edamame and Santa Fe ($10.95).

Breakfast sandwiches ($2.95-$4.50) and "healthy choices" ($2.50-$3.95) too.

The first piece of the 26,000-square-foot system of eateries and drinkeries was big, operatic and cinematic Giorgio's.

(The cinematic part is fitting: Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton filmed a bank heist there as part of Bandits.)

If you haven't been, it's worth checking out.

The dramatic bank bones remain, with soaring ceilings and thick columns.

Period chandeliers and glowing green onyx bars along the open kitchen and the 24-stool free-standing oval bar set off the interior altitude.

A big patio boasts dozens more chairs for the sizeable 225-seat spot, as well as custom fire pits that write "201" in flame.

Second-floor wine bar Grapes of Eden is set to open in March. (Yes, as in next month.)

Around 100 wines will be available at the long polished wood tasting bar, with a tasting list plus brands available by the glass and bottle. 

Sommelier Elias Cuevas is already selecting a range of bottles designed to introduce drinkers to solid local producers and the best growers internationally.

"You can come here and learn," he says.

He seems most excited to bring a level of oenophile excellence long lacking in the Salad Bowl, despite the neighboring Santa Lucia Highlands.

"There are wines that have never been to Salinas," he says. "I'm literally rerouting trucks with wines from all over the world."

The wine bar will be followed in the debut queue by Citricada Tapas Restaurant and small plates ($5.75-$8.75) that are both traditional (like Spanish tortillas, jamon Serrano and olives) and progressive (chorizo-tripe raviolis, bacalao croquetas and Albariño-steamed Prince Edward mussels).

A floor down, where some 700 yards of dirt were hauled out by wheelbarrow to clear the basement to make room for a 1,200-square-foot dance floor for a night-club-to-be, Exchange, which will be the final piece of the puzzle.

"We want to really get a feel for the market before we open the night club," says Jesse Kehoe, VP of Berkeley Inc. "We don't want it to negatively affect the other businesses.

Back upstairs at Giorgio’s, the setting is the star, but rich pastas, like the brunello-braised short rib pappardelle and gnocchi bolognese, are a primary draw, and offer reason why Exec Chef Alessio Giannuzzi likes to say, “there are no substitutes for the touch of your hand.”

He was born and raised in Tuscany, where his family tends 40 acres of grapes and olives, 15 minutes from the city of Florence painted mural-scale on the outside kitchen wall.

Giannuzzi first came to Carmel at 19 and—after turns owning now-defunct Bon Appetit in Carmel Valley and stints at Il Fornaio in Levi’s Plaza San Francisco and Carmel-by-the-Sea—is energized by the ambition of Giorgio's.

"Food is my passion," he says.

Passion for his own charcuterie makes the pancetta-pepperoni-sausage pie attractive, but the most memorable meal I’ve tried is the namesake Giorgio pizza, with a habit-forming blend of textures and tastes—earthy, sweet and salty given the mozzarella, caramelized onion, spinach, gorgonzola and walnuts.

The organic kale Caesar merits a recommendation, as does the the seasonal special broccolini soup. The squid ink pasta special with shrimp, mussels, salmon and bay scallops is unique, but lacks a spark of citrus, heat or both.

The brunch has drawn a following with items like a salmon salad with butter lettuce and the eggs calzone with bacon, ham and cheddar; the solid list of creative cocktails available whenever—like the “Quando a Cabo” (or “when in Cabo”) with añejo tequila, simple syrup, muddled citrus, chipotle powder and unsweetened cocoa rim—aren’t exactly amazing but prove fun enough.