Mona Fresh Italian Food, a casual restaurant offering pasta, Italian sandwiches and chopped salads, will open in downtown as part of the Understory culinary marketplace in the 35-story Capitol Tower opening this year. Mona, an Italian concept from chef Sidney Degaine that opened last year off the Katy Freeway, will join the previously announced East Hampton Sandwich Co., Boomtown Coffee and Mama Ninfa's Tacos y Tortas as tenants of Understory, a 35,000-square-foot community hub and dine-around space designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.

According to Skanska, the tower's developer, Understory is now 50 percent leased. Degaine, the chef/owner of the former Café Azur in Montrose, launched the build-your-own pasta brand last summer when Mona opened at 19355 Katy Freeway. The menu offers pasta, piadina (Italian sandwich) and chopped salads that can be customized with different add-ins such as veggies, sauces (tomato, alfredo, pesto), protein upgrades (meatballs, chicken, sausage, egg, prosciutto, brisket or burrata), and seasonings such as parmesan cheese, herb oil, truffle oil or balsamic glaze.