We were really concerned about this new concept for Kavala, so we called up Kevin Smothers, the Austin-based publicist who is helping Kelly Hightower and Robert Ramirez market it.

Please tell me they’ll still have pizza, I whined. "Don’t be concerned," Smothers says. "They will still have pizza, and in fact, they’re going to be using the same oven."

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OK then, in that case, we’re on board. Because the pizza at Kavala was like no other in town, and in fact, my mouth is watering for the one with bacon and greens on it as I type this. But I will have to wait until the end of March or early April or so when the new restaurant, Nova, opens.

Nova will feature more sharing plates with flavors from Spain, Asia and America, Smothers says. And it will have a whole new look. Interior demolition is already complete, and they are refinishing the inside with a bigger bar area and more of a lounge feel, Smothers says.

Hightower opened Kavala about two and a half years ago, and before that, he had been the chef at Hattie’s. Ramirez owned Twilight in the Bishop Arts District, which burned down in 2003, and then opened Quinn. Smothers says they want their new place to draw more of the hip, bike-riding crowd.