In a Justice League-esque way, the owners of Cava and Mamma Lucia will be joining forces to open the new restaurant Sugo in Park Potomac in spring or early summer 2012.

Sugo, meaning sauce in Italian, hopes to offer a memorable experience for costumers and allows families looking for a traditional Italian lunch or dinner to leave with a slice of Italy.

Sugo will include Italian-inspired small plates and wood-fired artisan pizzas, with Cava’s chef, Dimitri Moshovitis, at the culinary helm.

“We came up with the idea as a group to serve Italian food in small plate format so that people could enjoy a variety of classic Italian dishes,” Mamma Lucia owner Jimmy Fragoyannis said.

Mamma Lucia is a family-oriented Italian restaurant that started in 1997. Since then, they have opened restaurants in Bethesda, Olney and Fallsgrove.

According to Fragoyannis, their dedication to the freshest ingredients in the kitchen along with their drive for outstanding customer service results in an award-winning combination.

The menu for Sugo will consist of homemade pastas, artisan pizza, fresh made mozzarella, sliced meats and cheeses. Sugo will additionally have a meatball section that offers a variety of fine meatballs.

Though it will be a sit-down lunch and dinner restaurant, Sugo will have a casual setting that will include a bar and pizza bar.

According to Fragoyannis, the owners of Cava and Mamma Lucia firmly believe that people who love Italian food will now have the opportunity to try a variety of different Italian dishes. In addition, Sugo will have an inspiring blend of unique family-style dishes and sincere hospitality with an absolute dedication of sourcing the best and most sustainable ingredients, allowing the new restaurant to be a significant Italian contender.

“Sugo will not only tickle your taste buds, but will be a cool place for the family and the trendy place to go for a bite to eat,” Fragoyannis said.