VALPARAISO | Wining and dining Italian style in downtown Valparaiso got a boost Monday from the city's Downtown Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee.

The committee unanimously recommended that Kent Blankenship receive the fifth of the city's 10 special downtown full-service liquor licenses for his Paparazzi's Restaurant on Lincolnway across from the county courthouse. Blankenship said he hopes to open the restaurant in December.

The recommendation now goes to the City Council, which is expected to vote on it at the council meeting Monday. The application then goes to the state's Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for final approval. The Legislature created the licenses two years ago to help the city's goal of creating an upscale downtown dining mecca.

To give local restaurants a chance to compete against the big national chains for the limited full-service licenses, which can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, the law allows Valparaiso to recommend applicants, and the licenses cost only $6,000 each.

Blankenship, a partner in G-3 Construction Group, already operates the Bella Rosa Italian restaurant on Hubbard Street in Chicago. He told the committee Paparazzi's would be similar to Bella Rosa, but, instead of some of the traditional entrees of the Chicago restaurant, it will offer some more contemporary dishes.

"We find Valparaiso to be an interesting place to open one of these businesses," he said. "We like what you are doing in the downtown."

After visiting the proposed restaurant site, Blankenship said he plans to put his Schererville home up for sale and move to Valparaiso within the next year. He said he's already interested in other locations downtown once Paparazzi's is up and running.

In the meantime, he bought most of the restaurant equipment and applied for the building permit pending approval of the license.

Barbereen Sexton, who, along with her husband Matthew, is a partner in the construction company, did the interior design for both restaurants. She said it will have hardwood floors, glass block tile around the bar and a lot of granite. She said it will specialize in wines, have plasma screen TVs and music ranging from a player piano to live performers.

The restaurant will have seating for about 100 and will offer outdoor dining. Blankenship said he wants to replace the front window with one that can open to allow the interior ambience to filter to the diners outside. Open seven days a week, the restaurant will offer sandwiches for lunch and sandwiches and pizzas for late dinners.

Prices will be similar to those at Bella Rosa, where entrees range from about $15 to $35.