There’s no sign out front yet, and the interior artwork hasn’t arrived. Nonetheless, with little fanfare, chef James Trees quietly opened his new Tivoli Village restaurant Al Solito Posto to the public Wednesday night.

An official grand opening is set for Jan. 22, but Wednesday was the “soft opening” for the restaurant — which is traditionally a time to work out the kinks, before you publicize the fact that you’re up and running. But word spreads quickly in the age of social media, and plenty of people scooped up the 40 available reservations when they became available on OpenTable. Trees eventually opened up the book a bit more, and by 8 p.m., he estimated 70 or 80 people had been served, with more expected.