St. Louis Park Vescio’s sold for redevelopment
by Nick Halter Vescio's has closed its St. Louis Park restaurant after 33 years and sold the property to the owner of Sela Roofing & Remodeling, who plans to eventually redevelop the property and the next-door motel. "We want to thank all of our long time customers to our St. Louis Park location," the Vescio family wrote on Facebo...
Worth the drive: Clay Conley opens Grato restaurant in West Palm Beach
By Evan S. Benn Miami was this close to getting Grato, chef Clay Conley's new pizza-pasta place, in our back yard. Conley and his partners say they scouted locations in Wynwood and Coral Gables before deciding to plant Grato in Palm Beach County (1901 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach), a few miles from where Conley's sister restaurants Bucca...
Osteoarthritis in the hands of Michelangelo Buonarroti
Reviewing Michelangelo's portraits, various conclusions could be inferred in relation to his hands. First of all, it is important to recall that the images may support the claim of the Master's left-handedness. Moreover, the hypothesis of gouty arthritis of the hands as the main cause of the pain in his hand can be dismissed, mainly because no...
What Scalia Meant to Italian-Americans
by Christopher Woolf Antonin Scalia made history when he became the first Italian-American appointed to the Supreme Court. Scalia, who died Saturday was the son of an immigrant from Sicily, and his biographer, Joan Biskupic, says the judge was always proud of his Italian heritage. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey, but moved...
Slice of Italian culture coming to La Paloma
The San Diego Italian Film Festival returned to La Paloma Theatre in February, with a new film each month from March through August. Four years ago, the festival expanded to La Paloma in downtown Encinitas, a move that festival board member Anthea Beletsis said has been enthusiastically received. The festival's home base is the Museum of P...
N.J.'s best Italian restaurant finals: Where the tiramisu is to die for
I told Salvatore Scarlata, chef/owner of Vidalia Restaurant, a small, casual restaurant in Lawrenceville, just how serious the competition in our N.J.'s best Italian restaurant showdown has become. "The guy at the last place played the piano for us,'' I explained to him, in a reference to Filippo Russo, chef/owner of da Filippo in Somervil...
Shortstop Marten Gasparini’s unlikely journey from Italy to Royals’ minor leagues
Like so many Italian kids before and after him, 10-year-old Marten Gasparini would play in his backyard and dream of one day becoming a professional athlete. But here's the curveball to your assumption: Gasparini's aspiration was to play baseball, not soccer. Those hopes are often dashed for American kids who grow up with easy access...
A fresh, spirited Verdi 'Falstaff' from Muti, CSO and cast
Lately there have been grumblings among some, though not all, of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association board members, wondering why the orchestra should be taking on expensive projects like lavishly cast concert operas in a city that already has a world-class opera company. Performances as glorious as the all-star concert version of V...
Tony Pasquale uomo dell'anno
La Federazione delle Associazioni Italoamericane del New Jersey (Federation of Italian-American Societies) ha tenuto il suo 83mo gala sabato 23 aprile presso l'Hanover Monor di East Hanover. Alla manifestazione, diretta dal presidente Pasquale Meola con la collaborazione dei dirigenti Edie Peters Liguori e Michael Grillo, hanno partecipato olt...
M Italian is a grown-up treat that welcomes kids: Family-friendly restaurant review
My 5-year-old stuffed spaghetti in his mouth like it was some kind of contest. My 3-year-old happily devoured her pepperoni pizza. And my husband and I clinked drinks in the sunshine, savoring a moment of leisurely serenity with two normally picky, occasionally whiny eaters. (This was a treat, and not just because we didn't have...
Premio speciale del Lido Civic Club di Washington DC ad Angelo Puglisi
Angelo Puglisi, un membro del Lido Civic Club, ha ricevuto una targa dal Presidente Brian Della Rocca. Angelo non è il membro più vecchio del Club, però è il primo nella storia del Club, fondato nel 1929, a raggiungere sessanta anni di associazione. La targa gli è stata presentata alla riunione mensile di maggio. Tanti membri hanno parlato del con...
Osteria Francescana Is Named the World's Best Restaurant
Osteria Francescana was named the best eatery on the planet at the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards, an annual tradition that has become a beloved—if lightly regarded—annual tradition in the culinary world. Last year's winner, El Cellar de Can Roca, dropped to second place, while Modena, Italy's Osteria Francescana won raucous applause for its wi...