Blue Grotto has some big changes ahead, including a new name
Fintan Molloy, owner of Brookside's Blue Grotto, says the seven-year-old restaurant is turning its focus away from pizza. The new menu will emphasize steak, fish and burgers. And a new name is on the horizon: Bia, the Gaelic word for food. Molloy says the transition to the new name will not be immediate. "The Blue Grotto's primary clientel...
Put an Italian spin on the traditional Thanksgiving spread
By Rachel Nania Step through the double doors at 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW, and you'll be instantly transported from urban to Umbria. An old farm scooter in the entryway is filled with local produce and surrounding shelves are stocked with imported pastas, olive oils, coffees and ceramics. Just beyond the packaged provisions is a wine shop, a bu...
Bagalis Restaurant -- Classic Italian and Haute Colorado Cuisine at 9000 feet
by Kristin Mason Oh Bagalis, Bagalis! The words escape me when attempting to describe the delectable cuisine being effortlessly ushered out of the immaculate kitchen onto the pristine stage known as the dining room floor of Bagalis. From the moment you spot this adorable eatery on a quaint corner of Main Street in the picturesque...
Cafe di Scala to reopen as Aposto
by Michael Morain Well, it's "arrivederci" for Cafe di Scala. After 10 years, the popular Sherman Hill restaurant will serve its final course on New Year's Eve. But don't worry, diners: It will reopen Jan. 1 as Aposto, with the same team out front and back in the kitchen. Under owner Tony Lemmo and chef Phil Shires' new plan...
Rita’s Italian Ice giving away freebies, resuming normal hours
Spring is back, and so are Rita's Italian Ice's regular hours. Wichita's two Rita's, at 2929 N. Rock Road and at 1021 E. Douglas, have been operating on shortened hours over the winter, closing Mondays through Wednesdays. The local franchisees restored the normal hours late last week and will continue them through the spring and summer: n...
Carrabba's Italian Grill(R) Debuts New Look in Lakewood, Colorado
Italian Grill® will open a new location with a new look but will deliver the same great dining experience. On November 11, the Lakewood Carrabba's will open its doors at 14770 W. Colfax Avenue, located on the west side of the Colorado Mills Mall. The new restaurant features a new look -- inside and out -- and will open for lunch daily at 11 a.m. "...
St. Paul staple Ristorante Luci to close at the year's end
By Amelia Rayno A long-loved St. Paul staple is making a transition into the future. Ristorante Luci (pictured above, credit Jeff Wheeler), an Italian eatery that exploded in popularity during the 1990s, will shutter its 470 Cleveland Av. S. location on Dec. 31 after nearly 30 years. The family-run business, however, will live on at...
Flash in the Pan: Italian chicory in Montana
At an airport salad bar in Rome recently, I filled a plate with leaves. It was a basic cafeteria salad bar, one that in the U.S. would probably be dominated by a large bin of iceberg lettuce laced with carrot shavings. But instead of lettuce, the leaves were chopped escarole and radicchio. Dressed with oil and vinegar, they were crisp and watery. A...
An award-winning prosciutto made in Iowa, inspired by Italy
by Claudia Astarita Italy magazine recently reported the fascinating story of Herb Eckhouse's prosciutto. It is a Made in the USA ham that is not even trying to rival the famous Parma and San Daniele, rather to take inspiration from them on how to create a business out of the huge availability of pigs in Iowa. Everything started w...
RARE Italian announces chef ahead of December opening
by Josie Sexton RARE Italian, the latest concept by The Rio owners, is starting to take shape in anticipation of a mid-December opening. The new restaurant at the old Ingredient, 101 S. College Ave., now has an executive chef and general manager to get things running. Before coming to Fort Collins, RARE's new chef Alex Feldma...
Marco’s Pizza brings ‘taste’ of Italy to Brandon
by Jill Meier The opening of Marco's Pizza in Brandon later this month could be considered "a little present for everybody," according to local residents Josh and Stephanie Holdinghausen, who will open their fifth Marco's Pizza located at Holly Crossing (112 E. Holly Blvd.) in Brandon by Christmas. The Holdinghausens also own and...
Italian restaurant 'Monello' will replace Porter & Frye
The new restaurant going into the space formerly known as Porter & Frye will be called Monello. Jester Concepts will open the new restaurant at Minneapolis' Hotel Ivy this summer, according to the restaurant's website, which went live Wednesday. Monello is Italian for "sea urchin," according to a post by food critic Dara Moskowitz...