Nocino, the Italian Liqueur that West Coast Restaurants are Brewing Fresh
For centuries, green walnuts were collected around the Summer Solstice, and on June 24, for the feast of Saint John the Baptist, in preparation for an autumnal batch of the walnut liqueur. In the Middle Ages, the storied liqueur, known as “Nocino” in Italy, was often associated with women sorceresses who gathered the fruit by night and brewed the f...
Portland’s Italian Restaurants can now Open for Dine-in Service
Last week, the Rose City got the greenlight to open restaurants for dine-in service after months of takeout only. A spacious white tent with the words “One Love,” now stands next to Amalfi's Restaurant and Mercato, a black-owned Italian restaurant three generations strong. (Due to new guidelines, the existing dining room could fit just six tables,...
After Getting Laid Off, ‘Lasagna Lady’ Responds to Coronavirus by Cooking 1,200 Pans for Strangers in Need
It’s an all-too-familiar story during the coronavirus pandemic. A woman arrives at her retail job only to hear that she is out of work. Many would respond with a sense of self-pity, but her reaction has been an inspiration to thousands. Like many of us, Michelle Brenner, who worked at a menswear store, first turned to comfort food—using her grandmo...
New Italian restaurant Campana will replace Grand Army Tavern full-time
Campana, a new Italian restaurant that began as a pop-up at Grand Army Tavern, will replace the Northeast Portland bar permanently this Friday, owners George Kaden and Annalisa Maceda told The Oregonian/OregonLive. The move spells the end for Grand Army Tavern, a neighborhood bar opened in 2017 by Kaden and Maceda, another former New York City rest...
Spaghetto Italian Kitchen debuts in Henderson
A new Italian spot has opened for business in the neighborhood. Called Spaghetto Italian Kitchen, the newcomer is located at 9570 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson. Spaghetto Italian Kitchen sources ingredients from local farmers markets, according to its website. Featured menu items include fettuccine Alfredo, portobello mushroom ravioli and linguine s...
Casa Vacca to reopen dining room and patio June 30
Beloved Italian eatery Casa Vacca in Portland is going to reopen its dining room with additional patio and outdoor seating space on Tuesday, June 30. They’ve been serving up some of the most luxurious and delicious Italian tapas in Portland for a long while and even adapted to the lockdown with a finish-at-home meal kit menu. Next week, patrons and...
Avondale Restaurant Transforms Into Pisolino Italian Market With Wine, Pasta, Olive Oil And More
The owners of Pisolino recently shut down the neighborhood restaurant and replaced it with an Italian market with grocery items, to-go meals and a deli counter. They hope the change will help their business get through the coronavirus pandemic. “We knew we wouldn’t be able to make it. Rather than having to close our doors, we wanted to evolve,” sai...
2020 Best Italian Cuisine: Casa Mia
After nearly 30 years in Tri-Cities, Casa Mia continues to out-compete multinational chains with its handcrafted Italian cuisine based on recipes developed by Italian-American immigrants to New York in the early 1900s. Founded in 1952 in Hoquiam on the west coast of Washington, Casa Mia founder Phil Bellofatto aided in bringing that cultural herita...
Joeseppi’s in Tacoma says thank you with half-off the whole menu in June
As a gesture to the community, Joeseppi’s Italian Ristorante will serve its entire menu at half-off for the month of June. Ideally this promotion would coincide with a hopeful June 1 reopening of restaurant dining rooms, but Pierce County appears unlikely to enter Phase 2 of the state’s recovery plan by then. No matter, said owner Joe Stortini: “Pe...
Bringing a taste of Sicily to Sandy
Paola's Pizza Barn has long been a destination in Sandy for after-game pizza parties and family gatherings. Now, Stephen Ferruzza of the well-known Al Forno Ferruzza in Rhododendron, has brought a new flavor to the Paola's kitchen by adding some of his authentic, thin-crust pies to the menu. Ferruzza's additions to Paola's offerings was marked by a...
Five great but often forgotten bachelor meals
For this week's Munching with Maggio feature, I wanted to highlight a few meals I had forgotten about until a few weeks ago when I was walking around the grocery store trying to think of more things to make at home during the pandemic. I was flooded with good ideas! However, most grocery stores have aisle-walking rules now, so be aware of those. So...
Pasta as an Art Form with Salty Seattle
Like Tibetan sand mandalas or the Italian festival of Infiorata, Linda Miller Nicholson’s pasta art is meant to be destroyed. And by destroyed, she means boiled in scalding water, sauced with creamy goodness, and devoured for dinner. Known to fans as Salty Seattle, Nicholson is part chef, part artist, and has carved a unique niche out of both world...