A Woman, Her Best Friend, and a Quick Walk Down the Aisle?
Lilly Smartelli dreams of marrying her best friend on Valentine’s Day. “Bernie and I have been looking for just the right wedding venue to stage our big Italian wedding,” said Ms. Smartelli, 55, who lives in Phoenix. Ms. Smartelli marks Feb. 14 on her calendar, not as a romantic holiday, but as a day defined by comfort, happiness and a different so...
Aquafil Opens First American Carpet Recycling Facility in Arizona
Italian nylon fiber manufacturer Aquafil opened its first carpet recycling facility in the United States. The new 116,000 square feet building in Phoenix, Arizona, has the capacity to turn 36 million pounds of old carpets into raw material annually, the company says. Aquafil manufactures a polymer called Nylon 6, and operates in two main product ar...
Encore in Las Vegas returns Frank Sinatra’s 1954 Oscar
Frank Sinatra’s 1954 Oscar, one of the Rat Pack ringleader’s most cherished possessions, has gone home. After a 10-year stay at Encore in Las Vegas, the gold statuette has been returned to his family. It no longer greets diners at a Steve Wynn-created restaurant named after Sinatra. Wynn acquired it as part of a rare loan arrangement with the singi...
Five Restaurants That Serve a Killer Osso Buco in Las Vegas
Osso buco. Just the name is enough to inspire dreams of the impossibly tender and incredibly flavorful dish. The Italian favorite, which in paradoxically unappetizing fashion translates to “bone with a hole,” is typically made with a veal shank that is braised so that the meat is practically falling off the bone. In some cases, a chef may deviate f...
Portillo's confirms plans to open restaurant in the West Valley
The rumors are true: Portillo's is bringing its hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches to the West Valley. The Chicago-based company confirmed Tuesday its plans to open a location in Avondale, its fourth location in the Phoenix-metro, in 2019. It will be part of the Park 10 development's second phase, off McDowell Road between 99th and 107th avenues....
Lauded Seattle Chef Reopens His Celebrated Italian Restaurant in Pioneer Square
James Beard Award-winning chef Scott Carsberg opened his Pioneer Square restaurantBisato earlier this month. Carsberg previously operated Bisato, an Italian small plates restaurant, in Belltown, but he closed that down in 2012. Now the celebrated chef is back at it, this time at 84 Yesler Way, the former home of Trattoria Mitchelli. Fans of the ori...
Ligori's known for chef's salads, meatball sandwiches, and of course — the pizza
How about the Italian chef’s salad, or the meatball sandwich? “And, of course, the pizza,” Ted Ligori added, listing some of his restaurant’s headline menu items. Ligori, 73, said he has been making pizzas for 57 years. That included 28 years at Tony’s Pizza in South Ogden. He then opened Ligori’s Pizza and Pasta in Ogden in 1991. Ligori’s current...
Veranda delivers inviting Italian cuisine
One of the most relaxing restaurants in Vegas has to be Veranda at Four Seasons. It’s laidback and approachable, yet still elegant, much like the dishes. Chef Joel Ott, a veteran of some of the most revered restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip, conveys a passion for his craft in the Italian menu served here—and you may even detect a hint of his Midwe...
Eataly Las Vegas: A sprawling new food hall with dizzying menus, wine galore and a lucky bull
The first sign the new Eataly Las Vegas is different than the Italian food hall's outlets in New York, Chicago and other cities? A dancing bull mosaic etched into the floor at the casino end of the sprawling food and drink extravaganza at Park MGM hotel. Visitors who head straight for Eataly's bustling salami and cheese station or pizza, pasta and...
Bari Trattoria brings Italian traditions to Papa's old place
Papa's Soul Food Kitchen is dead. Long live Bari Trattoria! OK, it might be a stretch to compare the comings and goings of local restaurants to the reigns of monarchs. But it's tempting in the case of Papa's, which started out as a food cart and ultimately closed in late 2017 after 15 years in business — the final 11 of those in the 90-year-old hou...
Italian fine-dining restaurant Bisato reopens in Pioneer Square
James Beard Award-winning chef Scott Carsberg has reopened his acclaimed restaurant Bisato at 84 Yesler Way in Pioneer Square. The celebrated veteran of the Seattle food scene has been called a "chef-genius" by the Seattle Times. On the menu, you can expect options such as chilled pea and mint soup, mussels with pasta rounds and polenta with meat r...
OWP Person of the Year 2018: Rudy Marchesi
Some people regard Rudy Marchesi, president and chief viticulturist at Montinore Estate, as an artisan. A fair descriptor though this is not the core of his success. Exceptional practicality and results-oriented thinking with a healthy dose of curiosity and generosity remain his foundation, leading to a career of constant learning and, now, influen...