Italian food
The Boston Fire Department tweets a one-alarm fire broke out shortly before 11 p.m. in the rear of Delfino's, at 754 South St.
The department says the stove fire only did about $10,000 in damage, but filled the restaurant with smoke. One firefighter was sent to the hospital for evaluation of a possible injury.
Delfino's was one of the first restaurants to move into Roslindale Square during its revival in the mid-1990s.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports the Chateau, a chain of big ol' Italian restaurants, is opening its seventh location on the John Mahar Highway near South Braintree Square.
We go the one on Rte. 1 in Norwood sometimes. It's pretty cool in an Anthony's Pier 4/Ken's kind of way, only without the sad days-gone-by vibe you sometimes get in those places (plus, there's something relaxing about watching people practice their putting at the golf course on the other side of the picture windows).
Jen can't decide, but says the cannolis at Mike's have one advantage - if you buy so many that you can't eat them all at once:
... From personal experience, I have found that the cannolis from Mike's Pastry keep longer. The shells seem to stay relatively crunchy for at least one whole day (overnight), whereas the Modern Pastry cannolis get soggy in less than 24 hours. This could be because the Modern shells are smaller, lighter, and more delicate than the heftier, cookie-like shells from Mike's. ...
Lawn Guylander who finds herself stuck in Boston seeks help getting Italian and Chinese food in Boston of the sort that can only be found in New York because the water's different or something (oh, wait, that's bagels).
And one other thing: "I need some advice from other New Yorkers ONLY."
Jen reports on a recent visit to the North End restaurant:
... Their chefs definitely know what they are doing and can execute excellent dishes. The downside? The menu is not very large, and it's a bit pricey. Even though we really enjoyed our meal there, in the end we both agreed that our favorite restaurant in North End is still Prezza. Being pasta lovers, we were a bit sad that there were only a few pasta choice on this menu. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent restaurant and definitely worth trying. ...
Wicked Local Needham reports the owners of two restaurants named Pomodoro in the North End and Brookline are stewing over a Needham restaurant's attempt to paste the same name - which means "tomato" in Italian - on its storefront: The former's lawyer wants the latter to can it and threatens to dice them up, in a saucy letter to both the owners and Needham officials. The owners of the Needham restaurant refuse to be crushed, say there's no heirloom status for "Tomato" as a name.
Of course, all this leaves West Roxbury residents wondering if Pomodoro's Italian Kitchen can catch up.
They haven't gotten rid of the giant 'V' yet, but the owners of Vintage on the VFW Parkway in West Roxbury have changed the name to Sofia Italian Steakhouse, which no doubt went over really well at Sophia's Grotto, an Italian restaurant in Roslindale.
Dish This reviews the dated and cheesy, but at the same time still elegant and homey Ristorante Fiore on Hanover Street, concludes that while there are better places, "you definitely would be in for a good meal if you choose this spot."
North End Nudists Unite appreciates the Daily Catch, also on Hanover, for its complete lack of charm:
... It's raw and real. Broken mirrors and scratched wooden chairs.
There's no cheesy busts or Venetian tourist-shop paintings on the walls.
Plus - it may be the only restaurant in the North End that doesn’t blast Italian Opera music at all hours of the day.
There is a special place in my heart for an establishment that cuts out the crap and sticks to the one thing they do right. The food. ...
It was 7, nobody felt like cooking, so we got in the car and drove over to Vintage, figuring we'd check out the new restaurant in the "old" building. Got there to find there was a 90-minute wait for a table. Whoa, how'd it become so popular so fast?
So we got back in the car and drove up to Mandarin Gourmet in Brookline.
Tavolo Pizza could open tomorrow in the new Carruth building, Lower Dot reports.
ParkwayBoston.com reports Vintage is getting bought by Alfredo's of Quincy (pending a city liquor-license transfer, natch).
Earlier:
West Roxbury restaurant pulls up steaks.
Ed gives a thumb's up to the takeout at the Square Corner Cafe, the new place on Washington Street (a door down from Robyn's):
... All in all, we had a great first impression and can see ourselves getting something here about every week this summer. ...
Courtney Scott-Howard reviews the Hanover Street restaurant:
... For my entree, I selected the lobster and crab-stuffed ravioli in a pink sauce. I don't frequently order this dish, as I often find the lack of any discernible shellfish to be a disappointment. Not at Strega. The delicate pasta is jammed with lobster and crab and the sauce is creamy and mild, served with plenty of Italian bread to sop up every ounce. ...
Boston Restaurant Talk has the scoop. Dishing adds some details on the new owners' plans. The venerable downtown eatery was shut in 2006 for not paying its taxes.
Comellla's, the Centre Street place known for its large pasta "messes," goes before the city licensing board next Wednesday at 10 a.m. to make its case for a beer and wine license.
The West Roxbury Neighborhood Council voted last month to support the petition.
Larry Davidson gives a three-quarters thumbs up to Ivy, a nouveau-Italian place in Downtown Crossing the Ladder District:
Ivy wouldn't be near the top of our list, but we would definitely return when we're in the neighborhood.
Also, he wonders what the deal is with the restaurant trend of serving wine in what appear to be gallon-sized glasses.
It's no Tutto Italiano in Readville, but Santoro's Sicilian Trattoria on Bridge Street in Dedham is a good alternative to the other Italian delis in Dedham, Seth Gitell writes.
Tammy sings the praises of Comella's, which serves "messes" (big heapin' helpin's of pasta, sauce and some meat or veggie stuff) in West Roxbury, West Newton and Wellesley:
... The dish that we have had twice is called The Paisan's Mess ($10.99/$32.99/$43.99 for the various sizes). It is a combination of "the base", extra shells, extra eggplant (which is breaded and fried) and extra lasagna. One bite and you can't stop shoveling this amazing slop down your throat. While the prices might seem a bit intimidating, these portions are LARGE and WELL WORTH the cost. ...
Ed. mess note: Having tried the West Roxbury outlet, I can confirm that their portions are huge. Bring an appetite (you can eat in, but the dining room is a bit spare; it's really more of a take-out place).
Chuck writes that his ceaseless search for the perfect turkey club has ended: Petrillo's Market in Newtonville is the ne plus ultra of turkey-club makers:
... After downing this wonderful sandwich I excitedly called my wife and proclaimed "Petrillo's shreds their lettuce!" She remains unimpressed. But she doesn't appreciate the subtle art of sandwich building. ...
Jen also reports finding a food holy grail around the corner - in her case, handmade Italian sausage at Tony's Market on Washington Street in Roslindale:
... It's homey and sweet and endearing, and they have a range of authentic Italian foods that will mean I make frequent return trips. Tony makes his sausage by hand - no scary fillers, no nitrites or nitrates - every Thursday. I bought six links, a ball of fresh mozzerella, and some beautiful imported prosciutto. Last night we finally grilled up some of these sausages, and they were nearly exactly what I was looking for! ...
Boston Restaurant Talk has the scoop.
The Boston Business Journal reports that state officials closed this Boston institution for not paying its taxes.
I admit it: When I first heard about Sophia's Grotto opening up, I thought "Just what Rozzie Square needs: Another Italian restaurant."
We went there tonight and I take back my grumpiness (although I still think Roslindale could really use an Indian restaurant). The food is good and the restaurant itself is cozy. Read more
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