In 2005, sisters Carla and Christine Pallotta opened Nebo, an Italian restaurant on the edge of the North End. The menu was inspired by food their mother cooked when they were growing up. The space looked modern, but its heart was at least in part old school. A group of regulars, Italian guys of a certain age, used to come in for spicy bowls of tripe like their own mothers once made.

Now Nebo itself has grown up and moved out. The Pallottas closed the original restaurant and in July reopened downtown, on the Greenway. The new space looks great: It is loud and stylish, with exposed ductwork and vaulted brick ceilings, an open kitchen and a marble bar. It hasn't moved far geographically, but spiritually its orientation is very different. It faces the city and belongs to the city, rather than just one neighborhood. There's more of a crowd now, and a serious after-work scene (I'm not sure I've ever heard more blatant pickup lines in my life).

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Source: http://www.bostonglobe.com