Gail Ciampa, from fashion to houses to food
Rhode Island's queen of food, Gail Ciampa, always knows what’s cooking, from innovative new restaurants to old favorites. Here’s a little more about her, including how she landed the coveted position of Journal food editor. (She also has her own food-centric newsletter, which you can sign up for at providencejournal.com/newsletters.) How long have...
Evviva Trattoria to open third location in Wrentham
Evviva Trattoria, an Italian restaurant chain with locations in Westford and Marlborough, recently announced that it's opening a third location on Dec. 2 on Ledgeview Way in Wrentham. Alongside its grand opening, the restaurant will serve a new menu at all locations. The grand opening at 15 Ledgeview Way will start at 4 p.m. The 6,000-square-foot r...
La Fortuna Serving Italian Classics In Stratford
The team behind Stratford's newest dining establishment, La Fortuna Bar & Restaurant, hopes to offer customers a blend of Italian comfort food and modern culinary technique. The business opened Monday in the space once occupied by Stella's Restaurant at Oronoque Shopping Plaza, and celebrated last week with a ribbon cutting Friday. "The food is goi...
A World of Wine - Jim Verde retired from teaching biology to build his own vineyard in Rhode Island
Rows of leafy grapevines arc across a hill overlooking a lake. Chickens peck in the grass as tree swallows loop and dive like acrobats. This is not Tuscany, but on a summer’s day, Jim Verde’s bucolic vineyard in Johnston, R.I., feels like a small slice of Italy. The 81-year-old winemaker shuffles between the orderly rows of grapevines, his baseball...
Newest ethnic Italian restaurant and wine bar opens in Stratford
Aleks and Phyllis Gjeka say they want customers to feel like part of the family at their new restaurant. “We want to treat everybody the way we want to be treated when we go somewhere else,” said Aleks Gjeka, who manages La Fortuna Bar and Restaurant, which opened Monday at 7365 Main St. in Stratford. The family-run restaurant and wine bar brings a...
In Brookline’s Bar ‘Cino, more than just another restaurant opening
Bar ‘Cino is one of the latest restaurants opening shop in Brookline, bringing with it an assortment of Italian-inspired dishes to try. But for some residents in St. Mary’s, where Bar ‘Cino will be opening, it’s more than just another restaurant opening — it’s a win for the neighborhood. Nick Barber has lived in St. Mary’s since 2008 and actually h...
Italian restaurant in Franklin set to open before Thanksgiving
The Chateau, a family-owned Italian restaurant chain, is set to open its ninth Massachusetts location next week. The restaurant will begin serving its Italian cuisine on Wednesday at 466 King St., according to President Joe Nocera. It will open at 4:30 p.m. for dinner only, with both lunch and dinner being served starting on Monday, Nov. 25. Accord...
North Italia is now open at The Railyard in South End. Here’s what you should order.
North Italia opens Wednesday at The Railyard. It will occupy the front right corner of one of South End’s newest developments, just in front of where Rhino Market will open — talk about a corridor of good eats all in one place. If you’re like us, the most difficult part about your first visit to North Italia will be deciding what to get. And no, it...
Where to Indulge in Italian White Truffles around Boston This Winter
A bright spot of this otherwise dark time of year? White truffles. An Italian delicacy, these wild tubers are harvested annually from the northwestern region—they’re best known from Alba, Piedmont—and brought into restaurants around the world to add earthy extravagance to all sorts of dishes. The season starts in late October and typically extends...
Chef Charles Draghi Is Serving Up a Taste of Erbaluce at Cinquecento
As white truffle season sets in, we find ourselves really missing Erbaluce, which closed on New Year’s Day. The Piedmontese restaurant was a festive mainstay for Italian truffles, which chef Charles Draghi sourced annually from his ancestral homeland of Alba. So we’re delighted to learn that Draghi has landed his first longterm chef job since shutt...
Pasta Challenge - Dieta Mediterranea Edition
Ciao a tutti, It's that time of the year that all of you were waiting for...Pasta Night Competition is coming! The four Italian Student Associations existing in the Boston Area (i.e. from BU, Harvard, MIT and Northeastern) are delighted to invite you to the Pasta Challenge - Dieta Mediterranea Edition. This is a great contest where the four Italian...
Posto promises ‘old school,’ ‘new Italian’ at the Longmeadow Shops
The Federal Restaurant Group quietly opened its much anticipated new restaurant, Posto, at the Longmeadow Shops on Oct. 1. Ralph Santaniello, director of operations, and brother-in-law and executive chef Michael Presnal, leased the space formerly occupied by Bertucci’s last winter and have completely transformed it into a chic, urban industrial spa...