Critic Finds Italian Traditions and American Whimsy in South Boston
MC Slim JB reviews Karen Akunowicz’s new South Boston enoteca Fox & the Knife for the Improper Bostonian this week, digging into the full spread of Italian dishes, from aperitivo hour through dinner and dessert. Starting dinner with the house-made focaccia, “lasciviously oozing melted taleggio,” and easing into a “genius reinvention” of a Caesar sa...
Little touches helped Mike’s pizza win West Haven’s Pizza Wars
Mike’s Pizza & Restaurant took both top awards in the recent West Haven Pizza Wars event, but there’s no real secret ingredient, said pizza maker Mike Buonocore. It’s more about the little touches and knowing what to do and not do after 47 years. “I’m the only one who makes pizza dough here and I take a lot of pride in what I do when I make pizza....
Tony & Elaine’s is the newest old-school restaurant in the North End
Tony & Elaine’s, a red-sauce joint from North End restaurateur Nick Frattaroli (Bodega Canal, North Square Oyster, Ward 8). The restaurant is new, but it feels like a throwback, intentionally: red-checked tablecloths, raffia-wrapped Chianti bottles, cheesy vintage posters, the works. It follows in the footsteps of restaurants like Carbone and Parm...
Sweet success: Fabrizia Spirits experiences growth, moves to larger location
Still settling into the new location that’s more than three times the size of their old warehouse, brothers Phil and Nick Mastroianni are gearing up for the busy limoncello season. The owners of Salem-based Fabrizia Spirits have come a long way during their 10 years in business. In the beginning, the two would gather their friends and family on ni...
New Pizzeria 'Lord Of The Pies' Opens In Greenwich
Having studied pizza making from Italy to San Francisco, and upon consulting on his first pizzeria in Detroit called "Mootz" this past January, 6-Time World Pizza Champion and Restaurateur Bruno DiFabio has opened Lord of the Pies, an exciting new concept in Greenwich, CT. The name is a nod to Bruno's reputation within the pizza world and his knowl...
'New school Italian joint,' Locali Pizza Bar and Kitchen, opens in Mount Kisco train station
Westchester food fans who follow chef Mogan Anthony of the Village Social Restaurant Group (comprised of Village Social in Mount Kisco and Rye, Pub Street in Pleasantville and Locali Pizza Bar and Kitchen in New Canaan, Connecticut.) will be happy to know there's a new sibling in the family. Locali Pizza Bar and Kitchen, run by Anthony's colleagues...
Dining Out: Festina Lente brings the treasures of a rustic Italian table to Wallingford Square
Much has been said about the renaissance of Kittery Foreside, spurred especially by a culinary prosperity in Wallingford Square that takes many guises: the billowy lightness of New England’s best cruller at Lil’s Café; the glorious bite from vampire-obliterating teardrop bulbs of roasted garlic in an Abby’s white sauce slice at AJ’s Wood Grill Pizz...
Maine’s traditional red-sauce Italian places are islands of comfort food in sea of new eateries
It was dinnertime on a Friday, and my friend Jennifer and I decided to go out for a spontaneous dinner. But without reservations, we knew finding a table in Portland would be challenging. Drifters Wife had a 45-minute wait just to sit at the bar. At Baharat, a little more off the beaten path, the line of people waiting to be seated reached the door...
Matteo’s Bakery Owner Albanese Gives Look at His legendary Cannolis on LIVE
Antonio Albanese, owner of Matteo’s Bakery in North Kingstown is known for his legendary cannolis and traditional Italian baked goods. “We are known for our cannolis. We have people coming in who have tried them all over the state and keep coming back to Matteo’s. It’s a secret recipe, but my mother taught me that the most simple recipes are the be...
Former news reporter Rita Papazian draws from family history, celebrity interviews in memoir-cookbook
Anyone who’s read a newspaper in Fairfield County for the past few decades will remember Rita Papazian’s name. Or, more specifically, her byline. The name preceded countless stories ranging from crime news to celebrity interviews. Papazian also penned some books, including “Remembering Fairfield Connecticut: Famous People & Historic Places” for His...
The Arcadian's Chef Matt crafts local-Italian pasta
Bucatini tossed with house-cured jowl bacon, Pomodoro and parmesan cheese, Vermont lamb neck ragu with orange, black olive, shaved pecorino and fried breadcrumbs over potato Paccheri, black orrchiette with pan-fried rock shrimp, Calabrian salami and chili: these are the sorts of dishes that jump off the dinner menu at the Arcadian in Middlebury. Ch...
Dine Out Maine: Portland’s romantic, intimate Piccolo showcases a more playful, experimental side
Piccolo’s executive chef, Damian Sansonetti, is chuckling in the background. Despite his efforts, I can hear him over the speakerphone. I’ve just asked his wife, pastry chef Ilma Lopez, what inspired her to put smoked walnuts on a dark chocolate budino ($12) – an addition that pitch-shifts the tones of the custard-like dessert from bittersweet to t...