North Carolina goes crazy over new ‘Utica Bakery’
A CNY native is bringing a taste of Utica to North Carolina and the response has been amazing. When Vincent DeSimone started offering Utica delicacies out of his home, he never imagined the response would be so overwhelming. In fact, the son of Utica natives, says he's had to throttle back on hours to keep up with the massive demand. How did one ki...
Quaint Fort Pierce restaurant and pizzeria serves satisfying Italian meals
A Touch of Brooklyn Pizza is a quaint Italian restaurant and pizzeria in the Taylor Creek Commons plaza at the intersection of U.S. 1 and A1A in Fort Pierce. It has two dining rooms; one offers table service and you order at the front counter in the other before seating yourself. The walls are covered in Italian murals and the lighting is dim. We...
Casa Tua Cucina Opens In Saks Brickell City Centre
The highly-anticipated, second Miami location of famed restaurant Casa Tua has opened in Miami’s new upscale shopping destination—the Brickell City Centre. However, this location is special to the Casa Tua family as it marks both the city and the brand’s first Italian kitchen and marketplace/winebar. Fittingly, Casa Tua Cucina is anchored to the be...
Alino Pizzeria is like a taste of Italy at Concord Mills Mall
I was invited to lunch by Alino Pizzeria at Concord Mills Mall to try a taste of fire oven-baked pizza with ingredients from Italy. Here’s why it was worth my trip on I-85. It’s hard to miss Alino Pizzeria. It sits next door to the AMC movie theater. The dark green exterior and large sign confirms you have arrived. I asked owner Michal Bay why Conc...
Feast of the Seven Fishes: An Italian tradition at home in SWFL
When Chef Carmelo LaMotta, owner of LaMotta’s Italian Restaurant in south Fort Myers, makes his Christmas Eve grocery list, there's no mistaking his Italian roots. In addition to the old standbys of bread and wine, he adds shrimp, calamari, octopus, clams, mussels and salted cod to the lineup. For LaMotta and Italian-American families across South...
Marco’s Pizza opens new location on Lafayette Parkway
The rainy afternoon did not keep customers from going to the grand opening of Marco’s Pizza Sunday. The pizza chain opened at the old Hog Heaven location on Lafayette Parkway. “We haven’t advertised, so what we’ve done is doing it through word of mouth,” franchisee Chris Lopez said. “Some young folks first came in at the beginning of the week, we j...
Ossobucco is among the Italian staples on the menu at Alfredo's Paradiso on Merritt Island
Ossobuco, that staple of Italian cuisine, gets the Alfredo’s Paradiso treatment with a selection of Milanese (veal), d’Agnello (lamb) or Finocchiato (pork). “These dishes have been so popular that you can rest assured we will always have three variations on our board of chef selections,” said Alfredo Giulio of his restaurant’s signature dish.
Tiberio's: Italian Food, Made The Italian Way
At Tiberio’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, authentic Italian applies not only to the food, but to the owner himself. The restaurant, located at 1001 W. Main St., opened in early October, but has been a dream of owner Tiberio Mattera for nearly his entire life. “I can cook anything,” he said. “From spaghetti, pizza — all the way up to a rack of lamb (or...
New Italian-inspired spot coming to Ballantyne in December
Richard Cranmer has worked at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach and Washington, but he says the inspiration for his new restaurant Zinicola, opening in December in Ballantyne Village, is his Italian grandmother, who lived in San Giorgio a Liri. “Every meal at her table was a celebration that brought people together without pretense or pomp,” says Cran...
Modern Italian steakhouse to open in Naples
Although it’s common to say the third time’s a charm, Fabrizio and Ingrid Aielli already have two charming local restaurants before even opening their third in Naples next month. The husband-and-wife team behind Sea Salt and Barbatella plans to launch Dorona, a modern Italian steakhouse, in the former Midtown Kitchen + Bar at the northeast corner o...
Dining review: Stellino’s keeps Bella Monica flavor fully intact, with potential to stand on its own
When Bella Monica owners Corbett and Julie Monica decided to open a second restaurant in Cary, they might well have given it the same name as their first one. Bella Monica is something of a local landmark, after all, and the menu at the new restaurant bears more than a passing resemblance to the one that has been winning fans for the original in Ol...
Giovanni’s Rigatoni is one of the 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die
More than two decades ago, a friend visited Michael Gondevas in New York and convinced him to come south to operate an Italian restaurant in Albertville. “I came down, I liked the South and I moved down here and I took over Giovanni’s,” Gondevas said. Co-owner Anthula Gondevas credits the Southern hospitality and friendly local support with helping...