Gonzmart plans Italian-Sicilian restaurant for Ybor
An authentic Italian-Sicilian restaurant will soon join the Columbia Restaurant Group. Fresh off launching the Ulele restaurant downtown, and buying the Goody Goody cheeseburger brand, Columbia patriarch Richard Gonzmart is deep into planning for an Italian-Sicilian comfort-food restaurant in a historic Ybor City building. Through a serie...
Now that's Italian! DeRomo's in Bonita Springs
by Laura Tichy-Smith In a nation where corporate joints sling pizza, grocery store freezers offer boxed lasagna and a caricature of an Italian chef stares out from the label of canned ravioli, it can be hard to find authentic Italian food. Fortunately, Southwest Florida is graced by the presence of several local Italian markets...
More on Mastino Italian Kitchen and Bar
New York has its thin-crust. Chicago has its deep-dish. Now Delray Beach has authentic Italian pizza, thanks to Mastino Wood-Fire Kitchen and Bar (25 N.E. Second Ave.), which just debuted in the Pineapple Grove district of Delray. At the center of the restaurant is a steel handcrafted wood-burning oven that was imported from Naples, Italy. It bake...
Pizza joint pays homage to Italian roots
Paul Reitano has a healthy respect for his elders. While he never got to meet his great-grandfather, he grew up with stories of his immigration at age 21 from Reggio Di Calabria, Italy, his love of his wife, Carmella, and his successful bakery in New York. Reitano made his own immigration of sorts by moving from New York to the Mountain I...
Brevard's 'Italian Cookie Lady' Cooks Up Success – Brevard NC
For the past three years, Aggie Westerhoff a.k.a. "The Italian Cookie Lady," has a created raving fans throughout Western North Carolina as the go-to for true Italian desserts. Individuals throughout Western North Carolina seek her out for their "just desserts" for family events and special occasions. Her biscotti, Italian wedding cookies and...
A Taste of Italy in West Palm Beach
Most people think of Monday as a day of dread. I've come to think of Monday as one of my favorite food days of the week. That's the day I go to Lynora's on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach and get the Monday specials – an $8 Margarita pizza and Maria Abbenante's glorious meatballs (housemade with beef and pork) for $2 each. They make you wish Tue...
345 Caffe Italiano: Casual Italian Fare in Coral Gables
by Cassie Glenn As seems to be the trend these days, 345 Caffe Italiano opened almost a year ago but celebrated its official "grand opening" last month. From the outside, it looks almost too manufactured to be decent. With the restaurant logo and pictures of food plastered across the red and white tables and walls, it resembles a...
Local restaurant hopes to bring Northern Italian flavor to St. Augustine
By Jenna Carpenter St. Augustine Beach residents Simone and Monica Parisi want to bring the taste of northern Italy to St. Augustine. Originally from Florence, Italy, Simone said he wants to give residents a place where they will never eat the same dish twice, no matter how often they come to the restaraunt. "I grew up in a family wh...
Sicilian chef Bonetta dell'Oglio in Charleston this weekend
The Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival hosts Sicilian chef Bonetta dell'Oglio for two meals this weekend. The first will be held at Mercantile and Mash on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $150 per diner and include six courses and wine. The second, a brunch at Wild Olive, will be held on Sun. April 10 at noon. Tickets are $45 and include thre...
Bianchini Mercato in Wynwood: Fresh, Fast, and Affordable Fare
It seems every day a new eatery opens in Wynwood, each with something unique to offer. Bianchini Mercato on NW 27th Street is no exception. This small Italian deli prides itself on serving simple, fresh, and affordable food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's been open for less than two weeks, but already people are returning for the sa...
Italian chef Luciano Parolari to cook, teach in Knoxville for L5 Foundation fundraisers
Luciano Parolari has prepared meals for many affluent customers, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Madonna, Sir Elton John and the late James Beard, just to name a few. Next week you, too, can be a guest at his table by participating in the L5 Foundation's second annual Chef's Week and Chef's Dinner 2016. Four events will be held on July 1...
Dining review: Gabe Barker’s Pizzeria Mercato keeps it in the family
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. That's the first thought that came to mind when I learned that Gabe Barker, son of James Beard Award-winning chefs Ben and Karen Barker, was opening a restaurant. Then it occurred to me that this particular apple rolled all the way to the West Coast, where he spent five years honing his culinary skills, be...