Italian wines are the focus of several new Minneapolis restaurants
For those who love Italian wine and food, this truly is the best of times. Call it kismet or karma. Whatever the terminology, Minneapolis this summer is the right place at the right time for those of us who love Italian food and wine. No fewer than three ambitious Italian eateries have opened in town over the past month or so, with seriou...
St. Paul council passes resolution renaming Columbus Day
by Frederick Melo Move over, Christopher Columbus. The second Monday in October is now known as Indigenous Peoples Day in the city of St. Paul. The resolution was sponsored by all seven members of the St. Paul City Council and approved Wednesday to heavy applause from a crowded, upbeat audience. It encourages other institutio...
Wine Tasting series: Wines of Southern Italy
Southern Italy has been producing wine for 4000 years. Yet the wines from Italy's southern regions are not household names like their cousins from Tuscany and Piedmont. All this may be changing. For a very long time, southern grapes were sent to Northern Italy and Southern France as blends for many of their wines. Now a new group of young vint...
Belmar’s annual Festival Italiano returns bigger than ever
It's September, which means everyone gets to be Italian for a weekend at Belmar's 13th annual Festival Italiano. The festival, benefiting Project Angel Heart, is Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11, this year. Events run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the 10th, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 11th, all at Belmar, 464 Teller St. "The chil...
Visit of Ambassador Bisogniero to Kansas City
HE Claudio Bisogniero, Ambassador of Italy in Washington, will travel to Kansas City (MO) on November 17th and 18th for the inauguration of the photographic exhibition "Art and War" at the National WWI Museum on loan from the Italian Museo del Risorgimento of Rome. The Ambassador will also meet with the local authorities and representative...
Luigi's joins Des Moines' Italian best
I'm calling Luigi's Italian Restaurante a Des Moines underdog. And, in my book, it's already won a royal title: Move over and share the Italian throne Latin King and Baratta's. Luigi's is an underdog mostly because of location. It is adjacent to a mobile home park on one of the city's busiest streets. A median forces south-bound...
Rita’s Italian Ice Makes its Mark on the Midwest
Rita's Italian Ice, the world's largest Italian Ice concept with more than 600 stores, is continuing its expansion in the Midwest and seeking franchisees to join its team for the Kansas and Missouri territory. Rita's, which began more than 30 years ago in Philadelphia, has been aggressively expanding across the United States with locations from coa...
Givanni’s owners say they may reopen in current space
By Lucy Morris Changes may be coming to Givanni's. Rumors earlier this week suggested that the Italian-American Ped Mall mainstay may be closing or replaced by another restaurant altogether. Though details are still in flux, Jason Alt, business manager at Etre Restaurant Group (which owns Givanni's), confirms that a shakeup may be in the rest...
Nick's Homestyle to open on South College
The stretch of South College Ave. in Fort Collins between Laurel St. and Prospect Rd. will welcome another restaurant on Monday, as Nick's Homestyle opens its doors for dinner service. The new Italian-American restaurant is opening after six months of renovation at the former Number 1 Chinese Super Buffet, 1100 S. College Ave. Rea...
Joyce DiDonato sparkles in her new recording, ‘Stella di Napoli’
After Joyce DiDonato's performance of Maurice Ravel's deliciously sensual "Sheherazade" on the opening night of the Kansas City Symphony's new season, the audience was a big puddle of melted butter. But DiDonato was worried it wasn't flashy enough, and afterward she told the audience she thought it lacked the "ta-da" factor for opening nig...
FREE Screening – Men of the Cloth – Friday, October 24 at 3:00 pm
As part of their new exhibit - Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 - the Minneapolis Institute of Arts will offer a FREE screening of Men of the Cloth.This 2013 documentary is an inspiring portrait of Nino Corvato, Checchino Fonticoli and Joe Centofanti, three Italian master tailors who confront the decline of the apprentice system as they navigate t...
Giada Valenti – Italian Singer and Songwriter
The Italian American Heritage Corporation is making arrangements to bring Italian Entertainment to the St. Louis Area in the Summer. Singer and songwriter Giada Valenti is recognized for her special voice and great stage presence. With her latest CD, My Lullaby, Giada is bringing her sophisticated music and European style to music fans worldwide. W...