Hot and Now
By Paul Giorgio
July 2005 - Bollywood Grille: The former Chef
of India will be opening in the Quinsigamond Plaza adjacent to Petco.
Bollywood is India’s version of Hollywood and is also the inspiration
for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest London musical blockbuster. Look
for the opening during the first week of July.
Rumor is that Andy Mastro, formerly a partner in Worcester’s
recently-closed Goodfellas’, will be opening a sports bar right
down the street. La Scala, long a Shrewsbury St. landmark, is pulling
up stakes and moving into the space vacated by Café Amore. Mastro
will in turn take over La Scala’s vacated space for his sports-themed
bar ~ and that’s the Shrewsbury St. version of checkers.
Our spies tell us that Tom Oliveri is about to reopen his Peppercorn’s
Restaurant on Rte.16 in Milford; the openingis scheduled for July 12.
The restaurant’s new name is Prezo Grille and it will be a family
restaurant with an Italian flare. It will also focus on functions and
catering. Tom Oliveri Jr., who also manages Peppercorn’s in Worcester,
will be running the day-today operations. In addition to Peppercorn’s
in Worcester, the Oliveris also own Elsa’s Bushel-n-Peck and Elsa’s
Eatery in Shrewsbury..
Camp Putnam Fundraiser a Smash. We hear that the recent
fundraiser to provide scholarships for inner city kids to attend Camp
Putnam was a big hit this year. Among the Contributors were Arturo’s,
Barre Mill restaurant, Coral Seafood, Restaurant 45, Dimitri Delights
candy, Struck Catering, Sonoma and Austin Liquors.
Taste of Shrewsbury Street. The recent ~ and third annual
~ Taste of Shrewsbury Street was a huge success ~ “Bigger than ever,”
according to Paul Barber, President of the Shrewsbury Street Merchants
and owner of the Flying Rhino. Assisting Barber with the event were Paula
McCarthy from Zia’s Grille and Tony Tynan from Junior’s Pizza.
The money raised goes to beautification efforts on the street.
London Billiards Sold. Peter Puzio recently sold London
Billiards on Stafford Street to Lotus & Sons, Inc. No word yet on
what the new owners plan to do, but we hear live music may be in their
future. They’ve hired John Maywell, former owner of Tammany Hall
and current broker at George and Company, to book bands into the club.
Opia 1541 Closes. Opia 1541 has closed its doors. The
brainchild of three friends and Worcester Voke graduates, the restaurant
was located on the Worcester/Leicester line. Despite serving some very
innovative food, the place never really caught on with area folks, mostly
because no-one knew it had opened! It’s a shame, too, because the
food was very good, the desserts better and the space eclectic.
Bear Rock Café, a chain restaurant based in the
South, will open its first New England store in Leominster at 14 Commercial
Rd. in the same plaza that houses Starbucks. The Café will serve
sandwiches and salads, putting them in the casual dining niche of the
restaurant market.
Bin there. Bin 479 Wine Bar & Restaurant, 470 Main
St. (Rt 20) in Sturbridge, is slated to open in mid-July in the space
that formerly housed the Sturbridge Bistro. According to Greg Meserole,
they will offer 22 wines by the glass, priced from $6-$15, and about 75
wines by the bottle. Meserole is a certified Sommelier and has worked
at Legal Seafood and in the gourmet restaurant division of Foxwoods. He
was also the Cellar Master at San Diego’s Elarios in Lajolla, overseeing
a wine list of 1200 wines and a cellar of 25,000 bottles
Freshway Pizza. Oops. We made a mistake. The hours for
the new Freshway Pizza on Water Street are 11:30am until 2:30am and the
original Freshway Pizza is at 1406 Main St. at Goddard Dr., up by the
Worcester Airport.
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