Wine and Food Festival coming to Union Station

I’ll have mine black

Well, it has finally happened. Worcester finally arrived on Tuesday January 14, 2003 when Worcester Mayor Tim Murray announced the arrival of our very first Starbucks Coffee. The Seattle-based purveyor of extreme caffeine will be located at the corner of Grove and West Boylston Streets in the new Chadwick Court Building. If Starbucks comes to Worcester, can this mean that the coffee fad is ending?

Branching out

Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston will branch out this winter with demonstrations in hearthside cooking. The demonstrations will be held in the evening on January 29 and February 26 and will be taught by Earl Lahana of Harry’s Too in Westboro and Paula McCarthy of Zia’s Grille on Shrewsbury Street. Call Tower Hill at 508 869-6111 for details.

McCarthy and Lahana met while they both worked at the Beechwood Hotel. An interesting aside… Shrewsbury Street is also populated by former graduates of the Beechwood’s kitchen. Beside, McCarthy and Lahana, others include Joe Petrou of Primo’s and the soon to open The Restaurant at Union Station, Anthony DeSantis of Anthony’s, and Joey Tuson of Amore Café.

Try these, you’ll like them.

About a half-dozen restaurants have opened recently in the Worcester area, starting with Low Fat/Know Fat in Shrewsbury’s White City East. That is the little mall with the Dunkin Donuts in it. The concept is simple, healthy, nutritious food that has little or no fat, without sacrificing flavor.

Also, the Lito is opening at 99 Green Street in the space that was formerly occupied by Cool Beans. Our sources tell us that they will offer a limited menu with Italian flair. They will also feature some entertainment later at night.

Down in the Village.

Manzi’s Village Café recently opened at 857 Millbrae Street in the heart of Quinsigamond Village. Primarily a breakfast and lunch place, the Village Café will also be open for late nite knoshing on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday when it will be open from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. The cafe will be run by Bill Manzi and is a family affair. The restaurant will lean toward Italian food, but will also feature homemade soups and grilled items.

Rio comes to Chandler Street

Café Belo, a Brazilian steak house recently opened its doors at 214 Chandler Street. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. If you’re not familiar with Brazilian food, you should definitely give the place a try. Brazilian cuisine is heavy on meat including steak, roasts and sausages and on chicken. The staff speaks limited English, so be patient.

More from the Delta

Main South has a new Vietnamese restaurant with the recent opening of Bale Boston at 875 Main Street, just up from Dunkin Donuts. The owners have three similar restaurants in Boston, but this is their first venture outside the Hub. The only drawback is that they are only open until 7 p.m.

Taste the wine

The Worcester Wine and Food Festival is coming to Union Station on March 1. The event, which will benefit for the Jewish Community Center’s Scholarship Fund, will feature a wine tasting as well as food from Primo’s Restaurant. The wines will be supplied by the Oxford Wine Room and Rudi & Sons Estate Wines. Tickets cost $50. For ticket information, contact Maribeth Driscoll at 508 756-7109 ext. 278.

Paul Giorgio can be reached at pgiorgio@wpltd.com.