thePULSEHot & Now: 3/2004
East side, west side… get ready for corned beef and cabbage!
St Patrick’s Day around the corner: Worcester’s annual St Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off Sunday, March 14 for a two mile march down Park Avenue. All the clubs and bars on Park Ave will be hosting parties that day, so join the fun!
And with St Patty’s day just a few weeks away, it might be time to make your plans for a night on the town. Tweed’s with locations on Grove Street in Worcester and on Route 9 in Northboro, will be serving up the traditional Irish-American meal of corned beef and cabbage The restaurants are under the leadership of head Leprechaun Jim Donahue.
And one of the winners of the Pulse’s Best Bartender contest is long-time Tweed’s bartender Cathy Ruberti whose smilin’ eyes can be seen in this issue’s cover story.
Speaking of fine Irish cooking, stop in at O’Connor’s Restaurant on West Boylston Street. Brendan and Claire O’Connor, himself and herself, will be serving about 1000 customers on St. Patrick’s Day.
The Emerald Isle on Millbury Street will also be hosting a St Patrick’s Day party. If you want to stay in downtown Worcester, head to The Irish Times for a night of music and more. For an old fashioned, traditional St Patrick’s Day, head to that most Irish of towns, Clinton and Old Timers restaurant, which will dish up plenty of tasty corned beef and cabbage.
Ground Round to close?: Lately the newspapers have been full of stories about the closing of restaurants in the Ground Round chain. It appears that our local restaurant on Route 9 in Shrewsbury will not be cut. However, even though the location was spared the company axe, our spies tell us that it will soon close anyway — and be torn down to make way for a Walgreen’s Drugstore.
Elsa’s Bushel & Peck expands: The site of the former FireWok Chinese restaurant on Route 9 across from White City, will soon become the new home of another Elsa’s, one of Worcester’s premier sandwich shops. The chain of delis, owned by the Oliveri family, is located in Tatnuck Square and at the Summit. The Oliveris also own Peppercorn’s Restaurant on Park Ave.
Taste of the Nation: This annual benefit for the Worcester County Food Bank and Rachel’s Table will take place on Monday, April 19 at Worcester’s Crowne Plaza. Cost of the tickets is $60. If you are a serious food lover, don’t miss this event.. Over 25 of the area’s finest restaurants will be represented. A special feature will be the availability of vintages from some from of America’s best wineries. For ticket information contact the Worcester County Food Bank at 508-842-FOOD.
Closing the Lito? The Lito on Green Street, a funky eatery that served Italian food and that was the brainchild of Camaro Jones, appears to be closed. A large space for rent sign is hung in the restaurant’s front window.
Giuseppi’s opens: The former Grille on Solomon Pond has been transformed into an Italian bistro. Under the leadership of partners Mary Ann Rushford and Francis Capuano and Amy Kaieler, the place has been completely redone, with a totally new menu. Now called Guiseppi’s Grille, it features upscale Italian food with entrees between $10 and $18. The restaurant, which also includes a function room, opened in January. For information on hours, call 508-353-4405.
