thePULSEWho’s Opening, Who’s Closing,
Who’s Moving, Who’s Selling
By Paul Giorgio
New Name. It looks like the former Tiano’s Restaurant, which closed on Grove Street last year (Rovezzi’s now has the location), will reopen shortly at 55 Pearl St. in downtown Worcester. The new location will also have a new name, TiNovo. Mitch Tericiano has been working on the former GAR Hall building for months now. The building, built in the late 1800’s, is a beautiful granite structure with grand rooms and will be a great addition to the downtown dining scene.
New Kitchen. The Wexford House, located at the intersection of Shrewsbury and Belmont Streets in Worcester, has added a new kitchen. According to owner Richard Cravedi, this will soon allow them to expand the dining room. The Wex, as it is known, serves great comfort food as well as Middle Eastern dishes. Allen Erickson, former chef at the El Morocco, mans the range at this neighborhood grill. So if you have a hankering for shish kebob, kibbee or butternut squash the way Joe Aboody used to make it, head to the Wexford House.
New Dining Room. The Northworks, appropriately located in the old Northworks building on Grove Street in Worcester, has undergone a redesign of its dining room. The updated look features new booths and new Plasma TVs, giving the place even more of a pub feel.
New Chef. The 111 Chophouse on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street has a new team manning the ranges. The new Executive Chef is Stefano Zimei. Before signing up at the 111, Zimei worked at several top-notch Boston eateries including Aquitaine and The Federalist. Joining Zimei is Benjamin Stevens, the new Chef de Cuisine. Stevens last worked at Smith and Wollensky, a very high-end Boston theater district steak house.
News from Spencer. Trumbull’s in Spencer, at the intersection of Routes 9 and 31 in downtown Spencer, is being sold. The new owners will keep the same concept but may also introduce some Mediterranean dishes.
Two Cousins. Two Cousins, located on Route 30 in Grafton, was sold a couple of months ago. It is now called Willy’s Pasta, Pizza & Grill. Word is that they are becoming famous for their excellent brick oven pizza. As you can tell by the name, they serve Italian food, but we hear it’s with an Ecuadorian flare ~ maybe because the owners are from Ecuador.
Two Cousins Times Two. The Two Cousins located on Worcester’s Chandler St is opening another location in Southbridge, right on Route 67. This will be the third Two Cousins to open and will replace the one in Grafton. These two cousins keep on pumping out good Italian food.
Fiddling Around. Fiddler’s Green is the name of the Irish Pub located in the Hibernian Cultural Center on Green Street in Worcester. The A.O.H. has spent considerable money getting the old building, which once housed the P.N.I. Club (the Polish Naturalization & Independence), into shape. Located next to the Dive Bar, here is another example of new activity in Worcester’s Canal District. The only thing still missing is the canal.
