thePULSEBy Paul Giorgio
Golden Steak House closes. Golden Steak House in Shrewsbury has closed its door and in its place soon will be Bauhinia, a Chinese and Japanese restaurant. The space, once occupied only by Golden, is undergoing extensive renovations including changes to the exterior that will better reflect the new business. It appears that Golden Pizza will still occupy the ground floor space.
Whistling Swan new chef. The Whistling Swan has recently begun an advertising campaign touting its hiring of a new Executive Chef. The new man behind the range is Doug Brackett, formerly of Ken’s Steakhouse in Framingham. Bracket will not only oversee the Whistling Swan but will also be responsible for the Swan’s companion restaurant The Ugly Duckling, an upscale pub. Both restaurants are located at 502 Main Street in Sturbridge.
Peking Chef changes hands. The Peking Chef, opened in 1984 and the oldest Chinese restaurant in Southbridge, will change hands this month when current owners Tony and Cindy Liang transfer ownership to Yun Ching Chen and his wife Jennifer. The new restaurant will be called Dynasty Chinese Restaurant. The Chens formerly owned the Empire Gourmet Chinese Restaurant in Leominster.
Why Me benefit. An evening of fine wine and food will be held on Thurs., Sept. 21 from 5:30 until 9 PM at Holy Cross’s Hogan Center. Tickets are priced at $50 if purchased in advance. Wines will be provided by Friendly Discount Liquors of Holden. The food will be provided by a myriad of local eateries including Block 5, Rovezzi’s, Café Espresso, The Webster House and Anthony’s. Tickets can be purchased online at www.whyme.org.
Feed those boys. In another example of why Worcester is special, area restaurants have banded together to establish a program to feed members of the Worcester Tornadoes on game nights. The program, under the direction of Worcester businessmen Paul Cantiani and Duddie Massad, has about 30 local restaurants serving food to our hometown team after each game. It has saved the Tornadoes thousands of dollars with no apparent reward for the restaurants other than doing something for these food hungry athletes.
Drink later. Several restaurants on Shrewsbury Street were recently granted an extension of their licenses so they could serve liquor until 2 am. The restaurants included Junior’s, Piccolo’s and Dante’s. Previously all three had to stop serving at 11pm when their kitchens closed.
Beechwood branches out. The upscale Harlequin Restaurant at the Beechwood Hotel on Plantation St. in Worcester recently announced a new bistro menu for their bar area. You can now sit at the bar and enjoy ~ at a lower price ~ the same quality of food that is served in the restaurant.
