thePULSEHot and Now
By Paul Giorgio
New chef at Zipango. Scott McCabe has taken over the chef duties at Zipango, located on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street. McCabe comes from a long line of restaurateurs. His father Tom once owned Tom Foolery’s in Westboro. Scott’s own culinary achievements are impressive, too ~ Before taking over the top range duties at Zipango, he worked at the 111 Chop House and at 10 in Providence.
Beechwood has new chef. Jonathan Powers is the new Executive Chef at the Beechwood Hotel. He has been at the Beechwood for over a year and was recently promoted to the top job. Look for Powers to be changing the menu shortly, putting his own spin on a new dining concept for Worcester.
Ping’s Garden reopens. Ping’s Garden, located in the Seven Hills Plaza on Worcester’s Madison Street, reopened on December 30th. Ping’s has been a fixture on the Worcester dining scene for about 15 years. Before the new owners took over, it was owned by Alex Szeto.
News from Rovezzi’s. Rovezzi’s Ristorante at 108 Grove Street in Worcester will be offering a special Valentine’s Day dinner for 2 for $80. The 4-course dinner includes a free “romantic gift.” Speaking of Rovezzi’s, they are also offering an in-home personal chef program for dinner parties.
Boston Wine Expo. The 17th annual Boston Wine Expo will be taking place on February 8-10th at the Seaport World Trade Center. The expo has become one of the premier wine tasting events in the country, and this year over 400 wineries will be represented. For more information, visit www.wineexpoboston.com
Wah-Hoo for Wah-Bo. Wah-Bo (We’re All Happier & Better Off) has recently opened its doors in Shrewsbury at the White City East Plaza. Wah-Bo is in the space that was formerly Know Fat, and has the same local owners according to Scott Robinson, the Manager and one of the partners. They still are cooking healthy and watching the fat, but they are trying to cook food that people actually like to eat. All the food is fresh and healthy. The meals are priced in the $4-$7 range. Know Fat was recently purchased by the founders of Boston Market and the Shrewsbury store didn’t fit into their plans ~ and that created an opening for Wah-Bo.
Another Chang? P.F. Chang China Bistro will be opening another restaurant at the Natick Mall very soon. Chang’s other Massachusetts location is at the Prudential Center in Boston. The Arizona based chain’s restaurants are predominantly located in shopping malls.
A dash of color. Picasso restaurant recently opened its doors just off the town center in Barre, MA. The restaurant is located in the space that once housed Ricco’s. The new eatery is owned by Ari Pugliese of Petersham and serves an eclectic mix of Mediterranean food, with entrees priced between $13-$22. Picasso’s is located at 2 Barre Common and is open Wednesday–Saturday from 4-9pm. 978-355-3099
Ti NoVo has a new name. G’Vianni’s Ristorante, located on 2 Prince Street in Boston’s North End, will open a second location in the building that once housed TiNoVo on Pearl Street In Worcester. The first floor will offer casual dining, the second a more refined experience.
Correction: My bad. Na Veh, which we mentioned in last month’s column, is not a Vietnamese restaurant as we’d reported ~ rather, it’s an African restaurant. Located at 97 Providence Street in Worcester, it is open from 11:30am to 10:30pm daily.
