thePULSEBy Paul Giorgio
Cocke N Kettle closes The Cocke N Kettle, a Blackstone valley landmark for generations, has closed its doors. The restaurant had been in operation for almost 40 years before shutting down at the end of June. The struggling economy was a factor in the closing of the two-generation owned restaurant.
Viva Keivan For those who tuned in for the July 4th Boston Pops Show, you may have seen Martin Scorsese introduced to the TV audience. Who was Scorsese with? Viva Bene owner and man-about-town Keivan Mizrahi.
No night diner The Parkway Diner on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street has ended its short experiment with evening dining. The Parkway, which has been in the Evangelista Family for generations, used to be a regular on the all night eating circuit. After nixing the late night service for several years, the Parkway gave it another try. About a month ago they stopped opening at night.
Java giant closes Starbucks on Shrewsbury Street, one of its three Worcester locations, is closing. This seems strange since it was a very busy store in a high-traffic area. The Starbucks, located down the road on East Central Street next to Pub 99, had only about half the traffic of its Shrewsbury Street counterpart.
Economic spin-off It looks like there will be a new restaurant going in next to the Hanover Theatre. Ed Madaus and Paul DeMoga, the brains behind the Hanover restoration, have purchased the Goral Optician building next door and are putting in a 150 seat restaurant. Demoga’s daughter Amy will be the owner. Plans for the renovation also include a comedy club in the basement. Work on the restaurant should be completed by late fall.
No more books Jumpin Juice and Java opened its doors in mid-July at 335 Chandler Street in Worcester, the former home of Tatnuck Bookseller. Owned by Josh Van Dyke & Andrew Erickson, the place sells gourmet coffee, sandwiches, fruit smoothies and desserts. It is open seven days a week.
Finally Roma’s Roma’s on Harding Street in Worcester finally opened its doors the last week of July. This BYOB Italian eatery features the cooking of Joe Petrou, formerly of Primo’s and Union Station The Restaurant. With Roma’s, Petrou goes back to the basics that made Primo’s so successful.
Bye Bye Blue Bird Blue Bird Pizza (formerly the T-Bird), a Worcester landmark on Park Ave., has been sold. No word about its future, but we hear that the owner will be updating or changing the concept. This place has been serving pizza to Worcester’s college students for decades. We will keep you posted.
