By Paul Giorgio

Happy 20th birthday. The Sakhat family celebrates 20 years in business. The first El Basha was opened by the parents of the current owners, brother s John, George and Eli, 20 years ago on Belmont St. in Worcester. Today they have the first restaurant plus one on Park Ave and one in Westboro. They also own Haiku a Sushi restaurant, which is also on Park Ave. What does the future hold? They just expanded the Park Ave. location so they can host functions and George is always scouting for new opportunities.

Olive Garden to open. Chain restaurant the Olive Garden, an Italian themed restaurant, is set to open next to the new super Wal-Mart right off of Route 146 in Worcester’s Quinsigamond Village section.

The sign has changed. Alice’s Bistro has opened in the space that until recently housed the Hamilton Bistro on Worcester’s Hamilton St. The simple menu is classic Italian, with Risotto Del Mare taking its place along with Fettuccine Alfredo and Homemade Lasagna. Everything is priced under $14 and it is BYOB.

Ping in the old. It appears that the New Ping’s Garden in Worcester’s Seven Hills Plaza recently shut down after a scathing article in the Telegram & Gazette. When we tried to reach the restaurant’s owners, the phone was disconnected. In its heyday, Ping’s was a pretty decent restaurant ~ but a change in ownership caused numerous issues, the latest being with the Worcester Health Department.

Zipango sold? The sign on the door says, “Closed for renovations,” but we hear that Zipango, a sushi restaurant on Shrewsbury St., has been sold. The current owner is Frank Carrier, who rumor has it has sold the eatery to a group that is going to keep the name and concept. Stay tuned.

Worcester’s vegan friendly. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has named Worcester as one of the top ten vegan-friendly small cities in American and pointed out Nancy Chang’s and the Loving Hut ~ both on Chandler St. ~ as well as the Belmont Vegetarian Restaurant on Belmont St. in their praise.

Zorba’s buys Christos. Christos and Nusa Dimopoulos, owners of Zorba’s Pizza in Charlton, will open another Zorba’s at the former site of Christos Restaurant on Stafford St. The restaurant most likely won’t open until the end of the year after a complete rehab. It will be a full service restaurant with seating for about 200.

La Dolce Vita. The Sweet Life at Café Dolce just got better. According to owner Michael Carrigan, the Shrewsbury Street dessert café has a new and expanded wine list as well as a craft beer list. All the wines and beers go perfectly with Café Dolce’s desserts.

Emerald Isle closes doors. The Emerald Isle on Worcester’s Millbury St. abruptly closed its doors in early August. The restaurant/club was located in the former Messier’s Diner, a Worcester landmark, for generations.

Bill Nemroff joins Niche. Bill Nemroff, the former owner of Cedar Street Bistro, which was recently sold, has joined the Niche Hospitality Group and will be putting together a new menu for Citizen. Nemroff will also assist Executive Chef Steve Champagne in his day-to-day duties.