thePULSEBy Paul Giorgio
Gumbo is closed. The Canal District’s Gumbo is closed and will reopen the first week of February as the Canal Bar & Grille. Owner Nick Vapiano, who also owns Holden’s Flip Flops, will keep a great many of Gumbo’s favorites ~ including the raw bar, jambalaya, blackened steaks and ettouffee ~ but he’s also expanding the menu, so that it is more eclectic. Expect to see moderately priced comfort food such as mac ‘n cheese, lasagna, hamburgers, steaks and seafood at this American grill.
Catch that Greyhound. The Greyhound Pub, a Canal District fixture, has reopened after moving a few blocks down on Worcester’s Water Street. Paul Curley, the pub’s owner claims that the bar has one of the best selections of Irish whiskey and Scotch in the area. Check it out and let us know. It is one of the only places you can catch Irish football on a regular basis.
Café Dolce undergoing renovations. The long shuttered Café Dolce on Shrewsbury Street is undergoing reconstruction. It is expected to reopen soon, with new owners and a new liquor license. Café Dolce was the original Shrewsbury Street dessert and cocktail spot. We will let you know what is opening in its place as soon as we find out.
Calling all wine drinkers. The widely popular Boston Wine Expo returns to the Seaport World Trade Center in mid- February. This event, which attracts wine producers and distributors from around the world, will be held 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17. The cost of the tasting is $95 on Saturday and $85 on Sunday. In addition to the grand tasting, there are wine seminars featuring such luminaries as Gina Gallo. Visit www.wine-expo.com for more information.
East Park Grille closed. John Grosse’s East Park Grille has apparently closed on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street. This was a place with great food that was constantly searching for an identity. It started out as a bakery, making fresh old-style Italian loaves. It also served dinner on the weekends. Grosse has owned a few restaurants in Worcester, including the original East Park Grille and then Bread and Pasta, both on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester.
Oh why, oh why, do I love Paris? Paris of the Eighties is now a café. That was the moniker they affixed to Worcester in the ’70s, before it became the Bucharest of the ’90s. It appears that the new spot ~ next to The Palladium in downtown Worcester ~ had its official opening Jan. 22. The café will serve sandwiches, pastries and coffees.
New at Haiku. Well, there is a new owner at Worcester’s Haiku Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. Reza Karkonan has taken over from the former owner. Master Sushi Chef Kenzo is revamping the menu, and you can find him working his magic on a nightly basis.
Carmella’s hasn’t moved. Last month we inadvertently said that Carmella’s Italian Kitchen was in Brookfield when it actually is in East Brookfield. Sorry to Sean Fitzpatrick and his family for moving them without their knowledge.
Fresh City in our city. It looks like Fresh City, a food chain which specializes in healthy eating, will soon be opening in downtown Worcester. Fresh City is going to open in what the new Unum Provident is building on the very new Mercantile Street, which intersects with the newly opened Front Street.
