Paul Giorgio

A new toy. The Ho Toy, Worcester’s iconic Chinese restaurant, located at 401 Park Ave., has been bought by the owners of Kenichi and Sake Bomb, also in Worcester. Bothers Kenny and Bobby Huang will renovate the place and rename it the Wan Wan Asian Bistro. They plan to open the 4,000-square-foot eatery in September. They also plan to expand on the Ho Toy menu, keeping some of the classics but also adding to them.

Two close, one opens. Il Forno restaurant on Route 12 in West Boylston closed the last week of February. Fear not — the other locations remain open. It also appears that Plaza Azteca, a local Mexican restaurant located in Worcester’s Lincoln Plaza has closed. We don’t know if it is permanent or not. Meanwhile, the much anticipated opening of simjang, a Korean restaurant owned by the operators of Worcester’s deadhorse hill, happened on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street at the beginning of March.

News from the monks. Armsby Abbey plans to open a second restaurant in Hudson. It will be located in the center of town at 10-12 Main St., right at the at the rotary.

In other Armsby Abby news. Once again, Worcester’s Armsby Abbey is considered the best bar in the state. The Main Street bar, which features exclusively local and craft beers, was voted the Best in Massachusetts for the third straight year in a survey by CraftBeer.com. Here is what the owners said: “Few beer bars have been recognized through this search as much as Armsby Abbey. We believe that speaks for itself, from the atmosphere to the beer selection that Armsby Abbey prides itself on.” CraftBeer.com said: “In a state as beer-centric as Massachusetts, our readers say Armsby Abbey continues to lead the way.”

Rocky’s last fight. Canal District bar Rocky’s is no more. The bar will be converted to a restaurant called the Board Room, which will serve Middle Eastern made-to-order food. The restaurant will be owned by Roger Bachour, who owns The Whiskey Lounge on Main Street in Worcester. After dinner service, the restaurant will become a sports bar with an industrial feel. It is on Water Street and joins a host of new eateries in the Canal District.

Feel the heat. The Red Heat Tavern opened at the end of March in Westborough. This is the third restaurant in the small chain. Others are located in Wilmington and Bedford. The heat from Red Heat comes from a special oven and grill that uses charcoal. Entrees are priced from $14-$22.

Change at the range. The much-acclaimed Chef Chris O’Hara, of the Flying Rhino Café on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street, has jumped ship to Maddie’s on Water Street. Maddie’s should be opening by the end of the month. Sous Chef Drew Day will take over kitchen duties at the Rhino.

It’s all good. Greater Good Imperial Brewing Company opened in mid-March at its new location on Milbrook Street in Worcester. It boasts the largest taproom around. This brings the number of breweries located in Worcester to four.