Paul Giorgio

Will Be Missed: Tom Oliveri Sr, a stalwart in the restaurant business, passed away recently. Tom and his family have owned several restaurants in Central Mass including Elsa’s Bushel N Peck, Peppercorns, Elsa’s in Shrewsbury and Prezzo in Milford. Tom’s sons run Peppercorn’s and Oli’s in West Boylston. He and his family also started Wormtown Brewery.

It’s Closing Time: It appears that numerous restaurants in Worcester have shut down in February. Topping the list are three places in the Canal District. Lock 50 on Water Street closed at the end of January as did the District on Harding Street and the Blackstone on Green Street. The owners of the District Wood Fired Kitchen are looking for someone to lease the space.

Zorba’s: The Greek Restaurant on Worcester’s Stafford Street which opened in 2011 has also turned off its stove, according to a Facebook post on its website. According to the current owners, they do have a buyer for the property. Don’t know if it’s a restaurant, but they say they have experience in the restaurant business.

The Opening Bell: Ju’s Bar & Grill has opened in the space that once housed Blackstone and before that the Hangover Pub at 102 Green St in Worcester’s Canal District. Juliana Juarez, the owner, will be cooking up Brazilian food.

It looks like Gaucho Prime Brazilian Steakhouse is set to open in the Midtown Mall on Worcester’s Front St. The sign is up.

Friends: Further a field in Templeton, we hear that the 140-year-old Otter River Pub has reopened after a September fire. Matt Black, the owner, credits the townspeople with helping him get back to business.

Now that’s Odd: A new brewery has opened in the Midtown Mall on Front Street across from City Hall. The 90’s themed brewery Odd by Worcester had its ribbon cutting in the middle of February. From a mural with 90’s icons to classic jams and video games, this 

Finagle the Bagel: Bagel Time, a family-owned and Worcester based bagel shop that operated on Park Ave opposite the WPI football field appears set to move to the former Pleasant Street location of Furs by Micheal, at the corner of Park Ave and Pleasant Street, according to city records.  Marieta and Cristian Zaruha, are the co-owners of Bagel Time, which they acquired in 2011.

The Brunch Bunch: Worcester’s Grille on the Hill at the Green Hill Golf Course started offering an all you can eat brunch on Sundays for $18.

We Hear They’re Yummy: Samuel Cheng, the former owner of Blue Shades on Park Ave, has recently opened a Hong Kong style dumpling place at 5 Pleasant Street in Worcester. Yume Dumplings opened at the end of January.

46 Years: Chuck’s Steakhouse and Margarita’s in Auburn closed its door on February 24th. The Auburn restaurant had a 46-year run, and the building and land were recently sold to the Town of Auburn.

Further Afield: Two new restaurants have opened in North County, 4 Seasons Chinese Cuisine opened in Garner while Leominster has Seoul Kitchen & Sushi in the space that once housed Bocado.