thePULSEBy Paul Giorgio
White City Pizza. White City Pizza, the venerable Shrewsbury pizza place on Route 9, was recently purchased by the Fotiadis Family, former owners of both the Manor Restaurant in West Boylston and Dean Park Pizza in Shrewsbury. WCP will also serve beer and wine, so you get a little Chianti with your pie.
Speaking of Pizza. Mateo Dellovo of City Living magazine has recently opened a pizza place next to El Basha in Westboro. The new endeavor is called Gourmet Pizza Bar. It’s at 2 Connector Rd in Westboro, right off of Route 9.
LaLa Java expands. Lala Java on Route 9 in Shrewsbury will be opening a second location off of Route 20 in Northboro. This second location will be larger than the first.
Does the hat come with it? The Emerald Isle, a quintessential Worcester dining spot, is up for sale. The 135 seat eatery on Millbury Street in the Canal District is looking for a new owner. The only question we have is whether the large green hat on the roof comes with the building.
Get Lucky. Lucky’s Café (102 Grove Street in Worcester), which has been serving breakfast and lunch for years and had occasionally offered dinner, has decided to make that third meal of the day a permanent part of their weekend menu. They now will be serving dinner from 5 – 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The entrée prices are in the $11 to $14 range and everything is homemade. It is also BYOB.
Boston Wine Expo. The 16th annual Boston Wine Expo is happening one again at the World Trade Center on February 10th & 11th. You can taste over 1800 wines from 440 wineries representing 13 countries. In addition to the wineries, there are celebrity chefs including Ming Tsi and Todd English. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wineexpoboston.com.
Riley’s on Lincoln to reopen. Riley’s on Lincoln Street, a favorite neighborhood breakfast spot which recently closed its doors, will be reopening shortly. The good news is that it is going back to the Riley family, specifically Christine Riley, one of Paul Riley’s sixteen kids, who will reopen it with her husband Alan. With a family that big, you have a built in customer base.
Anthony’s closes down. A second major restaurant in as many weeks has shut its doors. Anthony’s Restaurant on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street quietly closed its doors on January 10th. No word yet on who will move into the spot, but several area restaurants have looked at the space.
Castellana’s hires new manager. Castellana’s Restaurant on Harding Street in Worcester’s Canal District has a new manager. Samantha Straw has replaced Matt Cormier as manager of this upscale Italian eatery.
Coffee & dessert anyone? Sweets & Java will be opening soon at 1204 Main Street in Holden. The dessert café, which is occupying the space that once housed Lilly’s bakery, is owned by Michael Carrigan (of Worcester’s Café Dolce) and Sean Navin. The café will offer free wi-fi and should be a hit with local youngsters who are looking for a safe place to hang out.
Imperial pleasures. Imperial Buffet, owned by Brian Chang and located on Maple Ave. in Shrewsbury’s Fairlawn Plaza, opened recently. There are six separate buffet stations, including a full sushi bar with made to order sushi. The restaurant also features a raw bar with clams and oysters. The all-you-can-eat buffet is $7 for lunch and $13 for dinner. This is Chang’s sixth location, including one in Milford, MA.
On the Rise. On the Rise Baking will be opening mid to late February at 1120 Pleasant St. in Worcester (right between Dean Florist and Charlotte Klein Dance Studio), offering specialty coffees, lattes, breakfast pastries, French pastries, specialty cakes and wedding cakes. There is on-street parking and a small lot in back. Elizabeth Casey, owner and pastry chef, has been designing edible works of art for high-end events in the area for years.
