By Paul Giorgio

Happy Birthday Post Office. No, not Post Office ~ we are talking about the Olde Post Office Pub in Grafton, which recently celebrated 30 years in business. This is quite an accomplishment in a business where the average restaurant stays open for about a year. The Pub originally opened its doors in 1979 under the ownership of Edward Whiterell.

One more Mexican. Chipotle Mexican Grill, located at 97 Boston Turnpike (Route 9) in Shrewsbury, officially opened its doors the second week of April. It is located in the Quinsigamond Plaza right across from Trader Joe’s. It will be open from 11 am to 10 pm daily. The chain began operation in 1993.

Niche Hospitality does it again. Michael Covino and company are in the process of opening another business, the Citizen Wine & Cheese Exchange at 1 Exchange Place (which used to house the Firehouse Café), across from the DCU Center. You can either drink your wine in the restaurant or buy a bottle or case to bring home.

It’s not a Mirage. The owners of the Mirage Café at the corner of June and Chandler Streets in Worcester are opening a second place at the airport at 375 Airport Drive. Owned by Diane Louis, it will have a liquor license and be called Mirage Express. Louis’s family owns the Boulevard Diner on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street.

Maxwell House? In House Coffee, a coffee chain store, has opened where the Starbucks was located on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street. At least some one thinks that the good old folks on Worcester’s East Side deserve a good cup of coffee. Beside coffee, they also do juices salads, sandwiches & desserts.

A string of Pearls. 55 Pearl is the name of the new restaurant that is occupying the space 55 Pearl St. in Worcester’s downtown that recently housed G’Vanni’s and, prior to that, TiNoVo. The restaurant, which opened April 16th, serves American food and is owned by Ed Madaus, Paul DeMoga, Bill Giannopoulis and Mark Aaronson. Madaus & Demoga are the driving force behind the Hanover Theatre and maybe all of downtown Worcester. They are also working on a restaurant on 551 Main St, adjacent to the theatre.

Mac’s Diner burns. Mac’s Diner at 185 Shrewsbury Street in Worcester was the victim of a serious fire on April 7th. The diner, which is really not a diner but a mish mash of rooms, has been in the McMahon family for 3 generations. The diner originally opened in 1931 under the ownership of Paul Mac’s (McMahon) father. Paul has run it for almost 30 years, but recently turned the day to day operation over to son Chris. They plan to reopen as quickly as possible.

Outdoor Dining. There are a couple of new places offering outdoor dining this spring. As we reported last month, the LaScala on Shrewsbury Street has new owners. Kevin Zona and Tom Hammond plan on opening a large patio adjacent to the restaurant.

Also the Boiler Room, a lounge on the corner of Winter & Harding Streets, will be opening an outdoor courtyard. They plan on serving food in June and the menu will feature Meditereann style tapas. El Basha’s Belmont St. location also has a new patio. You can get food and a drink and smoke a Hooka Pipe.