thePULSEBy Paul Giorgio
And the winner is. Well, the Taste of Shrewsbury Street is over. Almost 5,000 people participated in the annual kick-off to summer on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street. So who’s the best of the 40 restaurants on the street? The winners are 7 Nana, the just-opened Japanese steak house ~ and, for the 2nd consecutive year, Sweet, for their Strawberry Shortcake cupcake. The best party spot? The Flying Rhino, which had about 1,000 people in its parking lot.
Not the ice cream man. The first Worcester Food Truck Festival will be held on Saturday, July 14 at Worcester’s Elm Park. Almost 30 food trucks from around New England will participate in this unique event. The cost of a ticket is $30 (or $35 day of) and allows you to try food from each of the trucks. For more information, including a list of foods offered, visit www.foodtruckfestivalsofNE.com.
7 Nana finally opens. 7 Nana, the much anticipated Japanese mega steakhouse, has finally opened at 60 Shrewsbury Street. Owner Jack Lu spent over $1 million renovating what was once a car dealer’s office ~ and the results are stunning. They feature several rooms with Teppanyaki tables, a large sushi bar, and private rooms for functions.
No Gentlemen from Verona. The Verona Grill on Route 70 in Shrewsbury abruptly closed its doors in June. No word yet on if there will be new owners taking over.
It’s not Piccadilly Circus. The Piccadilly Pub on Worcester’s Shrewsbury Street closed earlier this year when the Canadian company that owned them went bankrupt. Recently, a group of former employees leased the space and will be opening Piccadilly Bar & Grill. It will feature the same menu and a great many familiar faces among the staff. Now if we can only get the Stanley Cup back.
The Tavern gets new owner. The Tavern on the Common in Rutland was recently sold and has been under new management since June. They had been there for 10 years, serving American food. No word yet on what the new owners plan to do.
Puff the magic Dragon. We hear that one of the area’s favorite places for Mai Tais and maybe Chinese food will be closing its doors to make way for a drugstore. Word is that the Dragon 88 on Route 140 in Boylston will be closing. We will keep you posted.
Walking a tightrope. The center of Northboro has a new restaurant. Zem Han, a Mediterranean style restaurant featuring foods from Turkey, Greece, and Italy recently opened in what was once the old Town Hall and former home of Tom’s. The new eatery is owned by Yuri Krasnov, a former tightrope walker from the Moscow Circus. The Chef will be Yusef Usta, originally from Turkey and most recently from New York. Krasnov also wants to open a location in Worcester once this place gets off the ground.
Mountain and Sea. The space that once housed Caffe Espresso on Worcester’s Wall Street is undergoing a complete renovation and will shortly be reopening as an Italian restaurant, still run by the former owners of Caffe Espresso. It will be called Monte (mountain) & Mari (Sea).
Birthday wishes. We congratulate the Canal District’s Square One and Perfect Game on having been open for two years now, and Shrewsbury Street’s Nuovo on its first year in business.
