Romano’s Macaroni Grill Ranked #1 Italian Restaurant Chain
Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) announced today that Romano's Macaroni Grill® was the top-ranked brand in the Italian/Pizza segment among casual-dining chains in its 2016 Consumer Picks survey. Macaroni Grill also ranked 5th overall among casual-dining brands, moving up from its No. 7 ranking in 2015. The annual survey, which NRN produced...
Corner Bakery Cafe Celebrates the Flavors of Italy
Corner Bakery Cafe is saying, "buon appetito," by introducing flavors inspired by Italy and handcrafted at the Corner, available from July 26 through September 26. "We've combined traditional Italian meats and cheeses to create classic Italian flavors in our cafes," said Ric Scicchitano, Executive Vice President, Food & Supply Chain at...
Ciatti’s opens new location in Onalaska
A longtime local Italian/American restaurant has updated its name and atmosphere with its move to a new building. And its owner hopes to open more locations in the future. Ciatti's Italian Grill opened Nov. 19 at 2846 Midwest Drive in Onalaska, just north of the Hampton Inn and near Outback Steakhouse and Manny's Cocina restaurants. ...
Villa Ravenna Ristorante Italiano offers variety of food, prices
By Scott Cherry One thing I like about Villa Ravenna Ristorante Italiano beyond the food and hospitality is the broad range of the menu, both in price and variety of dishes. If one wants to have dinner for $10 to $15, the menu has plenty of dishes in that price range. If one wants to have a more upscale entree in the $25 to $40 range, tho...
Piada Moves into North Texas
Piada Italian Street Food, one of 2015's most "buzzed about brands" according to the National Restaurant Association, will debut its first location in North Texas in Frisco on November 20. The 2,998-square-foot fast casual restaurant will occupy a prime spot on the endcap of The Centre at Preston Ridge development at 3301 Preston Road, just south o...
Food? Italians do it better. Healthy eating “explained” to Americans
by Alessandra Verzera Italians do it better. This provocative statement was printed on one of pop star Madonna's T-shirts in the 80s. It was a continuous "wink wink nudge nudge" referred to what Italians do better. And despite the allusion was sexual, many Americans thought of meatloaf, instead; a homemade dish popular in Italy and widely...
What’s in store: Riccobono’s Peppermill
Amid the 40th anniversary celebrations at Riccobono's Peppermill (3524 Severn Ave., Metairie, 504-455-2266; www.riccobonospeppermill.com), there is a changing of the guard. Another generation of Riccobonos is ready to leave its mark on the neighborhood restaurant. "We're sharing a new vision we have for the restaurant — totally respecting...
Phil Romano's recipe for success
Fuddruckers. Romano's Macaroni Grill. Cozymel's. These are some of the 25-plus restaurant concepts that Phil Romano, 75, has created, producing some $1.5 billion in annual sales. (There have been some flops too, including a lobster restaurant in Dallas.) Romano, who survived malignant lymphoma, has branched into other realms. His latest is Trinity...
A “Magical mistery tour” at the Four Seasons Houston
by Phaedra Cook Think you know everything about Houston's venerable, high-class hotel Four Seasons? The hotel is full of nooks, crannies, kitchens, wine rooms, special suites and ballrooms. Every Friday in July starting at 7 p.m., executive chef Maurizio Ferrarese and his staff of the hotel's restaurant, Quattro, are taking culinary advent...
Barter just bailed from Uptown but already there's an Italian successor
We barely got a chance to say goodbye to Barter, the just-closed restaurant on McKinney Avenue from brothers Patrick and Michael Halbert, and already we are saying hello to its replacement: Italian restaurant Patrizio. A manager at the Patrizio in Highland Park Village confirmed that it would be relocating after its closure on February 28....
Ilario’s Italian Cuisine
by JJ Velasquez Steve Swindell said his business grew 47 percent from 2013 to 2014, but it was not long ago the Kyle restaurant owner had to go back to the drawing board. Swindell opened Panhandler's Pizza in Kyle in 2011, a buffet featuring Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. But he later realized it was not the right business model, he s...
Review: The Original Fiorellas’ Cafe in Gentilly
At the Original Fiorellas' Cafe, tradition is everything. Though it sits in a nondescript strip mall on Franklin Avenue, the bright red and white awning with the signature script is an easy giveaway of what's in store. Brothers Kelly and Calcie Fiorella opened the Gentilly restaurant in early 2016, pledging to honor their father's French Q...