Italian Restaurants Archives - Page 22 of 33

Downtown Aspen hungry for food options

Posted on12/01/202307/12/2022Author

**Gucci will be moving into 204. S. Galena Street.**
*Carolyn Sackariason/The Aspen Times*

As winter season kicks off, the downtown commercial landscape has experienced some moves in the retail world with new arrivals and the changing of locations, yet several restaurant spaces will remain dark until next year.

Almost a dozen spaces that used to be restaurants in downtown Aspen will remain closed this winter season, including a handful that have been closed for several years.

**The historic building at 201 E. Main St., known to most as the former Main Street Bakery.**
*Anna Stonehouse/The Aspen Times*

The longest that have remained closed are Main Street Bakery, which ceased operations in 2016 and is owned by prominent landlord Mark Hunt, as well as the former Over Easy and Aspen Brewing Co. space on Hopkins Avenue, which the Hillstone Restaurant Group purchased in 2017.

**The building that used to house the Aspen Brewing Co. and Over Easy was purchased by the Hillstone Restaurant Group and has been empty since 2016.**
*Carolyn Sackariason/The Aspen Times*

Brian Biel, vice president of the restaurant group, which owns the White House Tavern next door, issued a similar statement last week that the company has made in previous years.

“Hillstone is working with the city of Aspen to pull out its building permit and expects to start work on a new project soon,” he said via email.

Hunt told The Aspen Times this past February he hoped to start construction within a few months, but that has not happened.

The space next to the empty Hillstone property that was most recently occupied by Tatanka, which is closed in 2021, is supposed to open by next summer as a Thai restaurant and a Japanese concept underneath, according to commercial real estate broker Angi Yang with Setterfield & Bright.

The former Aspen Sports Bistro and prior to that, Hops Culture, located on the Hyman Avenue mall, is under contract and will not be open this winter.

The restaurant space in the Golden Horn building on the corner of the Mill and Cooper pedestrian malls won’t be open until next winter, according to John Terzian, who represents the Los Angeles-based h. wood Group.

**Two spaces in the Golden Horn building on the Mill and Cooper malls will be empty until next winter.**
*Carolyn Sackariason/The Aspen Times*

The hospitality group plans to open its third Nice Guy restaurant, which also has locations in Los Angeles and Dubai and pays homage to the era of mafia bars and restaurants and has an old-school Italian menu.

The group took over the space a year and a half ago, after the previous restaurant, Maru, closed in 2019.

The original plan was to be open in 2021 but delays due to the pandemic and permitting processes have slowed down, Terzian said.

He envisions it to be a great place for locals and tourists to hang out in a 1950s era Frank Sinatra and Palm Springs type of scene, with a warm living room feel and live music every night.

“We are super excited about it,” Terzian said last week.

The future proprietors of the Red Onion, Craig and Samantha Cordts-Pearce, planned to be open sometime this winter and now it’s likely sometime in 2023.

The space, also owned by Hunt, is part of almost an entire block on the Cooper Avenue mall being redeveloped into an RH storefront and a jazz center operated by Jazz Aspen Snowmass that has been under construction for years.

Having that much empty space on one block is concerning for Aspen Mayor Torre, who said last week that the vacancy rate in the commercial core, whether the places are spoken for or not, is damaging to the town for many reasons.

“When we have space that is not being utilized in our downtown core, that means that goods and services are not getting to both residents and visitors, and it’s all based on who we are as a town and who are we serving and how’s it coming back to us,” he said. “On top of that, there are tax implications with all these vacant spaces.”

Torre earlier this fall got support from his fellow council members to have staff investigate the possibility of a commercial vacancy tax.

Hunt’s other properties that used to house restaurants Aspen Pie and Nakazawa on the Mill Street mall are closed, as is the longtime Mexican restaurant Su Casa around the corner at 315 E. Hyman Ave.

The Cordts-Pearces, who also own the Wild Fig, will take over the former Nakazawa space and will also manage the Popcorn Wagon.

The spaces on the corner of Galena Street and Durant Avenue that housed Victoria’s Espresso and The Ski Shop will remain closed while Michael Goldberg, owner of the adjacent Belly Up, plans a new

In a London restaurant, Senegalese hold heads high despite England disappointment | WorldCup

Posted on05/01/202307/12/2022Author

It was a freezing night in east London, but inside Little Baobab, an inconspicuous Senegalese restaurant hidden away in a building in Clapton, there was a cautious buzz of optimism. Usually the venue hosts Senegalese musicians, often playing mbalax, a type of Senegalese and Gambian dance music. But tonight, it was all about the football, with the crowd of 40 or so hopefully their team could reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup in just the second time.

Khadim Mbamba, the restaurant’s chef, refused to sit, but chose instead to lean nervously against a chair at the very back of the room. “Some people have told me Senegal only has a 15% chance of winning,” he said. “I would say 35%. I don’t think there’s going to be many goals, though. 1-0 or 2-1, maybe.”

For Mbamba, it’s significant that the team is led by Aliou Cissé, a veteran of the famous 2002 campaign when Senegal beat then world champion France.

“We were coached by French managers so long. Now, most of the African teams are coached by Africans. Every country has its own mentality. A Senegalese manager knows how to handle the team and deal with the players.”

The Senegalese team are no strangers to grief. In the year of the 2002 World Cup campaign, the MV Le Joola, a ferry that connects Senegalese coastal cities, sank and 1,863 people lost their lives. Eleven of them were relatives of Cissé, and his sister was one of the dead. Two years ago, Papa Bouba Diop, the sole scorer in that famous victory against the French, died suddenly at the age of 42. The players led tributes to Diop ahead of their victory against Ecuador.

Although their talisman, Sadio Mané, was cruelly injured before the tournament, and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye was suspended, this is a Senegalese team with real quality – among them goalkeeper Édouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly, both of whom play for Chelsea.

Ndene, a teacher and friend of Khadim, said that for some of the players who don’t play at that level, competing in the knockout rounds of this tournament is an opportunity to earn themselves a move to a bigger club.

“Every team wants to have Harry Kane. But the young Senegalese players really want to prove themselves,” Ndene said. “There are some young players, 23 or 24 years old. Iliman Ndiaye [of Sheffield United] for example, who plays in the Championship. Next year he wants to be in the Premier League.”

Ahead of the kick-off, the Senegalese anthem was hummed discreetly by only a few in the restaurant, but as it went on, more and more joined in, until by the time of the crescendo it was raucous, people standing and belting out the tune. Then, as the game got underway, the room rang with shouts of encouragement and appeals to the referee, peaking when the video assistant referee denied Senegal a penalty after the ball was cannoned off the hand of England defender John Stones.

But the positivity drained from the room when England went 2-0 up in added time in the first half. At the break, the mood was subdued, with the Lions of Teranga 2-0 behind.

Behind the projector screen showing the match, enticing smells emanated from stainless steel vats: small deep-fried pastries called fataya, mafe peanut butter and vegetable stew, chicken yassa with onions, caramelised with lime. Customers queued and the food restored some buoyancy.

Ashley grew up in Leyton, and had been to Little Baobab before. “Usually I’d watch an England match at the pub,” she said. “But to come here, to see the Senegalese culture, and eat the great food – it’s a different experience.”

And there was still hope. Reuben is from Derbyshire, but lives in east London. “I’m British through and through,” he said. “But I want to see an African country do well, just one time. I’m happy whoever wins, but now, with Ghana and Cameroon out, it’s all on Senegal.”

Michael, a French national of Senegalese descent, was upbeat. “Senegal has been the better team. I think we have a chance of getting back into it.”

But then it was on again, and just before the hour mark, England added to their lead through Bukayo Saka. Underneath the traditional Senegalese fabric bunting hung from the ceiling, the mood fell flat. Some got up and left. The final whistle blew, and the current

Detroit’s 2022 Eater Awards Winners: Best Restaurants, Chefs, and Bars

Posted on01/01/202307/12/2022Author

If there’s one characteristic that sums up Detroiters, it’s persistence. Working with grace under fire has always been a prerequisite for surviving and thriving in this city, whether it was during a pandemic, the struggles with gentrification, a historic bankruptcy, or decades of disinvestment. Somehow, we know how to overcome whatever challenges we’re faced. That’s no different for the restaurants and bars and in 2022, a number of establishments have found ways to innovate in the kitchen, build community one cocktail at a time, and design spaces in neighborhoods that feel welcome to all Detroiters.

This year, we saw an underutilized ground-level storefront near downtown transformed into an intimate neighborhood destination that’s perfected the art of Coney-style steak and frites, a long-vacant historic firehouse reimagined as a casual-yet-elegant wine bar, a trio of Black bartenders whose pop-up beverage program encapsulates Black excellence, and a pair of neighborhood restaurants that are redefining Detroiters’ notions of fine dining in their own communities.

And with that, Eater Detroit is proud to celebrate the winners of the 2022 Eater Awards.

The interior of Bar Pigalle in Detroit, Michigan with white top tables, dark colored chairs, green accents.

A dish of food on a plate from Bar Pigalle in Detroit, Michigan.

A cheeseburger in the foreground on a plate a bowl of fries to the left in the background and a brown bottle of beer to the right in the background from Bar Pigalle in Detroit, Michigan.

Best New Restaurant

Bar Pigalle

Years ago, sommelier Joseph Allerton and bartender Travis Fourmont got to know each other at the new-at-the-time Michael Symon’s Roast in the swanky Westin Book Cadillac. Allerton stayed at Roast, while Fourmont parted ways with the spot. The two crossed paths over the years after that and somehow always knew that they would get the chance to work again someday. That someday came this June when the pair opened Bar Pigalle on the ground level of the historic Carlton Lofts.

To be sure, the duo never abandoned their ties to the beverage world. Bar Pigalle’s cocktail, beer, and wine lists are impressive but now with their own space, they get to pair libations with a food menu. Chef Nyle Flynn plays with Detroit’s French history with dishes like bison tartare, guanciale-wrapped frog legs, and a Coney-style steak and frites. In keeping with its Parisian theme, the establishment is named after the Quartier Pigalle — home of the famous Moulin Rouge.

Best New Bar

Ladder 4 Wine Bar

Part of the charm of Detroit living is its abundance of historic architecture — including its old-school firehouses. Sadly, many of the city’s structures are in need of significant TLC, waiting for someone to recognize the beauty that lies within them. On an otherwise quiet corner at Vinewood and West Grand Boulevard one such firehouse, known as Ladder 4. Built in 1910 and designed by the same architects behind the Belle Isle Boat House, the hidden gem lay dormant since the station closed in 2000. Enter James Cadariu, who along with his brother, purchased the building in 2015 and got down to business restoring the space so that it could realize a new future. Earlier this year, Cadariu’s elbow grease finally paid off when he reintroduced Ladder Four as a bar and retail wine shop featuring more than 200 varieties of wines that span the globe.

On a balmy summer afternoon, guests can grab a seat at three patio spaces and sip on vino by the glass or bottle. The first floor boasts comfy U-shaped upholstered booths, several stone high tops, and a period-appropriate subway tiling. From the start, Cadariu insisted that Ladder 4 is a wine bar, not a restaurant, although more recently, that’s begun to change, thanks to the innovative menu designed by John Yelinek who also helms the popular Park Ranger pop-up. Sure, you could settle for a bowl of olives or a tin of mussels. But the move is certainly to go big with a 32-ounce dry-aged rib-eye for two. Suddenly, you’re transported from what was once an abandoned building into an elegant neighborhood destination.

Lisa Posey, one third of the Black on Both Sides bartending pop-up venture.

John Neely of Black on Both Sides in Detroit, Michigan.

Best New Collaborative Hospitality Experience

Black on Both Sides

In February 2022, a trio of Black bartenders decided to band together with the mission to enhance the hospitality experiences of people of color. Andre Sykes, who was just coming off the high of leading the Shelby speakeasy to the James Beard Awards’ long list for Best Bar in America, along with co-conspirators John Neely of Highlands and Lisa Posey who helped open an Evening Bar downtown in 2019 followed by a stint at The Spare Room in Los Angeles, launched Black on Both Sides. That investment in itself has been paid off so far. Among the trio’s highlights came mid-summer when they collaborated on an ambitious effort to invite Detroiters of all walks to immerse themselves in the city’s burgeoning, though sometimes a not-so-welcoming dining scene with the Hospitality Included Fest outside of the Chroma building in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. Among the dozens of food and beverage vendors in attendance — ranging from emerging