Latest news with #SouthernItalian
Time Out
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Find fluffy pizza crusts and ‘divine' Italian eats at this osteria tucked away in Elizabeth Bay
Whether you mean to or not, you'll find history on every corner you turn in Italy. Beautiful churches, half-dug ruins and centuries-old restaurants. Divino Osteria is taking a page out of Italy's history book, bringing both quality Mediterranean flavours and an exciting past to the streets of Elizabeth Bay. Located in the old Sebel Townhouse Hotel (the former home of Bar Grazie), Divino Osteria's walls have once seen the likes of big stars like Elton John and David Bowie. Now they see leopard-spotted woodfire pizza crusts and heaping bowls of pasta dreamt up by owner, Paddington -local Anthony Alafaci. His Southern Italian heritage has inspired the classic Italian menu: fresh antipasti like octopus carpaccio and apple scallops; pasta faves like slow-cooked ragu rigatoni; big, fluffy and crunchy pizzas; and hearty mains like a magical-looking herb-crusted lamb cutlet. They're all cooked up by head chef Andrea Di Stefano and his team. Stefano is a Catania native, and has also worked in in European Michelin-starred kitchens, so strap in for a great Italian feast. Pair your meal with a drop from the European wine list and contemporary Italian cocktails that feature a whole lot of Limoncello and Aperol. In true Italian fashion, you can enjoy a long weekend lunch that includes a filling pizza to share and two Spritzes with your favourite plus-one – all for $60. Kicking things off before a night out instead? From 4pm to 6pm every Thursday to Sunday is happy hour. Knock back a couple of $14 Spritzes and polish them off with a olive oil-laced focaccia. The space is reminiscent of a 1960s jazz bar; bottles of vino line wooden shelves, drawings of chillies, lemons and Martini glasses dot the walls and tableside lamps are the main source of light. So, are you feeling cosy? Save yourself a seat – and plenty of room in your belly.
Spectator
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
2710: The clash
In one square in each quarter of the grid, across and down entries clash (leave these squares blank). From these eight letters four unclued lights (mutual anagrams) can be formed, each defined by one other unclued light. Across 6 Endlessly fortunate to go on morning walks (6) 10 No Southern Italian entertains blockheads (11) 11 Irritating, not snidely malicious at first (5) 14 Record recent warning car may carry (1-5) 16 One fanatical about swimmer (4) 17 Miserable and low, new standard (4,4) 22 Strain, not bad at first, coming on well (2,5) 24 Somewhat curious note (3) 26 Length of US railroad (3) 28 Free party night we hear that should catch fire (7) 29 Surprisingly agreed to be disparaging (8) 33 More Scottish tenor in indifferent instruction to players (8) 34 Quickly turned, a little short of courage (4) 35 Rabbi has whip-round for garment (6) 37 Mysterious vault, at first icy cold (7) 38 A flight of birds is ecstasy, seen in the flesh (5) 39 Frogman, decent chap, saves me moving away (11) 40 Lots of small nails (6) 41 What one has on the brain people almost swallow (8) Down 1 Strut to follow rise in prosperity (4,4) 2 Slowing down before bend for hotel (4) 3 Make detached house fine after middle of June (6) 4 Fabric salesman enters study (6) 5 Peer at awful sock once sported by dandy (8) 6 Solvent's top quality (7) 8 Turn out in regular uniform in gallery (9) 9 Pick up part of stem as essential oil comes from it (6) 15 Old officers sensing trouble (7) 18 Painful smoke stretched out a mile back (7) 19 With frosty look, take position about collapse (8) 23 In prison, depart shortly for valley (8) 29 Consider getting rid of last plate (6) 30 Left paradise, heading off ferment (6) 31 Steam through battalion, smashed (6) 32 A nearly hot jelly (5) 36 Tiny chap's power spoken of (4) Download a printable version here. A first prize of £30 and two runners-up prizes of £20 for the first correct solutions opened on 21 July. Please scan or photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@ or post to: Crossword 2710, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery.
Eater
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Maximalist Nonna-Chic Restaurant Is Landing in the La Jolla Theater District
Skip to main content Current eater city: San Diego Growing up in Sicily, chef Accursio Lota spent his childhood running around family gardens, olive groves, and fishing ports, developing his passion for food from his nonna. Since relocating to San Diego, Lota has poured the same love for food that he learned from his grandmother into his restaurants In 2019, he opened his North Park restaurant, Trattoria Cori Pastificio, named after his wife and business partner, Corinne Goria. The word 'cori' also means 'love' in Sicilian. Now, as he's readying to open his second restaurant this fall, Lota is paying homage to another important woman in his life: his nonna. The namesake restaurant, Dora, is slated to open in the La Jolla Theater District in late September or early October. The restaurant will showcase his love of Southern Italian and Southern California cuisine with its a maximalist seafood-centric menu. All dishes will be made in house, including the bread, pasta, and gelato. As theater shows run at the nearby La Jolla Playhouse, rotating prix fixe pre-theater menus will present playful, special themes based on the productions. Lota's been recognized for his culinary talents since he was a teenager: By age 14, he had already enrolled in culinary school. At age 18, he was chosen to represent his culinary school in Italy's National Culinary Competition. In 2017, he was crowned the winner of the Barilla World Pasta Competition. He went on to train under chef Sergio Mei at the Four Seasons in Milan. From there, he moved to the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara, where, at only 22 years old and new to the country, he cooked for notable guests, including Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama. He returned to Sicily, spending time in the kitchen in the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Ristorante La Madia. Lota then relocated to San Diego, where he brought his culinary skills to the Marine Room in La Jolla and Solare Ristorante in Point Loma, which received recognition in the Michelin Guide. In 2019, Lota and his wife opened Cori (also what the locals lovingly call their first restaurant), establishing their business as part of the rich fabric of the eclectic city neighborhood. Three years later, in 2022, the couple moved their family to La Jolla. They hope their second restaurant, Dora, will also become a must-try restaurant in their adopted hometown. 'Dora is about more than food — it's about creating a space that honors tradition, encourages connection, and celebrates the cultural richness of our neighborhood,' says Goria, a San Diego native. Designed by interior design firm Bells and Whistles (Starlite, Jeune et Jolie, and Animae), the restaurant will showcase a Campari-toned oval bar with custom chestnut-stained oak, hand-applied plaster walls, and unlacquered brass accents, all set within a 3,800-square-foot space. Italian mosaic tiles, reminiscent of grand Mediterranean estates, will be a mix of recycled glass and marble. Other Old World elements include plush, velvet banquettes with Sicilian-style furnishings and custom lighting. Up to 100 people can be seated at Dora. The 2,600-square-foot interior footprint features an open kitchen and a 1,200-square-foot patio space for outdoor dining. A private dining space accommodating up to 16 guests will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, evoking an intimate supper club vibe. CLTVT, whose signature style has appeared in San Diego restaurants such as the Lafayette Hotel and Kingfisher, is handling the build-out. Anchoring a newly built residential tower at the University of California–San Diego campus, Dora will be the dining centerpiece of the new 8.5-acre Theater District Living and Learning Neighborhood. Theatergoers, college students, neighborhood residents, and gourmands can dine at the sophisticated, nonna-chic restaurant or drop in for drinks at the elegant bar. Another dining establishment, James Place, an Asian fusion and steakhouse restaurant, has been on campus near La Jolla Playhouse since 2015. Lota adds, 'At Cori, we found so much joy in building something within the community we called home,' says Lota. 'Now we're excited to do the same in La Jolla.' 9165 S Scholars Drive, South La Jolla, CA, 92037 See More: San Diego Restaurant Openings
Eater
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A ‘Top Chef' Winner's Flatiron Restaurant Closes After Less Than a Year
Flatiron's Time and Tide closes today following its debut in October 2024. The upscale Flatiron fish house from Kent Hospitality and Top Chef winner Danny Garcia will reopen as a new concept from the same team — but an unexpected residency will be in the space until then. After a kitchen fire closed neighboring Massara on June 11, the Southern Italian spot from chef Stefano Secchi and his partner, David Switzer, will pop up at 48 E. 26th Street, at Park Avenue South, starting Thursday, June 19, until further notice, while the original Massara location undergoes repairs at its 913 Broadway location. It will be called Massara on Park, with reservations available on Resy. The menu will feature many familiar signature dishes inspired by the coast of Campania as well as new ones — particularly with a focus on crudo for the summer. 'Kent Hospitality Group is lending a helping hand to its friends at Massara … after a fire caused their original location to close indefinitely,' a spokesperson told Eater over email. 'During this time, KHG and Chef Danny Garcia will reimagine the Time and Tide concept.' 'We are extremely grateful no one was injured and for the FDNY's rapid response,' said Secchi in a statement to Eater. 'As rebuilding Massara will likely take a few months, our entire team is grateful to our friends at Kent Hospitality Group.' The cause of the kitchen fire at Massara is still under investigation. For perspective on how long the repairs could take, a fire at New York's Gjelina shortly after it opened in 2023 shut down the famous restaurant from Los Angeles for almost two years. Time and Tide seemed to be struggling to get its sea legs, with Saga and Crown Shy restaurateur Jamal James Kent and Garcia originally collaborating on the restaurant before Kent's untimely death last June. The original fish and seafood-filled menu was based on Kent's summer memories of his grandmother's home in Sag Harbor and Garcia's summers in Fire Island, with elements of seaside memories woven throughout the restaurant. However, a menu overhaul last month added more international dishes like grilled dates and frena bread with labneh, chicken katsu, and skate muhammara. Time and Tide was the first solo project from Top Chef Winner Garcia, and the first restaurant opened by Kent Hospitality Group following the unexpected passing of its namesake founder. Time and Tide was one of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2024. Since Kent's death, the restaurants from Kent Hospitality group have shifted to reflect emerging leaders, with Michelin-starred Crown Shy overseen by Jassimran Singh, two-star Saga overseen by Charlie Mitchell, and World's 50 Best bar with a spectacular view, Overstory from Harrison Ginsberg. The team's largest undertaking yet has been overseeing the operations for several hospitality projects inside the Financial District's luxurious new department store, Printemps, including Maison Passerelle and Salon Vert — both overseen by James Beard winner Gregory Gourdet. The group is also behind the newly opened Birdee, the Brooklyn bakery in the Domino development from pastry chef Renata Ameni. Earlier this year, the Times reported Billy Durney, of Hometown Bar-B-Que and Red Hook Tavern acclaim, has taken on investment from Kent Hospitality, and will open a restaurant with the group at 9 West 57th Street. And earlier this month, the group signed to open a place in the former Bistro Les Amis space in Soho, which will be a bar overseen by Ginsberg. The timing lines up for now: Garcia is reworking his first spot just as Massara loses its home, but it's anyone's guess whether the two will sync up again when it's time for the Italian restaurant to return. See More:
San Francisco Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Beloved Bay Area Italian restaurant opens first Wine Country location
When Shelley Lindgren, owner of the Bay Area's beloved Southern Italian restaurant A16, signed a lease for a new outpost in Napa late last year, the plan was to spruce the place up a little and open it quickly. But she quickly changed her mind, undertaking a major renovation that pushed the opening back three months. 'We wanted to be here for a long time,' said Lindgren, who grew up in the North Bay and opened the first A16 in San Francisco's Marina District 20 years ago. 'It started off as, 'Let's see how it goes,' but it feels like the community is very pro-business in Napa. There's a welcoming spirit.' A16 Napa finally opens on Thursday, offering its signature Neapolitan-style pizzas alongside a bevy of new dishes — like pancetta-wrapped pork rolls and octopus cooked in a hearth — inspired by Italy's Puglia region, located in the heel of the country's geographical boot. The new restaurant joins another A16 location in Rockridge and a spinoff location in San Francisco's Ferry Building. It's the first restaurant to occupy the 4,000-square-foot downtown Napa space at 821 Coombs St. since Miminashi, a high-end Japanese izakay a, closed in 2020. Lindgren removed Miminashi's hand-carved wooden door and soft serve window, and tore out the wooden drop ceiling which once gave Miminashi the intimate vibe of an Izakaya. Without it, the Mediterranean-inspired A16 feels lighter, bigger and airy. The centerpiece of the fresh look, from designers John Hurley, Justin Haffen and A16 partner Kitty Oestlien, is a custom white overhang floating above the bar, decorated with dried herbs and chilies. Large chandeliers made in Morocco hover over tables; a long parklet filled with two dozen olive trees and benches seats an extra 30 people outside. (The restaurant can fit about 100 people total.) There are a few remnants from Miminashi: the massive, three-sided bar, now covered in bright, white tiling, and the hearth next to the kitchen where dishes will be grilled within view of diners. The current hearth — or focolare, in Italian — section of the menu features dishes like bombetta Pugliese ($16), pork neck wrapped in pancetta; spot prawns ($16); King Trumpet mushroom topped with caper salsa verde ($12); lamb skewers ($18); and octopus ($26). Yet Lindgren said her team is in the early stages of experimentation with the hearth; a week ahead of opening day, a chef was prepping lobster tails for it. The restaurant will serve plenty of A16 staples including eight types of pizza ($22-27), burrata ($20), pork meatballs ($16), cannellini beans ($8) and fave e cicoria ($16), a Puglian speciality consisting of fava bean puree topped with dandelion greens, garlic and Calabrian chili. Steamed mussels ($22), whole fish with a tarragon salsa ($52) and cavatelli with white ragu sauce and porcini mushrooms ($32) are among a handful of dishes that are, like the grilled section, exclusive to the Napa location. For dessert, in addition to A16's popular chocolate budino ($15) and tiramisu ($14), the new spot will serve a lemon verbena panna cotta ($15) and olive oil cake with poached cherries ($15) using olive oil from Napa's Hudson Ranch winery. Soon, several flavors of gelato will be added to the mix, including honeycomb and stracciatella. While the wine list is Italian-heavy, it will also showcase many California producers making Italian-inspired wines, including Lindgren and Oestlien's brand Tansy. 'One natural link between Puglia and Napa is through Zinfandel, which shares genetic roots with Primitivo,' said Lindgren, who pointed to an old vine Zinfandel from Napa's Matthiasson made from vines planted in the 1880s. Several of the Napa offerings are ones patrons would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, like a Staglin Sangiovese that's typically reserved for wine club members, and Continuum's Sentium, a premium Sauvignon Blanc crafted by Robert Mondavi's grandchildren. Lindgren's husband, Greg Lindgren, who owns the San Francisco bar Rye, has created the cocktail menu featuring aperitifs, like a grappa spritz and amaro old fashioned, and frozen specialties. In a few weeks, A16 Napa will add lunch service.
