town at the crossroads A guide to

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Promotional Section
Section
Special
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to
Paoli
A guide to ...
Town at the crossroads
paoli in the Spotlight
All the history and fun that make the town so special.
PLUS: The best places to dine, shop and get it done in Paoli.
Special Promotional Section
P4 A Call to Arms
Its historic past stoked by brews
and bayonets, Paoli envisions
a return to the spotlight.
By Jim Waltzer
P6 Paoli Perfection
The Main Line’s new center
offers a plethora of shopping
opportunities. By Tara Behan
P8 Shopping Directory
P9 Palate Pleasers
Save the Date!
Contents
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Issue Date: NOVEMBER 2009
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Paoli boasts two mainstays of
the local dining and drinking
scenes. By Dawn E. Warden
Magazine: MAINLINE TODAY
P9 Dining Directory
1st Proof
Cover Photograph by Jared Castaldi
IMPORT
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A Call to Arms
Marauding about the countryside during the Revolutionary
War, the Hessians were not big
on table manners. When they
famously filched Mrs. Baugh’s
doughnuts still sputtering in the
pan, the local lady could only
sneer at the mercenaries passing through Paoli on their way
to attack Gen. Anthony Wayne’s
ill-fated encampment in what
is known today as Malvern.
As “Mad Anthony” once
recovered from his drubbing at
the “massacre” and reclaimed
his stature as a leader, modernday Paoli seeks to recapture a
lively past that’s been largely
stolen by a changing suburban
landscape. The past and future transportation hub covets the
economic benefits and village atmosphere of a time when taverns
and hostelries defined its personality.
In short, Paoli wants its donuts back.
“Paoli is a good place to live, shop and work,” says Marie Thibault,
General’s Quarters:
Historic Waynesborough, the
former home of Revolutionary
War hero Mad Anthony Wayne,
is now a popular sight
for weddings and
other celebrations.
president of the Business & Professional
Association. “But, with the competition
around us—Wayne, the Newtown Square
Town Center project, Uptown Worthington
[in Malvern] and others—the question is,
‘What will bring, and keep, people here?’”
People came
here originally to patronize one or more
inns on the road that became Lancaster
Pike in 1794. These establishments
served drovers and the stagecoach trade
when their spirits and horses needed
rest and refreshment. The heaviest
hitter in the lineup was the Paoli Inn
(also known as General Paoli Inn and
Paoli Tavern), whose sweeping porch and
School Days:
multiple dormers held forth near the site
Green Valley
of today’s post office, just west of Paoli
Academy is a
unique and
Village Shoppes.
effective option
Legend has it that innkeeper Joshua
for students in
Evans, whose father had purchased 500
need of a small,
acres from William Penn 50 years earlier,
nurturing
opened for business in 1769 and soon
educational
named his inn for “General” Pasquale
environment.
Paoli, following several rounds of
P4
www.m ainlineto day.com nov em ber 2009
Its historic past stoked by brews and bayonets, Paoli
envisions a return to the spotlight. By Jim Waltzer
Travel through Time
with the Paoli Library
Celebrate 100 years of reading during the
yearlong centennial celebration A Century of
Reading: Paoli Library, 1910-2010, starting in
January 2010. “Authors through the Decades”
will offer monthly book displays featuring prizewinning writers. On Jan. 22, the library will host
a Candlelight Story Time with lifelong Paoli
Library patron Charmaine Gates. A costumed
Gates will read from a range of children’s books
published in the last century. And the entire
family will enjoy an old-fashioned Ice Cream
Social on June 19 at Paoli Presbyterian Church,
just across the parking lot from the building
in which Paoli Library first began.
For more information, call (610) 296-7996.
St. Patrick’s Day toasts to the Corsican freedom fighter. The spirit of
independence had gone global.
A handful of years later, during the War for Independence, both
Redcoats and the Continental Army stopped at the Paoli Inn for ale
and vittles. Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne — whose homestead stood
a few gallops down the road (and today is Historic
Waynesborough) — often visited, and in September
1777, his men were surprised and overwhelmed by
the British on a field a mile to the southwest. While
the bulk of Wayne’s two brigades escaped, the
subsequent slaughter of prisoners helped galvanize
American resolve.
Other nearby inns and taverns accommodated
wayfarers and regulars during less perilous
moments. The Black Bear catered
Four-Legged to teamsters. The General Jackson,
Friend: Our
which anchored eastern Paoli a
Deli & Meats
block west of today’s Route 252,
is home to
the famous became the Windmill Tea Room in
a later incarnation. But during the
black steer.
pre- and post-Revolutionary years,
these places hosted colorful
arguments, barking dogs, fleeing chickens, and auctions and polling
stations, at which decision-making could be swayed by the right
libation. Forward-thinking Joshua Evans Jr. installed the post office
in his Paoli Inn in 1826, and when the railroad came to town in
the 1830s, he made sure it passed by his door.
Special Promotional Section
A half-century later, the Evans spread passed to the Paoli Heights
Land Company, which created smaller lots for development. Churches
took root in the community. On the eastern side, the area retained
its rural profile, with the expansive Dingee farm straddling Route 30.
The railroad had converted its horse- and mule-drawn cars to steamspouting iron horses, which, in the words of one Paoli chronicler,
“now halts panting at our door.” Wealthy Philadelphians built summer
estates here, as they did elsewhere on the Main Line. The name
Biddle commands a couple of sizable tracts on an 1897 map of Paoli.
Sometime around the turn of the century most accounts set the
Domestic Bliss:
Built in 1720, the
Great Valley House
of Valley Forge
is the oldest
existing home
in Pennsylvania.
It’s now a bed
and breakfast.
pike had joined adjacent land
years earlier to form Tredyffrin
Country Club, complete with
a golf course and overnight
accommodations. The country club ceased operations
before the arrival of Burroughs,
which expanded its facility
before merging with Sperry
Corporation, and pulling up
stakes in the early 1990s.
Its successors on the site are
Paoli Pointe condominiums
Local Treasure: Born and
and the Highgate assisted
raised in Paoli, artist Dane
living community.
Tilghman provided this
Through it all, the train
image for the inaugural
station stayed busy, but the
Paoli Blues Fest. His
village profile had long since
work is also featured
evaporated. Now, SEPTA’s
at Citizens Bank Park.
ambitious transportation
center project and community
sentiment suggest a reversion to the past. “We’d like to make
Paoli a destination, not a pass-through,” says Pattye Benson,
a business association director whose historic Great Valley House
bed and breakfast on Swedesford Road indicates Paoli’s reach.
“West Chester, Wayne, Media, Phoenixville—they’ve figured it out.
It’s our turn.”
In the near term, both Benson and Thibault envision community
events like last month’s Blues Fest as a means to generate
year at 1899, though it may have been as late as 1904 fire consumed
the iconic Paoli Inn. Several years passed before the charred remnants
were removed and, in 1909, with memories of the fire still smoldering,
Paoli launched the fire company that celebrates its centennial
this year.
But 20th-century transportation was changing, as signaled by Paoli’s
first automobile dealer, Matthews Ford. Livery stables began to disappear, gas stations sprouted, and the term “parking” entered the
civic lexicon. So did “traffic jam,” as increased population and the rise
Living Art: Started in 1926 and
of retail clogged Route 30, especially at today’s 252 (the old 202) and
finally finished 40 years later, the
North Valley Road, whose steep bridge runs past the railroad station.
Wharton Esherick Museum is
While earthbound arteries thickened, the sky remained limitless.
the former home of the dean of
Though it did not provide air service, the Paoli area contributed to
American craftsmen.
the development of aviation with its Main Line Airport on the grounds
of today’s Great Valley Corporate Center. “This
Patients First:
is where barnstormers performed, pilots
enthusiasm and bring
Paoli Hospital
were trained for war, and vertical aviation
people together.
has doubled in
history was made,” writes Roger Thorne in his
Meanwhile, the transit
size thanks to
historical account of the airfield, whose barncenter project looms
the addition of its
turned-hangar bore the word “PAOLI” painted
as the ticket to Paoli’s
new, state-of-thein huge letters on its roof as a guide to
future. But replacing
art Pavilion.
early navigators.
the station house with
Industry had other designs on Paoli. In the
one befitting a highearly 1950s, the former Burroughs Corporation—an adding machine
volume Amtrak/SEPTA stop, developing adjacent lots for mixed
pioneer turned computer giant—purchased the Dingee farmland
use and assessing neighborhood traffic implications all require
north of Route 30 and built a research center that focused on the
plenty of planning, funding and time.
company’s defense contracts. The Dingee property south of the
Any retooling of Paoli’s core should benefit not only
pedestrians and cyclists but also rail/bus riders, says Thibault,
who endorses both the “village green” concept and steps to
promote access with
footpaths and spurs
On-Ice Action:
In 1904, a tremendous fire swept through the
off the bike trails.
The Philadelphia
General Paoli Inn, completely destroying the
“We
don’t
want
the
Curling Club
beautiful pre-Revolutionary War-era structure. The
has been a
transit center to be
stark stone chimneys and blackened timbers of the
little-known,
planned
without
the
wreckage apparently fueled the idea for the creation
regional hub
town
being
planned,
”
of a local fire company. In 1909, “a horse-drawn, onefor this Scottish
she says.
cylinder, gasoline Waterous pumper” was purchased
sport since 1957.
A
thought
worthy
for $1,650. Fast-forward 100 years, and today’s Paoli
of several toasts at
Fire Company remains a vibrant volunteer emergency
the old Paoli Inn.
organization—technologically innovative, medically
The Paoli Fire Company
Celebrates 100 Years of Service
up-to-date and ever-vigilant.
n ovem b er 2009 www.mai n li n e tod ay.com
P5
Special Promotional Section
Paoli Perfection
The Main Line’s new center
offers a plethora of shopping
opportunities. By Tara Behan
Deborah VanCleve, owner of the VanCleve
Collection, recently celebrated her 21st
year in business in Paoli—and she couldn’t
be happier where she is. “I think I have the
best location” says VanCleve. “I have great
exposure being right on Lancaster Avenue,
and Paoli is the center of the Main Line, so I
attract customers from both ends.”
Business has been going so well for
VanCleve that last year she expanded into
an available space next door, creating the
Wedding Pavilion, which features custom
bridal gowns in a boutique dedicated to
brides. On-staff seamstresses can design
and make the dress of any woman’s dreams,
or clients can choose from ready-to-wear
bridal gowns by Vera Wang, Badgley Mischka
and other top designers.
At her original location, VanCleve’s
inventory includes sportswear, cocktail
dresses and suits, mother-of-the-bride/groom
dresses, bridesmaids gowns, and much
more. “We cater to women of all ages, from
17 on up,” says VanCleve. “I’m lucky to be in
Paoli. We have wonderful clients.”
Located in the Paoli Shopping Center, the
Paoli Hardware Center has been serving
its loyal customers for the past 59 years—
and it’s much more than a hardware store.
P6
www.m ainl ineto day.com nov em ber 2009
Through most of the year, it offers a produce
stand filled with a variety of offerings fresh
from Lancaster County. During the warmer
months, the store’s lower level is filled with
patio furniture and gardening supplies. For
the holidays, it stocks artificial Christmas
trees, lights and decorations.
Paoli Hardware Center’s third-floor toy
store has been a winner with kids and
parents for decades. The selection includes
everything from plush dolls and model
airplanes to Matchbox cars and retro
toys. (Remember the Fisher-Price Chatter
Telephone?)
“We carry mostly specialty items,” says
manager Mike DiAndrea. “You won’t find the
same toys you’d find at chain stores.”
Every month, the store celebrates Kids’
Super Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
inviting children to participate in a free
arts-and-crafts project that they then
take home.
In the Paoli Village Shoppes, Plato’s
Closet is tops with shoppers looking for
bargains on designer name-brand clothing.
(Top) Paoli Shopping Center at dusk.
(Middle) Paoli’s busting Route 30 business
district in the 1940s. (Bottom) Plato’s Closet
has developed quite a following among
shoppers looking for bargains on designer
name-brand clothing.
This national chain buys and sells gently
used clothing for teens and 20-somethings
from the likes of Free People, Abercrombie &
Fitch, Lux and Juicy Couture. Expect to find
the latest styles for well below retail prices.
Also in Paoli Village Shoppes, Cutter’s
Mill offers an vast inventory of natural,
organic and holistic foods for dogs, cats and
pretty much any other domestic animal you
can think of. Cutter’s Mill is a pet-friendly
Special Promotional Section
Special Promotional Section
shopping in paoli
zone, and they encourage customers to bring
along Fido and Fluffy while they shop.
Artful Framer 32 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-3131, artfulframerfirst.com
Bean’s Bikes & Boards 10 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-9910
A shopping trip to Paoli isn’t complete
Bosom Buddies Lingerie Boutique 36 Chestnut Road, (610) 296-7626, bosombuddieslingerie.net
without a visit to the Chestnut Village
Chico’s 20 Paoli Shopping Center, (610) 407-4074, chicos.com
Clockworks 1819 Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-4706
Shoppes. Walter J. Cook Jeweler boasts
Walter J. Cook Jeweler 36 Chestnut Road, (610) 644-5347, wjcookjeweler.com
an impressive collection of fine jewelry, from
Creative Nook 95 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-6665, creativenook.com
diamond engagement rings to exquisite pearl
Cutter’s Mill Paoli Village Shoppes, 43 Paoli Plaza, (610) 647-1811, cuttersmillpetstore.com
Dance Line 30 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 251-2344, danceline.com
necklaces. Owner Michael Cook’s father,
Flowers by Priscilla 1592 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-1919, flowersbypriscilla.net
Walter, started the business in 1946, and
John’s SAS Shoes 65 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 408-9950
Julie’s Gold Ribbon 32 Chestnut Road, (610) 640-0748
many generations have relied on the family’s
Kitchen Kapers 23 Paoli Shopping Center, (610) 644-1200, kitchenkapers.com
expertise when it comes to finding
Main Line Lighting & Design 1538 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-5400
Marwyn’s Shoes 21 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-4686
the perfect piece of jewelry for any
OLLY Shoes 13 Paoli Shopping Center, (610) 647-0203, ollyshoes.com
special occasion.
Our American Heritage 23 Leopard Road, (610) 695-8151
Also at Chestnut Village Shoppes,
Palm Tree Depot Shoppes, 21 Plank Ave., Suite 124, (610) 647-2775
Client: COUNTRY PROPERTIES
Paoli Beverage 1740 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 296-3440
Runaway Success is staffed with seasoned
Paoli Design Center 1604 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-4100, paolidesigncenter.com
Account
Executive:
PATTI
runners who know how to outfit customers
Paoli Florist Paoli Shopping Center, Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-5725, paoliflorist.com
Paoli Hardware Center 16 Paoli Shopping Center, (610) 644-2013
with
theDate:
perfect
running shoes
for their foot
Issue
NOVEMBER
2009
Paoli News Agency 17 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-1727
type.
And
they
don’t
charge
extra
for
Paoli Pharmacy Paoli Shopping Center, 82 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-3880
Magazine: MAIN LINE TODAY
OR Ave., (610) 644-7250, paolirug.com
constructive advice. Have a question about
Paoli Rug Co. 17 E. Lancaster Ave., 117 E. Lancaster
Performance Bicycle 1740 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-8522, performancebike.com
where to run or how to train for a marathon?
THIS! If we
do Suite
not receive
a response
48 hours of date on
Pier 1PLEASE
Imports READ
82 E. Lancaster
Ave.,
2A, (610)
647-2291,within
pier1.com
Go on, ask them.
proof, we
will run the
ad(610)
as shown.
Today
Media, Inc. cannot be held responsible
29 Leopard
Road,
640-2714,
shopatpolkadots.com
Date
Who Polkadots
for any
mistakes,
advertiser
will be
responsible
payment in full of this ad.
Putaway
Tennis
Shop and
30 Chestnut
Road,
(610)
647-8548, for
putawaytennis.com
Another sort of expert fitter can be found
may appear
smaller
than actual
size (610)
and is 647-2320,
not indicativeradioshack.com
of color. Design is property of Today Media,
RadioAdShack
28 W.
Lancaster
Ave.,
Proof
10/6/09
at1st
Bosom
Buddies Lingerie
Boutique. marissa Ritz Camera
Inc. and is not
to
be
duplicated
or
reproduced
prior
to
newsstand
sale.
90 Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-4640, ritzcamera.com Liability: All advertisements
and supporting image files are accepted and published by the Publisher upon representation that the
Success 36 Chestnut Road, (610) 296-2868, happyrunning.com
Gina
Mastrangelo
staff specialize client Runaway
agency and advertiser are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The
Revision
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Swoozies
19 Leopard
407-2880
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for any and all claims arising therefrom against the Publisher.
in matching women of all ages and sizes to
Talbots 182 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 695-8701, talbots.com
Revision
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(+$25)
I have read
and
the perfect bra. Mastrangelo also offers a
Ann Taylor
Loft the
82 above
E. Lancaster
Ave. Suite 2, (610) 993-0435, anntaylorloft.com
ad 74
for E.
print:
______________________________________________________________________
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Terra approve
Culture this
Gifts
Lancaster
Ave., (610) 647-4180, terraculturegifts.com
full-service
breast-care
boutique—a
Authorized Approval Signature
Testa Jewelers Paoli Village Shoppes, 21 Paoli Plaza, (610) 640-4890, testajewelersinc.com
revision
after
the
first
(no
charge)
revision.
comfortable environment where those
Toad Hollow Athletics 1590 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-0594, toadhollowathletics.com
VanCleve Collection and Wedding Pavilion 68 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-5055,
who’ve undergone breast surgery receive
vanclevecollection.com
individualized attention.
Vintage Home 83 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 251-2155, vintagehome.us
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Office: 610-347-2065
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®
(Left) Trattoria San Nicola, an Italian gem. (Right) Casey’s Dugout Saloon, one of Paoli’s oldest and most popular hangouts.
Palate Pleasers
Paoli boasts two mainstays of the Main Line dining and drinking scenes. By Dawn E. Warden
Home to a busy and diverse population
that’s always veered away from pretention,
Paoli offers a number of popular restaurants
with a welcoming neighborhood feel. No
matter what you crave, something is bound
to hit the spot.
By and large, Paoli’s restaurateurs are
an integral part of the community, and they
take the time to get to know their patrons.
A perfect example is Casey’s Dugout
Saloon, one of the oldest and most popular
local hangouts. For 20-plus years—or, as
owner Mike Ameche puts it, “40 pounds
ago”—this no-frills, bring-the-whole-family
eatery has been serving savory, affordably
priced comfort fare in a cozy environment.
Service is always warm and friendly, and
the beer is always cold. “We used to have
only Bud,” says Ameche, whose Dad
(partner in the original Gino’s fast-food
chain) advised him to concentrate on
the food. “But now we’ve got nearly 70
different bottles.”
If you’re looking for a trendy gastro
pub, look somewhere else. The one thing
Ameche promises: Casey’s is “never going
to try and be something it’s not.”
Which is exactly why folks—like the
older couple who comes in every night for
dinner, and the numerous regulars who stop
by to watch the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles and
Sixers—have remained so loyal. Sports are
big at a lot of neighborhood spots, but the
passion runs deep for the Ameches.
The family tree includes three Heisman
Trophy winners.
In October 2007, Casey’s was featured
in Oprah Winfrey’s O magazine, thanks to
local writer Amy Bloom, a loyal customer
who touted its hometown feel and
legendary crab cakes. Customers aren’t the
only ones loyal to Ameche. He’s got two
cooks and a few bartenders who’ve been
with him for more than 15 years—and one
of the waitresses has been a staple for
nearly 22. In today’s revolving-door
restaurant environment, that speaks
volumes for the kind of values Ameche
and his wife, Beth Anne, have brought
to their Paoli institution.
Just over the hill from Casey’s, the
husband-and-wife team of Vito and Cristina
dining in paoli
Acme 39 Leopard Road, (610) 240-0101, acmemarkets.com
Baxter’s of Paoli 14 Paoli Shopping Center, (610) 296-2699
Big Easy Saloon 128 Paoli Pike, (610) 296-9166, thebigeasysaloon.com
Boston Market 154 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-3706, bostonmarket.com
Bravo Pizza Paoli Shopping Center, 24 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-5122
Burger King 123 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-7310, burgerking.com
Carangi Baking Co. 1556 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 648-9393, carangibakery.com
Clock Tower Café 1776 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 651-0505, clocktowerfoods.com
Cold Stone Creamery Paoli Shopping Center, 82 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-3321,
coldstonecreamery.com
Dunkin Donuts 20 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-1890, dunkindonuts.com
Einstein Bros. Bagels 27 Paoli Shopping Center, (610) 296-1200, einsteinbros.com
Elegance Café Paoli Shopping Center, 82 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-0404,
elegancecafe.com
Fellini’s Café 19 E Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-6767, fellini-cafe.net
HomeCooked Paoli Village Shoppes, 1 Paoli Plaza, (610) 647-1002, homecooked.net
Hong Garden Chinese 36 Chestnut Road, (610) 296-9426
Le Saigon Restaurant Paoli Shopping Center, 82 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 889-4870
Our Deli & Meats 39 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 296-3350
Paoli Diner 1676 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 725-8100
Philly Soft Pretzel Factory 34 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-4244,
phillysoftpretzelfactory.com
Pizza Hut Paoli Village Shoppes, 2 Paoli Plaza, (610) 296-4300, pizzahut.com
Primo Hoagies Paoli Village Shoppes, 11 Paoli Plaza, (610) 644-6003, primohoagies.com
Rita’s Water Ice 1776 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 889-0100, ritasice.com
SaladWorks 231 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 647-7690, saladworks.com
Sassano’s Gourmet to Go Depot Shoppes, 21 Plank Ave., Suite 220, (610) 647-4140
Saxbys Coffee Paoli Village Shoppes, 35 W. Lancaster Ave., (484) 318-7812, saxbyscoffee.com
Starbucks Coffee 15 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 722-5744, starbucks.com
Subway 1776 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 993-9304, subway.com
TJ’s Restaurant & Drinkery Paoli Village Shoppes, 35 Paoli Plaza, (610) 725-0100,
tjseveryday.com
Trattoria San Nicola 4 Manor Road, (610) 695-8990, tsannicola.com
Village Bakery & Café Paoli Village Shoppes, 9 Paoli Plaza, (610) 296-2988,
paolivillagebakery.com
Wabi Sabi 1776 E. Lancaster Ave., (610) 296-8100
Wawa 52 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 640-9854, wawa.com
Wendy’s 220 W. Lancaster Ave., (610) 644-2093, wendys.com
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www.m ainl ineto day.com nov em ber 2009
Giannandrea are doing their part to keep
Paoli’s northwest corner hopping. The Italian
gem Trattoria San Nicola is well known
for serving traditional, home-style fare
with a side of arts and culture. It shares its
name—and chef—with its younger Berwynbased sibling, which opened in 1995.
The couples’ eldest daughter works at
the restaurant. And, if all goes according
to plan, their three younger kids will also
become a part of their father’s dream—one
he’s had since he was a teenager.
Born and raised in Baro, Italy, Vito
first worked at a resort restaurant in the
country’s Puglia region. In 1983, friends
lured him to the U.S. to help open Ristorante
Primavera in Strafford. Little did he know
he was about to meet the love of his life.
Cristina had joined the Primavera staff to
Last month,
San Nicola invited
patrons and
neighbors to come
to the restaurant
and paint a large
mural, which was
then donated to
a local shelter.
earn extra money. On her third night, she
met Vito, and it was love at first sight.
Owning a restaurant was the couple’s
longtime dream, and the birth of their first
child didn’t hold them back. On opening
night, Cristina was pouring drinks with her
4-month-old baby on her hip.
Cristina’s most vibrant role at San Nicola
is that of its arts-and-culture pied piper.
Along with painting (she did the murals at
the restaurant), she promotes arts-related,
charity-focused events, including an art
contest for students, an opera contest,
and a series of plein air events featuring
painters at work. Last month, San Nicola
invited patrons and neighbors to come
to the restaurant and paint a large mural,
which was then donated to a local shelter.
San Nicola hosts numerous wine- and
food-tasting events throughout the year,
which allows guests to enjoy Giannandrea’s
cooking in the context of the specific
regions of Italy. Of course, the main
attractions at San Nicola are the authentic,
affordably priced Italian cuisine, New-Worldmeets-Old ambiance, and the owners’
boundless hospitality.