NORWOOD, MA (November 2008): Delapa Properties has put together a restaurant dream team to open Olivadi Restaurant & Bar in charming Norwood Center. Teaming with Restauranteur Bruno Marini (The Federalist Restaurant) and bringing in Chef Daniele Baliani (Pignoli, Le Cirque, San Domenico), Delapa Properties has created a city-like dining experience to the suburbs. Named for a small town in the Calabria region of Italy, the new eatery offers contemporary Italian cuisine in an inviting setting.
THE TEAM
Bruno Marini comes to Olivadi as one of the most well-respected restaurateurs in the Greater Boston area. As the former General Manager and Wine Director of the Federalist XV Beacon, now Moo, Marini has been in the industry for nearly twenty years. The Newton native has worked in some of the city’s top restaurants including Ambrosia, Davio’s and Lydia Shire’s Biba and Pignoli. Marini’s presence will surly have Bostonian foodies flocking to Norwood Center.
Raised in Rome, Executive Chef Baliani brings Italy to Norwood, recreating old family recipes with modern flair, using the finest and freshest ingredients. A formally trained chef and entrepreneur with a political science degree from Columbia University, Baliani has manned the kitchen in some of the countries top restaurants, including opening Lydia Shire’s Pignoli Restaurant and then moving on to New York City’s wildly successful Le Cirque.
THE MENU
G.M. Marini and Chef Baliani have created lunch, dinner and brunch menus featuring the perfect blend of contemporary interpretations of the region’s cuisine and old-world favorites; drawing neighborhood patrons and foodies alike to Norwood’s newest dining destination.
Olivadi’s menus are affordable and approachable with lunch options ranging from the Chicken ‘P.L.T,’ with pulled roast chicken, crispy pancetta, frisee’ greens, oven dried tomatoes, to quirkily titled entrées such as «Will The Real Mac n’ Cheese…Please Stand Up.» Brunch favorites include a Roasted Vegetable & Goat Cheese Frittata, a classic Italian style «oven-fired» omelet with field greens & rosemary potatoes, and a Panettone French Toast, with candied brioche bread toasted in vanilla crème anglaise and caramelized oranges.
The restaurant’s dinner menu offers something for all dining occasions. Appetizers such as the Olivadi’s Pizza, with spicy Calabrese sausage, prosciutto, roasted peppers and goat cheese, and Fall Butternut Squash & Mushroom Risotto, with «cracklings» of pancetta and crispy sage, entice customers while entrées like Pistachio and Horseradish Crusted Salmon, Pan Roasted Duck Breast and Nonna’s Roast Chicken are sure to keep patrons returning. The innovative menu is complete with homemade breads and delectable desserts, including their already famous dessert of fresh seasonal berries soaked in a pink Sambuca syrup with lemon sorbet.
The regional wine list features over 280 wines by the bottle and boasts an extensive half- bottle as well as a by-the-glass wine list with prices ranging from $6 to $15. Featuring a full-bar, Olivadi also serves up classic and creative cocktails.
THE LOOK
Designed by architects Annino Associates Inc. and Interior Designer Barbara Bradley; and constructed by Delapa Properties, Olivadi’s inviting open space is the ideal setting for both the casual and fine dining. The restaurant’s two private dining rooms provide an ideal setting for both intimate dinners and larger sized gatherings. The bar and lounge, where patrons can order from the dinner or b
