Avvio a new beginning

When dining out or in general conversation, the talk often turns to favorite restaurants of the past.

Everyone it seems has a particular spot frequented in the past that holds a special place, even today. The talk then turns to how that memory can be brought back. How would your favorite restaurant be reborn into today’s food scene?

The Newport Restaurant Group has been engaging in that pastime. Newport Restaurant Group Culinary Arts Director Kevin DiLibero and executive chef Greg Coccio are, however, in positions to do more than just talk. And so came Avvio, the group’s latest dining concept that recently opened its doors in Garden City in Cranston in the former Papa-Razzi space.

Paul O’Reilly, CEO of the Newport Restaurant Group, said in an interview that the first job for himself and his team of chefs was to start over with the restaurant – “Avvio” means to start, an opening, beginnings – while not alienating the Papa-Razzi regulars. Papa-Razzi, owned by longtime Boston restaurateur Charles Sarkis, was one of the more popular restaurant concepts of the early years of the restaurant boom between Boston and Providence. But as O’Reilly pointed out, its consistency became humdrum. This led to patrons passing it over, as competitive restaurants offering the “latest and greatest” came online.

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So the Newport team got to work, tossing out all but the Italian-trattoria idea. An open kitchen was designed featuring a handcrafted Marra Forni wood-burning oven imported from Italy. This enables chef Coccio and his crew to create not only authentic, Neapolitan-style pizza but sophisticated, ingredient-driven dishes such as whole wood-grilled Branzino, a flaky, tender Mediterranean fish grilled with citrus and herbs and served with peas and pancetta and roasted potatoes.

The wood-fired oven raises the bar on pizza. With the commitment to establishing a creative Italian restaurant to add to the portfolio of Newport Restaurant Group eateries, the goal was to be authentic. A big step toward authenticity is to follow the guidelines for certification in Italian methods. A small number of restaurants, chefs and proprietors in the state – Avvio being one – have taken the step toward certification by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, an international nonprofit organization founded in the mid 1980s by a group of pizzaiolis (pizza makers) from Naples, Italy. While the appeal of the new restaurant is for guests to harken back to a simpler time, with the aromas of baking dough and homemade sauce simmering on the stove as family and friends gather, O’Reilly is quick to point out that tradition does not mean staying put.

“This menu will change much more often than Papa-Razzi did,” he said.

In addition, there is a unique selection of micro-brewed beers from Italy that was developed by Sean Westhoven, the restaurant group’s director of beverage.

Another advantage the Newport Restaurant Group brings to the new restaurant is the company’s buying power. Originating with chef Casey Riley, now the company’s chief operating officer, the focus is on the sourcing of simple ingredients from local farms and purveyors.

This not only spotlights the modern philosophy at work at Avvio, but from a business viewpoint is paying dividends. According to O’Reilly, the company is now the largest customer of local farm-to-table purveyor Farm Fresh.

For more information about the restaurant visit www.avvioristorante.com. •

The Dining Out with Bruce Newbury radio broadcast and podcast is heard on 1540 WADK-AM, wadk.com and on the TuneIn mobile application. He can be reached by email at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.

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