By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Northborough – As the popular Bistro Limoncello approaches its fourth year in business, Marc Turo, its owner, is tweaking the operation a bit to add even more value for customers.
But Turo assures Bistro Limoncello's fans they will still find their favorite Italian dishes on the menu, live music on Saturday nights, and a warm welcome from him at the door. Bistro Limoncello will be participating in Worcester Restaurant Week Feb. 25 to March 8.
Kicking off the changes about three months ago was a decision to open on Monday nights.? Now the only evening the restaurant is closed is Sunday.
At the end of January, Turo added a prix fixe three-course menu on week nights, Monday through Thursday.
“With the economy the way it is, we wanted to offer our customers a better deal during the week, and gear the week night business more toward families,” Turo said.
The prix fixe menu offers diners a choice of appetizers, entrees and desserts, all for $25.95. There are six appetizer choices, including meatballs Turo makes himself, three salads, and fried calamari. Among the entrée choices are pasta dishes and chicken or veal marsala or parmigiana. For dessert, pick tiramisu or the restaurant's signature limoncello flute.
Turo is also adding some lighter, healthier choices to the menu in time for spring. “We'sl have more salads, and the option of adding grilled chicken, grilled salmon or shrimp to them. It's the first change we'se made to the menu in over three years, but we want to offer our customers these options.”
The entrée-size salads are $9 to $10 before any additions. The menu also includes pasta, chicken, veal and seafood dishes, plus steaks. Most entrees are priced from $19 to $26. Turo makes many of the sauces, drawing on traditional recipes handed down in his family.
That family has been in the food business over a century, from the time Marc's grandfather emigrated from Italy and opened Turo's Market in Worcester. Marc's father opened Leo's Ristorante in 1962, and Marc grew up in the restaurant business, starting at Leo's when he was 15. Now his son, Dante, 15, works at Bistro Limoncello on the weekends.
Turo is a hands-on owner? overseeing every aspect of the business. In the course of a half-hour conversation, he fields a quick call from his banker and arranges for someone to check out a plumbing problem.
And he's not one to rest on the success of Bistro Limoncello to date.
“I's thinking about adding a Sunday brunch, an Italian twist on what people expect,” he said. “If enough of our customers think it's a good idea, we'sl do it.”
And his next venture is likely to be a brick-oven pizzeria. “I's going to do that. I's just not exactly sure where or when yet,” Turo said. He would like to open it in the same retail complex as the restaurant, where West Main Street branches off of Route 20 in Northborough.
Meanwhile, customers can enjoy Bistro Limoncello's authentic Italian dishes, and on Saturday nights, some live music as well.? Turo brings in singers – “crooners,” he calls them, in the style of Frank Sinatra – every Saturday who perform in the bar area, the restaurant's original room, but who also add to the atmosphere in the large adjacent dining room.
The restaurant's décor – warm terra cotta colored walls, rich wood paneling and tables topped with crisp white linens, adds to the dining experience, whether it's for a family meal on a week night or a special occasion on the weekend.
Bistro Limoncello Ristorante is located at 290 West Main Street in Northborough. It is open 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For a reservation, call 508-393-5440. You can see the menu and make reservations on the website as well, www.bistrolimoncello.com.
