Bostonians open Italian restaurant
The latest eatery to join Portland's growing restaurant scene will be Exchange Street Cafe, at 7 Exchange St., which one of its owners says will serve authentic, homemade and affordable Italian food.
Richard Petrucci says he and his co-owners are investing a little more than $60,000 to refurbish the Exchange Street location, which is sandwiched between City Beverage and retail shop Toko Indo. They plan to open the restaurant sometime in April for lunch, dinner and late-night meals.
"Wait until you taste the food!" he says enthusiastically. The restaurant will be a family business, and he, his cousin, mother, nephew and uncle will all cook. "People will be blown away. We make homemade meatballs, chicken cutlets and eggplant parmesan. Everything from scratch."
Petrucci says he and his family moved to Portland from East Boston, joining their mother who has lived in Saco for the past eight years. They ran several restaurants and pizza shops in Boston, he explains, but Portland beckoned.
"Portland is an up and coming city. ...The Old Port is a combination of the North End, Newbury Street and Faneuil Hall," he says, naming some of Boston's most famous landmarks, "just wrapped in a little smaller package."
Prices for most menu items will range from $4.95 to $15, and the restaurant will also offer catering and delivery. Eventually, to round out their offerings, Petrucci says the family would like to open a pastry shop and a higher-end Italian restaurant here as well, hiring two chefs from Sicily.
Petrucci says he's anticipating the restaurant will be successful, and that his family wants to contribute to local charities. "We want to feed the homeless, support a Little League team," he says. "We look forward to helping the community of Portland."
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