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David Moresi, left, and Matt Tatro are seeing their vision of a homey Italian eatery come true in Grazie.
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The sauce is Tatro's derivation of the former La Veranda.
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Tatro shows one of the new bread boards that incorporates chestnut salvaged from the makeover.
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The dining is simple but elegant with white cloths and oversized paintings.
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The new bar and Grazie menu in cork, theme of the bar side of the restaurant.
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The photos in the lounge are of the Moresi family.
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The Mohawk Tavern has its own menu that can be ordered through the building pneumatic tube.
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It wouldn't be Italian without an espresso machine.
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Eventually, a winery cellar will offer a local beverage to go with Grazie's meals.

Grazie Italian Restaurant Opens in North Adams

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — David Moresi had a vision when he bought the Mulcare Block nearly two years ago: Restore his grandfather's tavern, the Mohawk, and open an Italian eatery.

The Mohawk reopened last year, but the restaurant has taken a little longer and required just the right ingredient.

Moresi found it in another North Adams native who had recently returned to the area with his growing family.

"We hit it off, we both had the same vision of what we wanted," said Matt Tatro last week in the newly furnished dining room of Grazie on Marshall Street. "We're both hard working guys, family oriented."

Moresi said it was the right partnership, with each bringing his skills and business acumen to the venture.

"I'm the construction end, he's the hospitality end and that's what makes it work," he said. "Restaurants fail — this is a recipe for success."

Grazie had initially been planned to open last year but other obligations by Moresi's construction company put it off until this week. That time was put to good use, said Tatro.

"The good part about it was that we could figure out every little intricacy, no detail was left unnoticed," he said. "We found everything that needed to be done. ... That time allowed us to find everything we were looking for."

Their shared vision can be found throughout the restaurant, with its classic white tablecloth dining room filled with Moresi's eBay finds of Italian scenes and vintage menus mixed with contemporary scenes of the old country on loan from photographer and artist Kelly Lee.

On the other side, a brand-new bar offers space for eating with a deeper counter, copper foot rail, hooks for pocketbooks and handy charging ports for phones. The lounge in the back has a plump, curved banquette and deep red wallpaper, and is decorated in vintage photographs of Moresi's ancestors.

The entire space, last used as RUB restaurant, has been entirely reconfigured and its original chestnut wood restored and reused, including in table bread boards designed by Tatro and made by a former Moresi & Associates employee.

Tatro also designed the compact kitchen for efficiency and he and his wife, Mackenzie, who will run the front of house, spent hours pouring over plate and flatware samples, and designing menus.

That mix of old and new, and very personal investment, can be found throughout the menu as well.

"From soup to nuts it's pretty much a scratch kitchen," said Tatro. Elements he learned from his first job at the former La Veranda can be found in the sauce that was bubbling away on the stove and the peppers and onions it served are on the appetizer menu.


After graduating from Drury High School in 2003, he attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island and spent 10 years in Boston, where he became an executive chef. He and his wife, also an area native, returned last year to be closer to family.

 "I'm well versed in a lot of cuisines," he said. "It's a good balance of northern and southern Italian cuisines and everything's fresh ...
 
 "You will really get that sense of sitting down in a restaurant for a homemade meal."

That includes a serving of bread and Matt's "Famous" Bean Dip on those cutting boards and a side of spaghetti and salad with entrees. Grazie also offers a gluten-free option.

"This is a preliminary menu, as we move forward we will see what people want," Tatro said.

Grazie opens for business this Friday although the restaurant is only seating by reservation the first couple weeks. Call 413-664-0044 to make a reservation.

It also will be only serving dinners at this point but is available for scheduled events for lunch or dinner, including cocktail receptions in the lounge.

There are a lot of people eager to try out the restaurant — there was a run on gift cards last month.

"I think the gift card sales speaks a lot to the overall business and Matt's reputation," said Moresi. "For a restaurant that's not open yet, it shows the anticipation and confidence people have in this venture."

Service is already being provided to the Mohawk Tavern next door, which has its own menu separate from Grazie and a pneumatic tube used to place orders.

A separate winery is nearly completed in the basement and Tatro anticipates future wine tastings and wine dinners.

"We're taking it one step at a time, you only get one first impression and we want to do it right," he said.

Both said they wanted to give something back to the community, and see bringing back a missing piece of the downtown as part of that.

"We know what people want, we know what we want, we know what we grew up on," said Moresi. "This restaurant is for North Adams, it's for the Northern Berkshires. ... The tourists will come by default. ...

"It's just a great meal at a great price."


Tags: Italian,   Main Street,   opening,   restaurant,   

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Letter: Vote No on Article 13 at Dalton Town Meeting

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

On May 5, the voters of the Town of Dalton will be asked to vote on 31 Articles at the annual Town Meeting. I encourage all voters attending to vote "No" on Article 13.

Article 13 reads:

"To see if Town will rescind the vote taken under Article 1 of the May 1,2017 Annual Town Meeting authorizing the demolition of the old Dalton High School and the sale of the property for the redevelopment for houses in accordance with the Zoning By-Laws of the Town at this site; or take any other action in relation thereto."
(TWO-THIRDS VOTE REQUIRED)

The town did demolish the old Dalton High School. However the site was never re-developed for building lots as voted for by the voters of Dalton.

To the voters who originally voted on May 1, 2017, annual town meeting your vote meant nothing, if it can be changed so easily. So, if voters vote for something at the upcoming town meeting, someone could petition for a special town meeting and rescind that voting result. Doesn't hardly seem right.

The intent of changing the original vote is to the use the site to erect a new ridiculous 13,000 square foot, ten million plus dollar police station. Which the Town doesn’t mention in the text of Article 13. There are more viable alternate plans for a new police station that would cost far less and make a lot more sense.

Why would the town build a police station in the middle of a residential area anyways? If I were a resident in the area I would be outraged.

Why would the town give up six building lots? How much money will the Town lose by not selling these lots, not to mention the tax revenue that could be collected. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? I don’t know why the Town has not developed the building lots like it was supposed to. It’s been eight years since the vote in 2017.

Keep in mind, regardless of what the site will be used for, the site will require millions of dollars to address the repair and upgrade of the Walker Brook culvert system that runs under the site. So, you can add that to the cost of a new police station.

Unfortunately, if you are eligible voter in the Town of Dalton and are not able or do not attend annual town meeting you will not be able to vote on this important article or any other article in the warrant. The town gets to pick your pocket and decide things that affect you without the your vote. This voter discrimination really needs to stop. After all this is the 21st century not the 18th. Of the 4,500 plus registered voters, the town meetings historically are attended by less the 200 voters. Two hundred voters is not 2/3 of 4,500 voters. Why should 200 voters be able to decide the fate of the other 4,300 voters?

I hope the voters attending the May 5 Dalton annual town meeting will vote a resounding "NO" on Article 13.

Bruce Lester
Dalton, Mass. 

 

 

 

 

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