Category: Food & Drink (Page 2 of 9)

Post by Donna Belt

Vincent Baressi, with art of Victor Knight III

For months now, the windows on the front corner space at 510 Glenwood  – once occupied by Red Room (then Krave and then Myst) – have been covered with paper.  Then several weeks ago, a sign with no words – just a row of cherry bombs appeared.  What IS this?  neighborhood residents have asked.  A club?  A video game hang out?

Vincent Barresi, the new restauranteur in this property would chuckle at this intrigue.  You might recognize him as the chef and proprietor, who for the past ten years has warmly greeted families at Vincent’s Italian Cuisine on Creedmoor Rd.  Or if you’ve been in Raleigh a really long time, you might recall his restaurant that thrived for fifteen years prior to that on Capital Blvd.

So what has inspired him to blast into Glenwood South?  It turns out that his story of reinvention matches the theme of many downtown residents, whether they’re downsizing empty nesters or 20 somethings seeking to create lives that feel connected, creative and vital.   With his sons Kevin and Dominic both leaving home and his lease running out in North Raleigh, Vincent asked himself what came next.  He felt proud of the traditional Italian comfort food that he had perfected and tweaked through the years, including dishes like braciole that few Italian chefs still take the time to prepare.  But this time in his life called for a new challenge, an original approach, and a fresh… well, BOOM! Continue reading

By Donna Belt

3rd floor – interior

Invitations are in hand for the neighbors of Glenwood South’s Carolina Ale House and anticipation is high for their Saturday, January 10 soft opening that will herald the immediate start of business to the public.  Together with its hundreds of beers on tap and all food made in house, the welcoming and innovative design of this multistoried eatery is sure to make it a regional destination.

As residents of 510 Glenwood, my husband Jim and I have been peering through the construction fence along our street for months. This morning we were rewarded not just with a gap allowing access to the wide, upgraded sidewalk; the owner, Lou Moshakos invited us in for a tour of his building from basement to rooftop.  We can say for sure that this place – from its novel wine-on-tap system to its massive electric windows (designed in Turkey) – is the masterpiece of a true visionary.  Lou Moshakos is constructing a space that will keep pace with an expanded version of Glenwood South that is now only in an early phase.

Lou Moshakos, right, with his wife Joy, center, and daughter Amber, left.

As we walked from level to level, we could envision with Mr. Moshakos the grand wall of the double storied first floor Mediterranean space (projected to open this summer) with its glass jellyfish design, and appreciate his concept for dividing the open, multilevel area into intimate settings suitable for wine tasting, small parties, and even the possibility of dinner theater or orchestra concerts.  Like a well designed home, this is a place that can continue to shift with his vision, adapting through the lowering of walls and windows  – and retraction of the roof – at the touch of buttons.

As neighbors to this establishment that is inches shy of touching our condo building, we were equally impressed with Mr. Moshakos’s designs for mitigating noise and disturbance to residents.  With a closed staircase sandwiched between the bar and 510, there is a natural barrier to music noise transmitted through vibration.  In addition to this, he has put all outside speakers on a separate system so that they can be adjusted according to feedback from neighbors.  Just as welcome to us, he has already dictated that the last call for dumping empty bottles in the trash behind our building will be 10 PM, rather than the 2:30 AM clatter that is routine with other bars.

Jim and I often tell people that we love Glenwood South because of its feeling of neighborhood.  We feel energized by the growth of new businesses that are forward thinking and yet collaborative in style, falling in easily with what is already here.  We welcome Lou Moshakos and his family, knowing that their presence will be a responsive and creative addition to both resident and business neighbors.

Photos taken  January 4th:

3rd floor interior

Bar area – 3rd floor

Rooftop lookout