It has been over a year since Jesse Issa’s Tonino’s restaurant closed after a 25 year run located where
Reisterstown Road ( route 140) veers off west to Westminister and Hanover Road
begins on historic Reisterstown’s Main Street byway. Tonino’s was Mediterranean
cuisine, lots of pastas and pizza – with a heavy slant to Italian American. Two brothers,
Brian and Larry Leonardi have taken over the location and if all bodes
well for them, plan to open Ristorante Firenze, an “authentic Italian” restaurant
at 2 Hanover Road.
The upscale casual Ristorante Firenze will offer a diverse
lunch and dinner menu based on the regional Italian cuisine of Florence. They promise a stylish bar/lounge where one
can sink into comfortable armchairs facing a fireplace and of course,
wide-screen television sets, the accoutrement du jour for any bar along with
craft cocktails, a premium wine list and beers both draft and bottled.
Carrying on the Italian theme one can expect custom lighting
from Murano, Italy – known for their glass work, the warm tones that reflect
Tuscany along with natural materials. The
3,000 square foot restaurant which will feature 100 seat dining is undergoing
both interior and exterior renovations with interior design by Rita St. Clair
Associates. Rear parking and entrance to
Ristorante Firenze are also getting the Italian facelift.
“Our research shows that the northwest Baltimore County and Carroll County regions
remain underserved by restaurants that are adaptable to support diverse
occasions including business meetings, casual meals and special celebrations,”
said Brian Leonardi. “Ristorante Firenze has been designed to fill this niche
with a family-operated Tuscan dining experience utilizing recipes handed down
for generations and reflective of our Little Italy roots.”
Those roots go as far back as the brothers being bus boys, servers and
cooks in their uncle’s restaurant; Velleggia’s, then their own Casa Di Pasta
eateries in Belvedere Square and Columbia.
Ristorante Firenze – 2 Hanover Road – Reisterstown, MD –
follow their progress as they ready for opening at www.EatFirenze.com Twitter @EatFirenze Facebook
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