This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Bistro 5 Owner to Open New Eatery in Winchester

Vittorio Ettore, owner of Bistro 5 in West Medford, plans to open a new restaurant in the current Parsons Table space in mid-November.

If you’re already missing , which is , don’t fret too much: Vittorio Ettore, owner of in West Medford, is moving in.

Ettore’s new restaurant will be A Tavola, Italian for “at the table,” and is expected to open at 34 Church St. in Winchester in mid-November. Ettore describes A Tavola as “farm-to-table eclectic Italian.” The feel will be a bit more casual and rustic than Bistro 5, but with a continued focus on fresh, local ingredients.

Ettore will bring cooking techniques from his native Italy to foods found here in the United States and will also add his own twists to the cuisine. Though he is still working out the full menu, he knows there will be two signature dishes. One is a whole roasted pig, an Italian specialty known as porchettaThe other is a large selection of piattini, little appetizer plates that, in combination, allow diners to experience and share many different tastes.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

“If it was me going for dinner, I would have like a zillion piattini,” Ettore said.

There will be piattini featuring salumi, a selection of cured meats like prosciuttos; vegetarian options such as vegetables and fresh cheeses; and crudo, simply meaning raw, including thinly sliced raw beef called carpaccio.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Another menu item at A Tavola will be made-to-order risotto for two, offered in four different color options.  Black will include squid ink.  Red will be tomato-based.  Yellow features saffron.  And white will include white wine and pepper.

“I’m going to start my own Italian revolution,” Ettore said, adding that he hopes to expose patrons to authentic Italian cuisine and break away from American expectations of Italian food.

Ettore, a Winchester resident for 10 years, had been thinking about opening a second restaurant for awhile. Finding the right location was tricky, though.  Boston felt too far away from his children’s school and activities in Winchester, with too much traffic between the two restaurants. 

Then Chris Parsons emailed Ettore to say he was closing Parsons Table and asked if Ettore was interested in the space.  Ettore barely had to think about it before saying yes.  His house is just yards away from the Church St. restaurant.  He would be near his children’s school.  There’s hardly a commute between the two restaurants.

“I want to go from Bistro 5 to [A Tavola] to the soccer games to the school meetings to Wright-Locke Farm to the Sanborn House,” Ettore said.

In keeping with a more casual restaurant, a children’s menu will be offered at A Tavola. Catering will also be available, including the whole roasted pig served on a cutting board surrounded by roasted vegetables, and a selection of piattini that can be arranged in large spreads and won’t need chafing dishes.

“Exposing people to different foods is going to be a lot of fun,” Ettore said.

He is looking forward to opening the restaurant soon, and is thankful for all the support he’s received from Chris Parsons, who’s been spreading the word about A Tavola among his current customers.  Ettore said he’s sure this is the easiest restaurant transition in the history.

Related Topics: A Tavola, Bistro 5, Parsons Table, and Vittorio Ettore

Interested in a follow-up to this article?

Great, we'll send you an email as soon as a follow-up is published!

  •  
  •  Submit a tip

Leave a comment

[["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Hey, you forgot to let us know how you feel u2014 please enter a comment."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_long":"Easy there, Tolstoy. Your comment cannot exceed 1500 characters.","maximum":1500,"allow_blank":true}]]   Website:

  Get Email Updates

Send me email updates for this article

Would you like to receive email updates about this article?

Yes, please No thanks

Close Read More in Business

 

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA small_zoom false false 42.4353 -71.1896 42.4739 -71.1108 In This article

  • 34 Church St, Winchester, MA 42.45146 -71.138994 34 Church St, Winchester, MA 781-729-1040 /listings/parsons-table 316672 /locations/472932
  • By

  • 5 Playstead Rd, Medford, MA 42.42134 -71.132579 5 Playstead Rd, Medford, MA 781-395-7464 http://medford.patch.com/listings/bistro-5 785186 /locations/946411

See More on Patch

Most Popular articles

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?