Photo: QueensPost
Aug. 13, 2013 Staff Report
An up-scale Italian restaurant opened this past weekend in the space that was occupied by Tapenade Bistro (44-07 on Queens Blvd).
The restaurant, called Venturo Osteria & Wine Bar, offers Italian-inspired cuisine, using products from local greenmarkets. (see menu below)
The restaurant is currently undergoing a soft opening, where it is providing dinner service from 6 until 9 p.m through Thursday. From that point on, it will serve dinner seven days a week from 5 until 11 p.m.
The restaurant is owned and operated by three people who run restaurants together in Astoria.
The owners—Giusepe Falco, Leonard Sacco and Michelle Vido—will model the Queens Blvd. restaurant after “Vesta trattoria and wine bar”, a restaurant they own located at 21-02 30th Avenue.
Venturo, however, is already viewed as Vesta’s big brother. “Venturo is slightly bigger and has a full cocktail license,” said Theron Day, the manager of Venturo. Vesta only has a wine and beer license.
Furthermore, some of the noodles will be made from scratch at Venturo, before being transported to Vesta.
The owners also have a restaurant called “Pachanga Patterson”, which offers Mexican-styled cuisine. It is located at 33-17 31st Avenue.
Venturo, with its hardwood floors and exposed brick walls, seats about 50 people. A backyard patio, which could cater 20 people, is still being renovated. Day said that they hope to have it open in a few weeks—before summer comes to an end.
The owners plan to introduce a weekend brunch within the next two weeks—opening the restaurant between 11:00 am and 3:30 pm.
Theron Day, the manager
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51 Comments
I’ve been eating at Pachanga and Vesta for years and I’m so glad to hear about Venturo! I’ve never been disappointed by the restaurants these owners have opened and I’m sure this one will be just as good.
And as far as the hipsters, we all knew they were going to migrate up from Greenpoint eventually… That’s just the nature of parasites. Leave this decent restaurant out if it.
Woody – personal vendetta, much?
We need more Hipsters and less OLD FARTS!!!!
Future restauranteurs in this hood please take note: good fried chicken please!
I can’t wait to try this place. The menu looks great, and the decor inviting. Not sure why so many people need negative comments on here. We should welcome the change, and everything positive that it will bring to our community. As for the prices, they are way cheaper than manhattan— so get over it. I wish we had more hipsters in our area. Then maybe we could have some cool boutiques, coffee shops, galleries etc. Change is constantly occuring, learn to embrace it.
“blistered tomato petals” sounds interesting. Very descriptively wrought.
better than another pharmacy opening up I guess , as for the hipsters in the Hood , their everywhere , now wheres my thick black glasses ….
I had the Flotus last night and it was great! this place rocks just what we needed cool and hip unlike Dazies old and STALE like the owners and the Manager.
I don’t know anything about her backside but she appears to be healthy. I applaud her efforts to raise awareness of proper eating and nutrition to school kids- I think she’s an impressive First lady. You sound as if you just want to insulting. Good luck with that.
South Side, is this the same michelle obama with the hefty backside who is always preaching against obesity? Maybe she could lead by example and lay off the pasta.
“The FLOTUS pappardelle, so named for the President’s favorite pasta dish made by his wife, comes tossed with shrimp, Fresno chiles, blistered tomato petals and basil.” (http://gothamist.com/2013/08/14/venturo_osteria_wine_bar.php#photo-1)
What a great idea, especially if you are a fan of Michelle Obama, as I am. I will order this dish tonight. It’s reasonably priced- maybe it will keep the riff raff (haters) away? That would be nice.
Rigatoni with sausage at Sidetracks is $17, Fettucini with shrimp $19; Dazie’s pasta dishes start at $18; Seafood Linguini at Prima Sarabella is $19. One can only imagine the rent this guy has to pay- $15 bucks for his dish sounds pretty reasonable.
well, i’m guessing the menu is limited because, as the article mentioned, “the resaurant is currently undergoing a soft opening” …..i’d say prices are in line with the rapidly rising prices of the rest of the neighborhood….i’m looking forward to trying it out though…but i also worry about getting priced out of the neighborhood….as some people are now getting priced out of greenpoint and bklyn in general…. all in all, i wish any small business.. the best of luck!
i concur with the $15 pasta?! what the heck. first it starts with the pricey restaurants, then the peeps follow and rent spikes thereafter.
Just had dinner there it’s GREAT! young hip and good all the things Dazies is not.
Menu looks flat and uninspired to me. Phoned in. 3 choices for entrees? 3 pastas, 2 of which no protein?
Dazies is for the OLD WASHED UP FARTS!!!!
These prices are in line with Dazies… maybe even a bit cheaper. Dunno why people think this is over priced.
The FLOTUS pasta looks great. It shouldn’t add to much to my butt.
where is Sun Luck when you need a sitdown Chinese Restaurant?
We dined here Thursday night. The food was really good, and the service was accommodating and pleasant. The pizza had super-thin crust, with various toppings. The paparadelle (pasta) is made in the restaurant and was delicious, with tomatoes, shrimp and parsley in a flavorful broth. The wine selection is interesting and moderately priced. The date cake with toffee and cream is unusual and wonderful. This will be very successful.
Is the FLOTUS dish named for the wife of the current president?
If it is, I’d prefer to dine where the owner doesn’t impose his political bias onto the menu.
$15 for pasta????
People who think this restaurant is pricey. When was the last time you guys went out to a restaurant? 15 years ago?
Seems a bit pricey but good luck.
Glad to have a new Italian place, but the prices do seem high and the choices rather limited to fussy fancy gourmet food instead of some delicious traditional Italian offerings.
Anonymous, I heart you!
Look, Salt and Fat is arguably “hipster” but it is SO great! The neighborhood scored a true local gem with that one! And I don’t hear too many complaints with its addition to the neighborhood….
I don’t think we should dismiss this restaurant so quickly because it may fall under that heading (whatever that heading means) without trying its food and giving it a chance….
And by no means does that mean I wouldn’t/won’t support the local, older established places too….Mario’s, De Mole, Turkish Grill, Dazie’s, etc.
Chinese and Greek….if we had a good, solid each of those restaurants – I’d be set!
So very excited!! Can’t wait to eat the steak!! FYI: the prices are comparable to that of Quaint.
i would like a hipster restaurant that actually serves hipsters… AS IN EATING THEM!
WTH??? how come FLOTUS has a dish? First Lady Of The United States
I want my pasta bi-partisan!!
Finally cool has come to Sunnyside! my wife and I love Vesta and we can’t to eat at Venturo. Dazies now that’s a DUMP! we are not hipsters but we are people of means and we are trying to get rid of the Old and Tired Riff Raff that permeates this neighborhood.
Hispters are taking over Sunnyside.
I just saw a woman walking her cat on a leash on 42nd street.
JulieJ. You stink
You cheap bastards. This is well priced and can’t wait to go. In fact I will be there tonight!
Overpriced for this ‘hood!
Too trendy. This scares me. Would hate for this area to get too much like Greenpoint! Anon.an.on, if you like GPoint so much, move there!
@keepdrinkingherkoolaid
You can take your southern Italian cuisine back to Sicily with you.
@OMG/Krissi
Have you tried Sik Gaek? It’s Korean but fantastic food in huge portions and a heck of a great time!
OMG Roxy my husband and I have been saying that for years. A GOOD eat-in Chinese place would be a wonderful addition!
No, we don’t need Chinese food. Let’s try to get some Italian, French, etc..
Look at brooklyn by ocean avenue, prospect parkway, etc. there are all those different restaurants but people flock from other parts of the city to eat there. Why couldn’t sunnyside be like that?
Good luck to the owner, and I am definitely eating here first chance I got.
Also Italian places are not all about food, they are about wine they serve as well. Hoping that he does not pick his wines at Costco or Liquidators, we will be happy as we can be. Where is the wine menu? The limited choice of entres look a bit pricy, I would have hoped them to keep prices down until they get people used to the place. I sure wont try 21 steak on my first visit.. Unless it is a big one.
Now how about an authentic, full-service Chinese restaurant? As far as I know, all the Chinese eateries in Sunnyside are mainly for take-out, with maybe a few tables and chairs at the front for those with the courage to dine in those dingy surroundings.
Great! It’s wonderful to have a good variety of places to choose from. upscale, economy, hipster, authentic…whatever. The more the merrier.
The word “hipster” has officially lost all its meaning. Please explain what is “hipster” about salad, pasta, pizza, and cooked meat.
And, as the restaurant is in the United States, whether or not its items would appear on a menu in Italy are completely irrelevant.
For the record, I went last night and the food, wine, and service were outstanding. But I guess I’m just a “hipster” so what do I know?!
Nothing on the menu appealing. Italians don’t eat hipster food. You wouldn’t find one menu item on a menu in Italy.
Looking forward to trying this place. It’d be great to see Sunnyside with a few better bars and restaurants, a little more greenpoint-esque.
Nice! We look forward to checking it out!
Am I crazy for not wanting this in Sunnyside. I was priced out of Brooklyn, where I was born and raised, by stuff like this.
Ohhhhh, love the menu selections – cannot wait to go there!
My husband and I wanted to go there yesterday but it was closed…
Looks like a cute trendy place.
I’m so excited. Finally finally finally.
Yum! Excited to try this place! I love Vesta in Astoria and am happy to see this restaurant open in Sunnyside.