Mario and Paul Mancieri opened Leo's Ristorante on Valentine's Day, 2000. Formerly the Golden Goose, the restaurant at the corner of Hope Street and Church Street has seen its menu and footprint grow in the last 16 years. Tonight, they'll celebrate that birthday by bringing back some old favorites from their first years in business.
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Mario and Paul Mancieri opened Leo's Ristorante on Valentine's Day, 2000. Formerly the Golden Goose, the restaurant at the corner of Hope Street and Church Street has seen its menu and footprint grow in the last 16 years. Tonight, they'll celebrate that birthday by bringing back some old favorites from their first years in business.
Diners can expect classics such as Italian baked fish and Spaghetti alla Gina. The Gina sauce, named for Mario's mother, is a sweet pasta sauce that goes well with chicken and veal. It's a fitting tribute to the opening days of the restaurant. When they opened in 2000, Mario and Paul (father and son) channeled the vision of Pantaleone "Leo" Mancieri and his wife, Gina – their respective parents and grandparents – who opened the original Leo's on State Street in 1948.
"We're going to have some fun here," Mario told The Phoenix in a 2000 article.
He was right. The restaurant, now operated solely by Paul, has seen a lot of fun in the last 16 years. On Tuesday, Mario reflected on his son's achievement and the connection to the original Leo's from 1948.
"It was like having friends and relatives for dinner. Each day we would be called out from the kitchen by friends and strangers to hear a story about their memories of Leo's," Mario said.
He went on to call Leo's a labor of love, fun and accomplishment. But there shave been struggles, too. Route 114 changes three years ago eliminated significant parking spaces in the area. A collapsed roof shut the restaurant down for ten weeks. Recently, rumors of a relocation or closing have made their way around town.
"We're here. We're not closing. We're looking to the future," Paul said Tuesday morning before opening for lunch.
He hopes his regular customers will join new diners to enjoy the classic menu items he'll run this weekend in honor of the restaurant's Sweet Sixteen. One classic that will not return is the designation banning lone men from the dining room at the original Leo's in 1948. At the time, the dining room was for couple's only.
"No stags," read the sign.