Newton mainstay expands to Oak Square
Creating a smaller version of something successful takes a critical eye and Rick Moranis, usually. Able to do it despite lacking that dude's creepy attic inventions, Fiorella's Express, now open.
From a Bentley grad building off the success of his full-scale Newton operation, FE's a reverse Kirstie-Alley'd take-out version set in the 20-seat former Ray's Grille, outfitted w/ iron-work on beige walls, a solo flatscreeen TV, and the tag-line, "Inspiration from Italy, Hospitality from the Heart", also the tag-line for the new NBC sitcom "Greggio's Anatomy". Sandwich highlights include the marinara sauce'd shaved Steak Milano packed w/ pepperoni, mushrooms, and provolone; the Albacore Tuna Siciliano mixed with capers and kalamata olives on an Italian braided roll; and a balsamic-glazed chicken cutlet smothered in roasted red peppers, spinach, and goat cheese called the Chicken Rossini, which unlike the Chicken Isabella Rossilini, is still in vogue. For more hearty dinner fare, there's a pecorino romano cheese-sprinkled chicken sauteed with garlic and mushrooms; pepperoni/crumbled sausage simmered in a spicy marinara sauce and tossed with penne; plus Chicken Gezabella in a creamy garlic wine sauce with artichoke hearts & roasted red peppers, who got that way thanks to humiliation at the hands of Chef-rey Ross.
If you'd prefer to go pie, FE's baking pizzas like the signature prosciutto and mushroom'd Fiorella and a spicy sauce'd roasted chicken and pepperoni fra diavlo, which could still be successful, despite creating a markedly bigger version of you.