Obit for a restaurateur
The Gazette has an interesting obit for Giovanni Montanari, who owned and ran the Rotisserie Italienne for many years. I was surprised to see that the Rotisserie only closed definitively last year – I used to eat there occasionally years ago and think of it as something from the 1980s or early 90s. That whole neighbourhood has changed a lot since those days.
Bill Binns 13:38 on 2019-08-14 Permalink
Bummer. The Rotisserie was the first “favorite” restaurant of my wife and I in the city. They had a crazy ordering system where you would order at the counter, the food would be taken to your table by a waiter and when it was time to go, you would return to the counter and tell him what you had. It felt like the honor system and I always wondered if people tried to rip him off.
I absolutely loved sitting at one of tables with the red checkered table cloths near the big windows when it was snowing outside. Even when full it was cozy and quiet inside. They served a type of cake unlike anything I ever had anywhere else. I think he called it “Italian Wedding Cake”. It was served ice cold and was soaked in some kind of citrus liquid. Incredible on hot summer days.
Sadly, we quit going even before the place was sold mostly because it was strictly cash only and we never seem to have more than $20.00 in cash on us anymore (if any).
RIP Mr Montanari.
Veronik 13:44 on 2019-08-14 Permalink
It was also my first favourite restaurant after I moved here in 1989. My husband also loved it, and we often took our daughter there. It wasn’t the same after it was sold, unfortunately, and we stopped going.
dwgs 15:01 on 2019-08-14 Permalink
It was a great loss to downtown when they sold it, it was one of the very few reliable and affordable places for a bite. My wife still smiles when I call out “Senorina Bella” to let her know that dinner is ready. Giovanni always seemed like a decent guy.
Uatu 17:34 on 2019-08-14 Permalink
So that’s what happened. I walked by there last year and my heart sank when I saw it wasn’t open anymore. With the children’s hospital gone, the whole neighborhood is slowly morphing into something new
JP 22:28 on 2019-08-14 Permalink
I wish I had known about this place. I feel like I missed out on a great place.