alright, al-alo, point well taken. i was just trying to suggest that some variations on the theme might be nice and that non-italians may struggle with some of the more complex italian names. i'm not involved in determining the winner, i'd just like to see the winner have a name that the restaurant really uses.
How about "Silver Spoon," after that humongous Italian cookbook. It's on display in Talking Leaves. If you like cooking Italian, it's a pretty fascinating read.
or something with Midtown in the name it to truly brand that stretch of Main St/Buffalo as Midtown.
like many of us, when I think italian food, i think of my grandmother from naples.
whenever i was pestering her about what was for dinner, she would always answer "gotz e culo [sic]?". or sometimes just the shorthand "gotz!'
she always kept the party line and maintained the meaning was nuts and berries. later in life i found it had a much more colorful meaning. so my suggesetions are the correct spelling of "gotz e culo", just plain "gotz' or a nice ango "nuts and berries"!
Tutti (all). From the sound of the menu the new place (near Roxys?) will have it all.
Fiume Bello (beautiful river). The Italian twist on our French legend re: Indian misunderstanding/naming of Buffalo (beau fleuve).
Given the neighboorhood how about Donatello's or da Vinci's. Or lets go with a play on names....ART I. CHOKES..............??????????
I like Ciao House by Girl 16. To expand on that, how 'bout Ciao Main?
Pastachio.
Get it? Like the nut except spelled differently to contain the word "Pasta."
The Italian names were all too predictable and definitely not "Something simple and interesting that stands out from the traditional names attached to Italian-American restaurants. " They sound like every other Italian restaurant. The only other good ones were Ciao Main and Fiume Bello.
ChristaSeychew-
Know that I think about it YOUR RIGHT - about the TOO MANY "heavy handed bad Italian resturants". Real Italian cooking doesn't taste anything like what you'll find in those.
I am glad you liked my suggestion of " Piazza".
(art-i-chokes —— that's funny!)
"Medici's" does play off the art theme (and, letters-wise, proximity to the MEDical campus, as well).
from Wikipedia: They [Medici family] were able to bring Florence under their family's power allowing for an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They led the birth of the Italian Renaissance along with the other great signore families of Italy like the Visconti and Sforza families of Milan, the Este of Ferrara, the Gonzaga of Mantua, and others.
Prego - means several things in Italian - but usually said with flair and friendliness Tremezzo - my favorite town in Italy Terra - simple and doesn't scream, "This is an Italian restaurant" Oregano - spice essential to sauce; flavorful Basil; Sage - see above
Can't help you. All the Italian words and phrases I know are unprintable.
Thanks queenseyes. I thought of Ciao Main too but thought when people only heard the name they would think it was Chinese.
Here's my name for it, it’s based around the fact they seem to not only be a traditional Italian restaurant but adapt to a little more.
: The Chameleon
: The Chameleon Italian American Grill
: The Chameleon Grill
: Bistro Chameleon
*I thought I’d cover all the bases….or at least try.
I'm excited to see a light fare Italian American resturant in Buffalo!
Diletto (roughly translated to beloved/delightful)
Beloved food - Beloved City
How about "The Last THing we Need in Buffalo is another Italian Restaurant" Restaurant
Okay, from my Sicilian Heritage along Virginia Street - "Sucoo" Don;t know if that is how it's spelled, but it meant "Sauce" - pronounced soo-coo. Fun to say, as well.
I was thinking that as well. But, if you drive by it, it will give you a chuckle.
TO MRodgers:
Forse intendevi la parola SUGO (correct spelling for the word SAUCE )... giusto una piccola correzzione...
fredrico-
I love your suggestion, but would like to mention that there is such a thing as too many heavy-handed bad Italian restaurants, which I feel is the case more often than not- in fact, much more often. WNY seems to be filled with soggy, chewy eggplant parm, bad sauce and overcooked boxed pasta. Again, just my opinion.
I think that the owner would also like suggestions for names that are not in Italian.
It came out as one line, instead of each suggestion having it's own line....must have done something wrong....
tdimatteo - gratsi - I knew it, it just wouldn't come to the front of my brain. God, I miss the family picnics - even the meals after the funerals. Sfinge, pasta con sarde, cannolis - though I do make a hellified cucidate and cannoli - it was so much more fun when Aunt Angie was over. Hey - that's a good name - "Aunt Angie's"
Here's a few Italian and not-so-Italian, but all Italian-influenced:
La Bohème • Boho • Giacomo's • Tosca • The Blue Grotto • Utopia • Sinfonia • La Scala • Desire • Essence
How about 3 - Olives ... then you can work in Olives into the address and use it as a moniker
in an effort to lock up this contest, im going ahead and copyrighting every single name suggested and i am now in the process of locking up the associated domain names, including the .net & .us dirivitives
: )
Latin - A Bene Placito
Translation - "from one who has been pleased well"
Or "at will", "at one's pleasure". This phrase, and its Italian beneplacito and Spanish (beneplácito) derivatives, are synonymous with the more common ad libitum ("at pleasure").
How about "The Olive Garden." What, that's taken? Perhaps Agridolce might work instead...
When I think of Italian cuisine, I envision a romantic and tranquil setting..how about Capri, the island located in West Italy? Or, Capri Lane, that sounds more citified.
Fredrico: there already is a restaurant called "Mangia", it is in Orchard Park
to Al-alo Your " gotz e culo " suggestion had me laughing!! because I know what it really means in Italian!!! I love Gotz! "Art- i chokes" is very clever and funny too!
I am going to suggest " Manga" which means eat in Italian ( but I like Gotz the best because it holds an inside joke).
Rebecca-
I like Ciao Main as well, but I think if I heard it and had never seen it spelled out I'd assume it was a Chinese restaurant.
Hrmmm I was thiking something like
"The Bistro at Main" or "The Bistro @ Main"
quick and lets ya know where it is.
Using the word "bistro" is so funny to me...it's not Italian, which is fine, but I think a lot of people think it is :)
The Joy of Food -- or La Gioia di Cibo
Because with Italians, that's what it's really all about. It's the experience of eating . . . enjoying the food and the company.
AnnapMike- I found out after I suggested it that there already is a " Manga" resturant. I was born in Italy and later the evening in Italy most everyone (no matter what city or town your in) goes to the "Piazza" for a cappacino or a sweet. Piazza "which means the center of town" is usually the center of town. I think it is a wonderful custom as most people young or old do not have to sit in front of the television all alone everynight. Instead they go to the center of town and meet up with friends ( to ferociously gossip I am sure - you know those Italians!! :). Anyway I think Piazza might be a nice name for the resturant.
P.S. There is no such thing as too many Italian resturants.
You guys are so creative! I love a lot of the Italian names, but from a marketing standpoint I would be worried about how easy they are to pronounce or find in the phone book or online.
KFab,
prego might be misinterpreted as something completely different kind of place.
: )
how about "al-alo's buffalo's capri, tuscan, and sicilain style mid town joy of food trattoria, cafe & restaurant on Main Street"?*
on a completely differnt note, a friend of mine in high school was part italian, irish and czech. he always would say he was a Czechin McWopper.
* Copyright pending
easy to spellfind and in the book, a little less swarthy and a little more anglo, perhaps? got it then:
"Triple A non-italian sounding, italian restaurant"
Where on Main street is this located? If it's between Best and Utica then you could use the neighborhood name to give it a location to add to Fredrico's suggestion, hence:
Cold Springs Piazza
However, south of Best won't work, as according to the Buffalo Neighborhood Map that's Hospital Heights...not a good idea to have "hospital" in your restaurant name.
Suggestions are :
Savor / Savory Abundantia / Abundia - Latin for 'plenty'. Ah Latin, the orignal Italian... Thymbra Novo Faveo - Latin for 'to delight in approval' Paprika
My last was Basil, but I see someone thought of that already.
Christa, just wondering....
In your original post you indicated that entries must be submitted "by" Wed. Aug. 15. "By" means "before." So why is the contest still open until Midnight on Wed. ?
Just a note, dear readers-
This contest ends at midnight tonight. The top 15 choices will appear in Monday's YUM post. The winner will be announced in September's addition of Buffalo Rising Magazine. Good luck to all of you!
How about Torremaggiore
Buffalo has two sister cities in Italy - Siena and Torremaggiore, which is located in Italy's Apulina region in southeast Italy, where both Neapolitan and Sicilian dialects are spoken. I could only assume the food is equally diverse.
I think a contingent of young people from Torremaggiore were just at the Italian Festival doing a flag throwing demonstration or something - maybe putting up pictures of that, pics of the Italian city, etc... would be an original, purposeful motif as opposed to your token Venice and Firenze pics.
There is already a restaurant called Siena in Snyder.
Noticed a few posts here this morning. I just want to remind you that this contest ended last Wednesday. See today's post for the finalists: http://www.buffalorising.com/story/and_the_winner_might_be#sca
Report this