After 27 years in business, Mr. B’s Bar and Restaurant on The Hill has closed. Owner Sheri Badalamenti – who worked alongside her father, Michael, for years to turn out t-ravs, pastas, eggplant Parmesan and other Italian comfort food – decided that it was time to sell the business at 5800 Southwest Ave. “It was time to get out. My kids are getting to be that age and I wanted to be around. It was too much of a commitment for me,” explained Badalamenti, who has since taken a position with Sysco Foods as an account manager.
Fortunately, loyal patrons of Mr. B’s won’t have to wait long for the restaurant to reopen, this time as Mr. B’s Tuscan Tavern and Grill and under the management of new owners Perry and Dottie Favazza. Perry Favazza purchased Mr. B’s from Badalamenti a month ago, along with many of her recipes. Favazza plans to stick with many of Mr. B’s time-tested favorites and add a few newbies (See our 2010 review of Mr. B’s here).
Appetizers will make up the majority of the new menu items and will be coming from Favazza Speciality Foods, the appetizer-manufacturing company that Favazza founded two years ago. Favazza hopes that his crab Rangoon, “spinochi” (spinach-artichoke filling in a wonton wrapper) and various “twisters” including wonton-wrapped buffalo chicken, Hawaiian chicken and pulled pork will turn Mr B’s into a place known for tasty, cheap appetizers.
Another of Favazza’s plans is to offer curbside carryout whereby customers can fax in an order and pick it up outside the restaurant. “Curbside to go on The Hill – no one has that,” Favazza explained.
Mr. B’s is expected to open on Saturday, June 11, after receiving a bit of a makeover. Among the changes, look for the 600-square-foot upstairs space, which wasn’t used previously, to serve as a dining room and area for private parties. The casual eats spot will be open Monday through Saturday serving lunch, dinner and happy hour. Mr. B’s Tuscan Tavern and Grill will launch a website soon, as well as a Facebook page and Twitter account.
This article appears in May 1-31, 2011.