When fire gutted Zia’s Restaurant last August, we were not only devastated, we were worried the popular Italian eatery on The Hill would shutter for good. Five months and more than $1 million later, Zia’s has returned, officially reopening its doors today. Unofficially, they opened last night with a special dinner for the firefighters who battled the blaze and saved the building. We think that’s pretty cool. And the good news is that all staff members, from servers to cooks to porters, are back on the job. On a TV news interview, owner Robyn Chiodini said everything remains the same, “right down to the calories.” Mangia!
– Michael Renner
This article appears in Feb 1-28, 2010.