Full Text:

There's More Space, But It Feels Like The Same Old Place

(with photo)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

The Tambascio family had barely finished a complete renovation of My Place

Restaurant three years ago when they learned that their building in the

Newtown Shopping Center was targeted for demolition to make way for the Big Y

supermarket's parking lot.

But for Louise Tambascio and her sons, John and Mark, what originally seemed

like a disaster has turned out to be a stroke of good luck. Last Friday their

new My Place quietly opened in the former post office building at 8 Queen

Street after a relocation that took less than a week.

The restaurant's regular patrons could not be more pleased. Members of the St

Rose Rosary Society, who have breakfast at My Place nearly every morning, gave

the new facility their unqualified stamp of approval on Wednesday.

"The decor is beautiful," Betty Doty said. "We really love the new look

especially the flowers and vines painted on the walls [by Newtown artist Jenni

Braen]."

Mrs Doty was seated at a table adjacent to what had been the post office's

front doors along with Pat Hayes, Martie Williams, Ellen Hall and Florence

Maron.

"There's usually 12 or 13 of us that eat at My Place every day except

Tuesday," Florence Maron said. "We've been coming here for years - at least

10. The service is great."

The new restaurant is much larger; it seats 120, up from 80, and requires a

wait staff of six on weekends instead of three. Besides the kitchen and the

main dining room, there is an adjacent room that seats 50, a take-out room

with a counter and six stools, and a lounge that seats about 10 and is used as

a smoking area. My Place now has a full liquor license as well as a diverse

beer list with 55 bottled beers and six on tap.

The extra dining room will be used for parties, to hold the overflow from the

main dining room or for groups with lots of children such as a student soccer

team.

"On Friday or Saturday night you could be at a table and have 10 kids at the

next table," John Tambascio said. "Now we're able to offer a little more

privacy because we are so big."

"The restaurant is about one-third bigger, but it seems a lot larger and it

will be quieter," he said.

Bob Hickey said he has been eating at My Place for 17 years and thinks the new

facility is a lot more comfortable.

"I like the music and the layout of the restaurant," he said. "Of course, it's

still the same - Louise still has a nice smile."

Bill Biesel, 80, has been coming to My Place since he moved to Newtown in

1963, long before the Tambascios took over in 1979.

"The new place is very nice," he said. "It's well appointed and cheerful. It's

roomier and has a much nicer setup than what they had before."

"Maybe it's a little too fancy for me," he said with a wry smile, adding that

he always asks to be served by longtime waitress Helene Grolich when he comes

in, and that won't change.

The menu has been greatly expanded by adding all of the popular specials that

used to be offered separately. There is now one large kitchen, instead of two,

and the combined staff is being trained to prepare everything on the menu. A

new computer system also has been installed which, in the end, should make for

much quicker service and fewer mistakes in the preparation of orders.

"The whole idea and design is to give better service," John Tambascio said.

"We changed the takeout system and the dining room system by buying a

computer, but we haven't quite mastered the new system yet so we hope everyone

will be patient."

Mr Tambascio said My Place is unique because it is able to effectively combine

breakfast, lunch, dinner and takeout "without looking or feeling like a

pizzeria, diner or a bar. Each shift has its own personality. If you come for

breakfast, it feels very different than if you are here at night.

"We are an upscale family restaurant," he said. "We cater to people who are

looking for above average food and service at an affordable price."

Breakfasts range from $1.50 to $5.75; the lunch menu offers appetizers,

salads, hot and cold sandwiches and platters, $2.25 to $7.95; dinners include

a large selection of house specialities like Chicken Passero (chicken with

sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and garlic over angel hair pasta);

classics like Veal Saltimboca (veal with prosciutto, mozzarella and red wine);

grilled entrees like Papa Joe's Combo (steak, pork, shrimp and chicken), and a

dozen pasta dishes. All come with sides like soup, salad or pasta, and range

from $6.50 to $14.95. Appetizers are $2.25 to $6.95; specialty salads are

mostly $6.95.

My Place is open seven days a week from 5:30 am to 10 pm. Call 270-7061 for

more information.