Chef and Owner Rosario Pugliese


Italian Seafood in Spartanburg, SC

Chef and owner Rosario Pugliese transplanted his Northern Italian culinary roots into a small corner of Dorman Center.
The Neapolitan native prides himself on his ever-expanding palate of specials and seasonal offerings. He desires to continue offering more traditional European fare, such as arugula, broccoli rabe and house-made vinaigrette. He describes the restaurant, which opened in July 2008, as casual and romantic.
The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and each meal is accompanied by house-made bread. The extensive menu includes pasta, chicken, seafood, veal, featured specials and pizzas. Pugliese said popular items on the menu include pasta and chicken alla caprese, which is served with sauteed tomatoes, garlic and mozzarella, and chicken Gorgonzola, which has shitake mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and a Gorgonzola cream sauce.
"For me, it's all good," said Pugliese. The pizza menu contains the usual suspects but also features a Four Seasons pizza with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. A Florentina pizza topped with creamy pesto, chicken and artichokes is among other more unusual offerings.
The intimate setting has created quite a following locally.