According to an article from the Portland Eater, Nick’s Italian Cafe is slated to reopen in McMinnville at 521 NE 3rd Street.
A representative of Nick’s Italian Cafe was not immediately available for commentary upon What Now Portland’s request.
According to the article, “The News-Register first reported that Thomas Ghinazzi, Jordan Neale, and Scott Baldwin — the owners of Carlton restaurant Earth & Sea — have purchased the restaurant from the original owners, the Peirano family, and plan to reopen this spring.”
“For 46 years, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant was a beloved community institution, known for its handmade pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and cozy Backroom Bar, a speakeasy-style billiard room behind the restaurant. It was arguably the first destination restaurant in an otherwise quite casual, agricultural town, long before McMinnville was a tourist destination.”
“Founder Nick Peirano opened his restaurant in 1977, serving dishes like minestrone, handmade tortelli, and a popular Dungeness crab lasagna. Peirano was an early supporter of the Willamette Valley wine industry and a fixture at McMinnville’s annual International Pinot Noir Celebration; his restaurant was the kind of place people went on dates and met for family dinners.”
“In a town that is now stacked with pizza options from places like Pizza Capo and Honey Pie, it was one of the first in the area to put the handmade touch on pizza, topping their dough with mozzarella stretched in-house.”
“Carmen Peirano, Nick’s daughter, took over operations of the restaurant in 2007 and, in 2013, opened Peirano & Daughters market and deli in the space next door. In 2014, the restaurant was honored with an America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation. Last July, the family announced they would cease operations, citing challenges in running a restaurant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The buyers already have a foothold in the local restaurant industry: Their four-year-old Carlton restaurant Earth & Sea is known for its wine program, no surprise as co-owner Scott Baldwin — along with Rae Ellen Baldwin — founded Dundee Hills winery De Ponte Cellars in 2001.”
“Earth & Sea’s robust bottle list is stacked with strong options from Oregon AVAs, as well as bigger wines from California and abroad; plus, they offer a selection of library pinots, and older bottles from Willamette Valley wineries. Chef Ghinazzi’s menu follows a steakhouse format, which also prominently features Pacific seafood and handmade pasta. He will put his spin on the menu at Nick’s.”
“The menu will reflect some of the longtime favorite dishes from the original Nick’s menu, as well as new dishes from Ghinazzi he has yet to reveal. The former Peirano & Daughters space is not part of Nick’s project; the building will become a second tasting room for Carlton-based Celestial Hill Vineyard.”
