Schenectady Restaurant to Replace Aperitivo Announced

Almost a month ago, we found out that Aperitivo Bistro was closing its long-standing Schenectady location. Now, we finally know what's replacing it!

Aperitivo Bistro, previously owned by Mazzone Catering, has been situated near Proctors for about 10 years. Surprisingly, though, early last month, they surprised everyone by announcing that they were closing due to unexpected reasons. They teased an announcement of a new restaurant shortly thereafter but we didn't get one - until now.

Chef-owners of Osteria Danny in Saratoga Springs and Armondo's Villa Tuscan Grill in Rotterdam, Danny Petrosino and Armondo Cioccke are banding together to create Grano. Grano is an Italian-American restaurant that will specialize in handmade pasta, local cheeses, and more, according to the Albany Business Review.

They're priding themselves on being a chef-owned restaurant where the focus can be back on food. No word yet on an exact opening date but it can be expected to be sometime in May.

Schenectady is already known for some of the best Italian food in the Capital Region. What will make this restaurant different, according to the owners, is that they plan on evolving. Not only will they change the food with the seasons and keeping it local, which should be relatively easy with the Schenectady Greenmarket only a few blocks away in the spring/summer time.