Executive chef Michael Moriello, owner of La Mezzaluna in Princeton, brings his Mediterranean fare and flair to Pennington with the purchase of Avanti Ristorante Italiano in Pennington.
Moriello, who recently completed a redesigning La Mezzaluna, said he was ready for a new challenge. He bought Avanti Ristorante Italiano, which was founded 25 years ago by Chef Vincenzo Severino.
Avanti’s intimate, family atmosphere, Southern Italian cuisine and devoted clientele complement the more sophisticated Northern menu and modernist decor of La Mezzaluna. Both restaurants are bring-your-own and will remain so.
While Moriello does not plan major changes, the restaurant will now be known simply as Avanti and is now, for the first time, open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
Avanti’s largely Sicilian menu includes pastas, chicken, veal and seafood. The rustic décor of wood and vines lends more intimacy and charm. A spacious patio is open for outdoor dining.
Moriello is retaining many of Avanti’s kitchen and wait staff. The chef said the plans to make some cosmetic changes and some gradual additions to the menu.
A native of Naples, spent school vacations working in his uncle’s restaurant in the heart of Rome. Moving on to kitchens in Naples and the Isle of Ischia, he learned much about cooking the fresh and flavorful cuisine of the Mediterranean. Moriello came to the United States nine years ago and soon established a family and La Mezzaluna.
