I popped in like a cork to Tutto Bene on Tues. and the excitement of finding this gourmet gem on the banks of the old canal, feels like Brooklyn 15 years ago. We love C'est, but have been pushing for this place to open for a solid year. Babies have been born, fortunes have been leveled and finally the wine and cheese cave opens on the sunny side of the Canal Walk. Smartly, proprietor Dick Rourke downscaled his business model from top-shelf booze, to more reasonably priced labels from Europe and good old US of A. He tells me 95 percent of his bottles are under $20. I bought a Bicyclette rose from France and a nip of Lake Champlain dark chocolate. I've tried the VT choco before and have never been bowled over. But this was the best bite. Must be becuz everything at TB is fresh. Hours are subject to change, for now they close around 9 p.m. The cheese case is starting to fill in and I noticed some nice looking salami behind the glass. As soon as the cuvee system is installed, a glass of wine/cheese plate will be the most sophisticated nosh in the city.
And don't forget the beer selection--best downtown or anywhere nearby by a mile. The calamata olives were delish, too.
What craft brews were in stock? I will have to swing by after work today to check it out.
Hi GG:
Just drove past a new establishment soon to open next to Centro. What is moving in? Sorry if you have already blogged about it.
Jack,
I buried the lead, the craft beers rock. Gourmet Guy picked up a lobster brew from a Maine brewer and there were some Belgians too. Jeanie, Dharma Buns, a deil w/ beer and wine, is opening next to Centro by Folk Fest weekend. Sounds like a new DTL renaissance to me.
I can't often get to Andover Liquors (beer lovers heaven), so Mr. Rourke, I highly recommend carrying excellent craft beer that you cannot get at other nearby stores. For example:
Southampton Ales
Oskar Blues (Old Chub, Mamas Little Yellow Pils)
Allagash
Ommegang
Harpoon 100 Barrel Series
Also highly recommend stocking authentic Trappist ales:
Chimay - blue, red (dubbel), white (trippel)
Westmalle - trippel and dubbel
Rochefort Trappist - #6 and #7
The other trappist are impossible to get. You would be the greatest liquor store in Lowell if you had these items. But please, please, price them reasonably, e.g. 11.99 for Chimay Blue.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Great Place Nice selections and I love chatting with Dick about wine and food|
Only draw back is if your not a down towner on foot is the location. No parking. But it is worth the trouble I think.
GG! Thanks for the update on Tuto Bene...you're so right that we've been waiting for what seemed like forever for this place to open. Wine & Cheese have got to be my two favorite of the food groups! ;)
Can't wait to check them out...and how super cute is the front of the place. Lov-in It!
catching up on my fav food news after a hard drive crash and wow great stuff
tutto bene open - this is good news i will definitely swing in for a glass or 3!
I always get raves on the cloth 6 pack wine carrier i got from Hannafords - go green and get more wine!
but dont forget C'est - yummy desserts, flowers and made to order scents add to the select wines they carry .....and well my art and pamala wamalas is there for sale all summer :-)
http://www.pamelawamala.com/
http://www.elaineseidelphotography.com
Craig,
You can get Allagash brews (my fave) at the Liquor Shop in Tyngsboro. They have a great selection of craft beer, I always spend at least 20 minutes making my decision!
Marianne,
I've only been to the one on Bridge Street in Lowell, which is a bit pricier than avg (seems to be about 1 to 2 dollars above the norm) but does have a very respectable selection. I haven't been to the Tyngsboro location. The best beer store I've been to is Andover Liquors, the selection is great, they feature interesting new items, and I love that they have BeerAdvocate reviews in place for most of the craft beers. They also carry the 3 Trappist selections I mentioned.
I'll add to the people that said that this is going to be great for Downtown Lowell. Went in last night, spoke with Ricardo for a bit, and bought some cheese and beer. Good selection and good prices for all sorts of stuff. I think the location is going to be confusing for out-of-towners as well, but if I understood Ricardo correctly, he has four spots along the canal there.
Nice! Can never have too many wine & cheese shops in the area. Especially ones that include wine for under $20.
Ok, so I have to comment on the no parking coment...seriously? It's downtown, there's plenty of parking. There may not be a parking lot (suburban dream) or parking right out front, but all you have to do is walk a block. If I can manage to find free parking on a Boarding House park concert night downtown, I think people will have no trouble at all walking a block to Tutto Bene.
Does Dick really think this place will last in downtown? If so then he is living in a fantasy land. That neighborhood should be now catering to nothing but the UMass and Middlesex students that will overrun it starting in Sept.......an adult wine shop has no business there (because they will do no business there). He should've waited a year or 2 and located it near the "new downtown" - the Hamilton Canal area.
I have it on good authority that McDonalds is now looking aggressively for a Central Street location - close to the UMass Inn & Conference Center (former Doubletree) - in order to pick up student business from the new college dorms. They are reportedly in negotiations with the Saab building.
Hey Downtowner...or shall I call you Debbie Downer??!!!
As of the 2000 Census, the city of Lowell population was a little over 105,000, I can only guess there's more now since there has been so much development in the last 10 years. I'm also guessing that only a small fraction of that population are UMass and Middlesex students. I hope this business, and all the other new businesses succeed, only time will tell, but I doubt it will have anything to do with College business. If we were using that logic, one would think that a hot dog joint would have thrived in the downtown area. And really, what difference does a few blocks over make, the "new downtown" as you would call it, is STILL downtown.
Downtowner- One dorm near downtown is not going turn the area into Animal House. The college has been there for years and the students have frequented the bars w/ out problems. It's just more people to put money into the downtown economy. I'm a 32 year old, I frequent downtown almost every weekend for breakfast, go out to dinner in the area often and Tutto Benne is my new favorite store for a bottle of wine. Instead of insulting a business owner that is try to better the community, why not check out the store for yourself. By the way, Dick Rourke has succesfully run Ricardo's for years so I think he knows what he is doing.
Tutto Bene is great.. It is a welcome addition to DTL!!
Hey any scoop on Mama Lia's saw a sign next to Hookslide yesterday