Written in Italian and translated to English, the invitation to “mangia” (eat) is vividly splashed in bold, cursive lettering across the overhang directly above the open kitchen of the new North Italia restaurant. The message simply reads: “Eat when you are hungry, drink when you are thirsty, sleep when you’re tired.”
Now open in The Village at Meridian, North Italia, featuring its signature “dine, stay and play” lifestyle concept could very well become the new go-to spot locally for those seeking Mediterranean cuisine for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch or happy hour gatherings.
Tucked snuggly into the location that formerly housed Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar directly across from the Yard House, North Italia, owned by the Cheesecake Factory, is now the chain’s 46th site and only Gem State location. The North Italia concept seeks to invite patrons to “indulge in not just what you taste, but what you feel.”
Sporting a flare of perfectly blended Italian heritage and décor, the restaurant offers a wide variety of handcrafted traditional dishes, along with a full bar in a modern, airy, spacious and tastefully decorated dining environment.
Seating is available for up to 285 guests, but for those who prefer outdoor dining, the venue offers a stylish and newly added 1,400-square-foot, wraparound, covered patio.
An “amazing transformation” is how Hugh Crawford, vice president of CenterCal Properties for The Village, described the new facility during an official ribbon cutting ceremony May 28 to help celebrate the restaurant’s official grand opening.
“North Italia took the space, demoed everything and turned it into an amazing, high-energy, cool-vibe site with great food and service,” Crawford said. “I’ve been with The Village for 12 years and we’ve had lots of exciting new tenants, but this is one of the top.”
Sean Evans, CEO of the Meridian Chamber of Commerce believes the addition of North Italia will add depth and diversity for patrons of the thriving Village environment.
The front entrance of North Italia opens into the main square at The Village in Meridian. The business occupies the former Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar space next to the movie theater. (PHOTO: STEVE LOMBARD, IBR)
“This is a great place to spend your evenings, and North Italia adds another great dining option to the Village environment,” Evans said.
The 8,000-square-foot facility features finely crafted wood ceilings, recessed lighting, spacious, comfortable booths to accommodate large parties, and oversized globe lighting hanging strategically above the bar.
The full bar itself is perfectly situated adjacent to the newly relocated front entrance on the west-facing side, with a portion of patio seating situated directly across from the main courtyard of the complex. The open-style kitchen adds to the ambiance.
“The open inviting style is our thing, with the whole kitchen open so people can walk by and see in,” General Manager Brett Hummel said. “The kids like to see the pasta going up in the air or the pizza dough being tossed around.”
A transplant from Miami, Florida, Hummel previously helped usher in four other North Italia locations before making the move from south Florida to southern Idaho. He was excited to trade the humidity of the Florida coast for the dryer climate of the Treasure Valley.
“One great thing is the Village is such a gorgeous complex, and even more so, the people in the area here in Idaho have been so welcoming,” he said.
Filling out his roster with nearly 200 employees, including 67 working behind the scenes in the kitchen, Hummel knows he has a lot on his plate.
“We hired 185 total staff members, and just tonight I’ve got 18 servers and five bartenders working,” he said of the first serving during the site’s soft opening on May 23.
An ability for candidates to demonstrate the kind of hospitality that keeps customers coming back was a key hiring point.
“It’s one of the things that comes with the kind of good people we have in this area,” Hummel said. “We flew out the best line cooks, the best trainers, the best servers, so we look for those to hire who fit the hospitality approach we work hard to maintain.”
Executive Chef Edo Budijanto, who first met Hummel when they worked together at the North Italia location in Orlando, Florida, called the restaurant’s savory and diverse offerings an “elevated menu of modern influence.”
A philosophy of keeping menu items “fresh and seasonal” is a process he believes makes North stand out among other chain establishments.
“Fresh is what we consider a key ingredient in what we call the back of the house and that is what truly separates us from other chain restaurants,” Budijanto said. “Our food and offerings are different because we have trainers who are the best of the best.”
White truffle garlic bread, a signature menu item that combines a trio of cheeses — house-made ricotta, mozzarella, grana Padano and herbs is available to accompany an array of modern Italian dishes. Pasta and pizza dough are made fresh every day.
The Lasagna Bianca features braised short rib, bechamel, grana Padano, provolone, mozzarella and herb breadcrumb. It’s considered a tasty and cheesy twist on what most people think of as a plate of traditional lasagna.
Two of the house pastas include the Trottole chicken pesto and the lasagna Bianca. (PHOTO: STEVE LOMBARD, IBR)
“It’s amazing and not at all what people expect when they order lasagna,” Hummel said smiling.
Another pasta favorite is the Trottole chicken pesto, a blend of sweet basil, shaved garlic, toasted pine nuts and crispy capers.
Other select entrée highlights include the house specialty Bolognese and spicy rigatoni vodka pastas, as well as the grilled branzino, pork Milanese and chicken Scarpariello, considered a “nostalgic” Italiana offering made with sweet sausage, piquillo pepper, fingerling potato and chicken jus.
An impressive selection of pre-dinner choices fill out the appetizer menu, highlighted by wild shrimp scampi, a blend of blistered tomato, grana Padano, garlic confit, herb butter and charred lemon. Also featured are calamari fritti, prosciutto bruschetta and Italian meatballs.
Those seeking a sweet taste after a full meal can choose from traditional tiramisu, seasonal butter cake, gelato and sorbetto, and the ever-popular brookie sundae. “Brookie” — a blend of brownie and cookie — is served with vanilla, pistachio and chocolate gelato, banana, strawberry and pecans, whipped cream and added chocolate syrup. One brookie serving is more than enough for two to indulge.
Murals of a woman on a classic Vespa featuring the Italian colors of red, white and green were commissioned by Sector Seventeen, a local Boise art collective. (PHOTO: STEVE LOMBARD, IBR)
One special décor feature on the restaurant’s north-facing wall celebrates a combination of North’s Italian heritage and a local piece of the Treasure Valley. In this case, the iconic Boise Red Bridge that crosses the Boise River downtown is the featured location throughout a series of three murals.
The trio of murals aim to accent the restaurant’s ambience and atmosphere, and all feature a woman riding a Vespa, an iconic symbol of Italina heritage since the scooter first hit the streets in 1946.
A careful examination of each painting shows each featuring one of the three Italian colors of red, white and green, with slight variations in the expression on the woman’s face, her hair flowing in the wind, and other key details. Sector Seventeen, a Boise art collective, was commissioned to create the three murals to help pay homage to the local community.
“Every single North has a little piece of the local culture in here,” said Hummel. “We found out about the bridge and decided we needed to get that into the murals. We always hire local artists for our new locations.”
The brookie sundae dessert features a flavorful array of sweets and is big enough for two to share. (PHOTO: STEVE LOMBARD, IBR)
According to Hummel, total renovation of the site took about a full year. And he believes North’s location, situated directly across from the Yard House on the east side near the movie theater, provides the perfect landing spot for the restaurant.
“We’re happy to have the Yard House as our neighbors, and we’ve already met their management,” Hummel said. “These are two different concepts as restaurants go, but whatever brings business to The Village will benefit us as well as them.”
Having helped usher in four other North Italia locations in both Orlando and Miami, Hummel is ready and excited to bring the restaurant’s unique dining concept to Idaho, as well as to embrace a new lifestyle for himself.
“Our concept is we don’t want to be that old-school Italian restaurant with the white tablecloth and the dark, or dare I say, more stuffy ambiance,” he said. “The open environment creates so many opportunities for guests to enjoy and for our team to make the connections with that Italian family feel where everyone feels welcome.”