WEST STOCKBRIDGE — A restaurant isn’t just about the food, according to the owners of the town’s newest restaurant, Acqua al 2. It’s also about the experience.
Owners Valentino Pagliari and Liza Stace Pagliari have opened Acqua al 2 in West Stockbridge, a spin-off of a Florentine restaurant. Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m., it offers a flexible, multi-option tasting menu as well as steak and chicken main courses.
BEN GARVER — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
“It’s a night out: entertainment, socializing with other people, enjoying an atmosphere, something different, just like a show,” said Valentino Pagliari, co-owner of the Florentine establishment at 3-5 Center St., which is now serving dinner five nights a week. “People can feel comfortable, enjoying a joke, getting to know the regulars, making them feel at home. That’s very important for me.”
Pagliari and his wife, Liza Stace Pagliari, hope to transport diners and their taste buds from the restaurant that formerly housed Rouge just off of Main Street to Italy, offering a menu with a reimagined Tuscan flair.
It’s a direct spinoff, technically a franchise, of Acqua al 2 — the business address (Via del’ Acqua 2) of the flagship restaurant in the capital city of Tuscany.
But how did they get from Italy to West Stockbridge?
If You Go . . .
What: Ristorante Acqua al 2, offering authentic Italian cuisine with a Tuscan touch.
When: Dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: 3-5 Center St., West Stockbridge (formerly Rouge).
Menu: Tasting samplers of starters, salads, pastas, steak or chicken dishes, cheeses and desserts. Also main courses, wines, coffee, tea. Prices of samplers range from $18 to $59.
Information: https://acquaal2berkshires.com
Reservations (recommended): 413-232-5025 or by email: reservations@acquaal2berkshires.com
“My family home in the Housatonic village of Great Barrington was a huge part of it,” Liza said. “We both really love the area and this town.”
“We love the culture and atmosphere of the area,” Valentino explained. “West Stockbridge is specifically appealing not just for its intimate community, but for its location. I want to be of service, an important part of the community. The aim is to serve quality food at a relatively good price and to be here for people to enjoy.”
Valentino purchased the building that had housed Rouge from its owner Maggie Merelle, a real estate agent, last January for $650,000, according to the Middle Berkshire Registry of Deeds in Pittsfield.
He said with the value of the business, the building’s furnishings, fixtures and equipment, and his renovations and reconfigurations, his investment totaled slightly north of $1 million.
After restoring the original double-door entrance, displaying the classic wood carving above the door, the restaurant had a soft opening on Aug. 7.
Acqua Al 2 has opened in the former Rouge building at 3-5 Center St. in West Stockbridge.
BEN GARVER — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
According to Valentino, the original Acqua al 2 in Florence was founded in 1978 by Stefano Innocenti and appealed to theatergoers and show biz performers.
Valentino, a native of London and son of Italian restaurateurs, went to Florence to study architecture, and later owned a nearby late-night pub. In 1999, he discovered Acqua al 2 and soon became a partner in the venture.
“As West Stockbridge is located near so near to many performing venues, it seemed a perfect place to continue that tradition,” he said, citing The Foundry entertainment night spot around the corner and nearby Tanglewood.
The cuisine is a streamlined version of Innocenti’s restaurant in Florence, with his original recipes, Valentino said.
The highly flexible menu is based on an array of “Assaggio” (tasting) options: Five chef-selected starters such as pasta or gnocchi, three salads, a sampler of streaks, cheeses and desserts, as well as a selection of filet mignon and chicken main courses. An Acqua specialty is steak with blueberry sauce.
“You get to try a whole bunch of different things,” Valentino said. “There are a lot of options.”
Although the space eventually will accommodate up to 80 people, staff shortages are holding the nightly total of diners served to about 50 to 55 currently.
Owner Valentino Pagliari and Manager Liza Stace Pagliari’s Acqua al 2 in West Stockbridge offers classic, authentic Italian cuisine with a Tuscan flair, based on its namesake in Florence.
BEN GARVER — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
Starting next spring, outdoor dining will be available on a patio and at some point, lunch service may be added.
Valentino said he doesn’t see other restaurants as competition.
“If there were five or six restaurants here, it would be better for the town because they would bring more people in,” he said.
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If You Go …
What: Ristorante Acqua al 2, offering authentic Italian cuisine with a Tuscan touch.
When: Dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: 3-5 Center St., West Stockbridge (formerly Rouge).
Menu: Tasting samplers of starters, salads, pastas, steak or chicken dishes, cheeses and desserts. Also main courses, wines, coffee, tea. Prices of samplers range from $18 to $59.
Information: https://acquaal2berkshires.com
Reservations (recommended): 413-232-5025 or by email: reservations@acquaal2berkshires.com