Headed to Orange: Restauranteur Plans Old Tavern Rd. Pizzeria

The Property: 5 Old Tavern Road, one block from Racebrook Road and the Boston Post Road, in one of Orange's busiest shopping areas. Previously the home of Timothy's Gourmet, which relocated, the space is about 20,000 square feet -- which should soon include a 700-foot patio. 

The New Tenant: Anthony Urbano plans to open the Grape & Press Co., a coal-oven pizzeria, wine and beer bar. Urbano is an Orange native, and was the owner of now-closed Dolci, on State Street in New Haven. (The Yale Daily News raved it was "made for hedonistic indulgence.") While his former restaurant was a dessert bar, he plans to focus on pizza, beer and wine at his new restaurant in Orange. Urbano has a background in construction -- working with Primary Earth Materials and Urbano Construction in Orange.

"I like the area," says Urbano. "And opening this will, I hope, add a little bit of something to the area -- some atmosphere, maybe."

When Can I Go? While an opening date isn't set in stone yet, the new tenant plans to start preparing the site after New Years' Day, and hopes to open before spring. Urbano is currently getting approvals from town agencies for the site.

The Grape & Press Co. has set up a Facebook site.

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