Popular East End restaurant reopens with a new look after fire. Take a peek inside
It’s been a long road since fire broke out at Veneto Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta at 318 East Ave., forcing its temporary closure.
No one was injured in the Jan. 4 blaze, which was sparked by an electrical problem in a clothes dryer and contained to the back of the building.
“But the smoke did a lot of damage” throughout the restaurant, said owner Don Swartz.
So did the extinguishing water.
“Unfortunately, the 100 plus-year old wooden floors were destroyed, so those got replaced,” he said.
In the past nine months, so has nearly everything else, from the heating and cooling system to the kitchen to the furnishings.
Now, a reimagined Veneto is ready for its closeup. The East End dining destination since 2001 reopened Oct. 10 with an entirely new look.
“We wanted to do something a little different,” Swartz said.
The most striking change: Exposed brick walls have been painted black. (They had to be painted to mitigate the smoke damage and got two coats of Kilz beforehand.)
On the walls, upholstered bright red panels have replaced framed vintage advertisements from Italy, which were destroyed.
And overhead pendant lights have a mid-century modern look.
But the changes aren’t limited to what you can see.
Unlike in the past, Veneto is now open on Monday, so seven days a week.
After the fire, Schwartz expanded hours at the Veneto in Gates to keep 20 or so workers from the East Avenue restaurant employed.
“We started doing Mondays in Gates, and it’s a huge night,” he said. “So, we’re going to do seven days a week in the East End.”
Hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday (for lunch and dinner); 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
The Gates restaurant, by the way, was just sold to Chris Mayer, the longtime chef at that location, and his fiancée, Missy Betz. It is now known as Cristo’s Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta. It will continue to accept Veneto gift certificates and gift cards through Nov. 12.
The Veneto menu — featuring wood-fired pizzas and such favorites Chicken Parmigiano and Prosciutto & Peas Alfredo (homemade fusilli pasta served with prosciutto and peas in a Parmesan cream sauce) — is largely the same. However, it’s gotten a few tweaks in the form of new specialty drinks, desserts and appetizers.
For instance, Swartz said that Clams Casino, “hugely successful” as a special on the appetizer menu, is now a permanent offering. So is a burrata cheese appetizer.
Also new is an outside courtyard in back.
It won’t be ready as a dining space until next year. “But people can walk back there now and check it out,” Swartz said.
Two adjoining businesses that also sustained damage in the fire — Studio Lounge, 7 Lawrence St., and Wall Street bar and grill, 330 East Ave. — reopened in March.
A third that was directly above Veneto, Akimbo Bookshop, moved to 714 University Ave.
On Monday, Swartz was looking forward to getting back to business, too — and sounding relieved.
“It all came together,” he said.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Veneto Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta on East Ave. in Rochester NY reopens
