Massimo brings Italian dining to Purdy
By Danna Webster, KPNews
After five years in Gig Harbor, the owners of
the
Terracciano
restaurant have moved to the larger beachside
location of the former Beach House restaurant in
Purdy. Massimo’s Bar and Grill opened Dec. 10.
Chef Massimo Terraciano checks out the
all-new kitchen
appliances and
cookware just before the December
opening of Massimo’s Bar and Grill in
Purdy
Photo by Danna Webster
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When the couple was shopping for a restaurant
location five years ago, the Beach House “was
his (Massimo’s) most favorite building but it
was occupied,” said co-owner, Cindy
Terracciano.
“Now we are right on the water. He is just
ecstatic about this. Everybody knows this
location. This building--I just love it. I love
how it is so comfortable inside, so homey,” she
said.
Cindy and Massimo
Terracciano
worked many long weeks to ready the restaurant
for opening. According to Cindy, the kitchen was
ready before all the permits and furnishings
were in place in the dining areas.
“Pierce
County was not that bad and the liquor, health
department and fire marshal were a breeze. It
was very smooth when it came to any of the
county permits,” she said.
Training sessions for the wait and bar staff
were conducted the week prior to opening. Chef
Massimo is joined in the kitchen by his son,
Salvatore
Terracciano.
and former executive chef at the Oyster Bay Inn
in Bremerton, Chris Haberstock. “We do
everything pretty much from scratch here,”
Massimo said. “(We use) fresh ingredients, local
foods and make our own sausage, meatballs and
bread.”
Pizza is an option from the menu. Diners may
also choose to begin with a spinach caldi salad
made with fresh spinach topped with sautéed
prawns, roasted garlic, croutons, lemon juice
and fresh parmesan; followed with a
Penne
Massimo pasta with mushrooms and Italian
sausage in rosemary; and, though there are many
fish entrees to choose from, some hearty beef
appetites might try the
Bistecca al Pepe Verde, a charbroiled New
York steak in a brandy and green
peppercorn sauce.
At the conclusion, there are dessert choices to
wrestle with, such as
Tiramisu, a very special Italian dessert
layered with rum, espresso, mascarpone and
chocolate;
Panacotta, a delicious cream custard
topped with warm berries; or
Cassata Sicilliana, a vanilla and
chocolate ice cream delight with fruit filling.
Massimo attended culinary school at the Sorrento
Culinary School of Naples, Italy. Cindy
and Massimo met while Cindy’s parents were
stationed on military assignment in Naples and,
after their marriage they lived in Italy for
over a decade. Massimo worked at some of Naples
finest restaurants, moved to Germany and worked
in his brother’s restaurant, and arrived in the
Seattle area about nine years ago to be close to
the retirement home of Cindy’s parents, Ed and
Kathy Reed of Olympia.
Both the Reeds and Massimo’s father, Salvatore
Terracciano
have been on hand to support and
supervise the process of opening the new
restaurant. The family theme spills over into
the dining experience. A kids’ menu offers
homemade macaroni and cheese; a casual twilight
dinner may be seated near the fireplace in the
cozy Venezia room; and all tables offer a
spectacular view across the waters of the Case
Inlet, beneath the arch of the Purdy Bridge with
the possibility of a sunset or two to enhance
your visit. Directions to the restaurant and a
full menu with prices may be seen on line at
www.massimobarandgrill.com or phone
(253) 514-6237 for information.
