Chef Paul Turano to open 'Cook' on Newton's Washington Street

Paul Turano appreciates a nice neighborhood place to grab a great meal ? so, he?s working on creating one.

Turano, owner and executive chef at the popular and acclaimed Tryst restaurant in Arlington, has turned his attention to a space in Newtonville that formerly housed Lam?s Restaurant. He plans to open his next restaurant in the 80-seat space in mid-August. The place will be called simply 'Cook.'

Cook, he says, will be a neighborhood place where the focus is on the food and not about chasing the latest culinary fad.

"I?m trying to build a local hangout where I would want to hangout," said Turano. A place "where I can dress up the food, but I don?t have to dress up myself."

Turano previously owned two eateries in Canton, but the last one was sold in 2008 ? the same year his daughter was born. A son came along in 2010 and then he spent some time and money rebranding and remodeling Tryst.

Now 38 years old, Turano sees this as the time to look beyond Arlington.

"I want to do it now while I still have the energy to do it," said Turano. "I?ve had a few people with me for years and it was just time to grow and give everyone a better position and not get stagnant."

An unbelievable supper

Cook will be a space open to diners of all ages, Turano said, and a night out there won?t break the bank. He described the restaurant as a gastro-diner, but he added that he doesn?t want to pigeonhole the cuisine.

"I just want people to go in and say ?that was an unbelievable supper,?" said Turano.

The menu, he said, will be a reflection of his evolution as a chef over the past 20 years. There will be a mix of items familiar to Tryst diners, including the shrimp tacos, and there also will be his take on American classics like pizza, burgers and fried chicken.

"It?ll be a cool, hip space, but we?re not trying to reinvent the wheel," said Turano. "I want to give people what they want."

Newton, Needham and Wellesley have always been on his radar for a second restaurant, he said, because they offer a solid base of sophisticated diners and a close proximity to Tryst, so he can keep an eye on both locations.

He began seriously looking in March and decided the restaurant at 825 Washington St. was the right fit.

The space won?t look anything like it did when it was Lam?s. The ceiling has been raised to its original 14-foot height. There will be exposed ductwork, a galvanized steel bar and tables made from reclaimed wood to give a create a marriage of an industrial bistro and a neighborhood hangout.

"It?s going to have a different look," said Turano. "It won?t look like anything else around there."

Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x997481807/Chef-Paul-Turano-to-open-Cook-on-Newtons-Washington-Street?rssfeed=true

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