Chef Nico Romo is known in Charleston for his French dishes at Nico in Mount Pleasant and Bistronomy in downtown Charleston, but now he’s bringing Italian to Summerville with the opening of… Laura on Wednesday 1 June. Restaurant 101 Main Street is a tribute to Romo’s Italian grandmother Laura, who grew up in Arpino in central Italy. Her cooking was influenced by the styles of Northern and Southern Italy.
Romo’s menu at Laura features classic Italian dishes ranging from Neapolitan pizzas to cacio e pepe to veal salimbocca. The only dish Romo knew should be on the menu was his grandmother’s recipe for bolognese. He says he has fond memories of eating the dish when he came to visit – “If I only ate one bowl I’d be in trouble,” he says, like many grandmothers, Laura always wanted to make sure that the family was well fed.
Romo said he chose the Summerville location because many of his loyal customers drive up to him at his other restaurants to dine with him, and he felt it was time to open a branch there for his fans.
Laura’s interiors are sophisticated but not stuffy, with black and white family photos on the walls and pink-tinted vintage glassware on the tables. Romo jokes that the portrait of his grandparents hanging on the wall is “the world’s first selfie”.
Laura will open for dinner tonight at 4 pm
