Concetta's
One of the newest entries in the Village food scene, Concetta’s is situated off the beaten path, almost in the shadow of Motorworks. With no previous restaurant experience, Lisa Pollard opened the joint last September with Tommy Withington, naming the eatery after their daughter, Concetta (pronounced with a soft “C”).
They found the 1920s bungalow they now occupy while surfing Craigslist; the spot used to be Charisma Café, which had more of a teahouse vibe than Concetta’s, which serves a mix of salads and sandwiches for lunch, plus drinks, smoothies and pours from its espresso machine.
Pollard says their culinary philosophy is simple: food they like to eat, made a touch healthier with creative substitutions. Think Key lime pie with Greek yogurt instead of butter in the crust, or multi-grain tortilla chips fried in olive oil rather than your typical corn ’n’ canola combo.
Many of the recipes come from Withington’s family tradition, like the fourth-generation meatball that makes its way into Concetta’s meatball sub. Concetta is open for dinner, too, but you’ve got to make reservations. The menu stays pretty much the same as at lunch, but with more pasta and flatbread options.
“It’s been a learning process, but so far so good,” Pollard says of their tenure. The alley-like location means they don’t get a ton of traffic past their front door. Pollard credits Village gallery owners for recommending the place and steering tourists their way: “We chose the Village based on that sense of community.”
