• First Look: Osteria Renata is a handsome Italian restaurant – with a “pasta lab” – by the Park Street crew. Look for the lush olive-green facade on Prahran’s High Street.
• Sad news: Fitzroy’s Miss Katie’s Crab Shack – known for its Southern-style crab boil and eclectic decor – is closing. “Nobody predicted the rocky road…The landscape of the hospitality industry has changed and it’s time to re-examine things.”
• It’s all natural: try six eclectic wines picked by Maurice Terzini – the legendary Sydney restaurateur behind Bondi’s iconic Icebergs Dining Room and Bar – with the latest Broadsheet Wine box.
• Opening next month: Convoy, a sprawling new Moonee Ponds cafe from the Terror Twilight and Tinker team. It is a great asset to the Northwest.
• It’s the season for windows. See our guide to the best in Melbourne.
• Just announced: One night dinner featuring 30 dishes by 30 of Victoria’s top chefs under 30, including Hugh Allen from Vue de Monde, Rosheen Kaul from Etta and Zackary Furst from Bar Liberty.
• An ex-chef of the Vue de Monde organizes a unique beach house dinner – only accessible by boat. All the details.
• Scott Pickett’s Matilda now makes a whopping 1.8 pounds of Blackmore Wagyu tomahawk steaks for $600 each. (They serve four to six people.) Pre-order when you book.
• Shock: Melbourne’s most famous vodka paste actually contains no vodka, Capitano’s chef reveals. This is why.
• Food Bank Victoria feeds the equivalent of a Grand Final audience every two days. Donate now if you can.
• Read about the new home for the nationally popular cooking school De Agrarische Keuken – and more stories about Tassie – in pamphlet‘s new printed edition.
• Queensmith Baretto is a new – but wonderfully retro – espresso and wine bar for the CBD. Don’t miss the cacio e pepe toastie with four different cheeses.
• The Mr Miyagi team crosses the river to open a second restaurant – hidden in a Melbourne alley. But it will be here for a good time, not for a long time.
• Sometimes chicken soup alone is enough. Bookmark these comforting recipes for when the weather is cold or when the weather is bad.
• Four Pillars wants to help you jump on the booze-free bandwagon with its new alcohol-free dry and Bloody Shiraz “gin”.
