Scorpio's in Attleboro Keeping Italy in Italian Food
The restaurant does authentic Italian cooking from authentic Italian recipes.
Elisabetta Costantini, owner and operator of Scorpio's in Attleboro, has been in the restaurant business all her life, and her experience is the driving factor behind the downtown hotspot.
A native of Italy, Costantini leased the space for Scorpio's two years ago. Before that, she worked in Providence's Federal Hill at Vira Roma. Before that, she helped out at her grandmother's restaurant in Italy.
"It was kind of a family business," she said. "I grew up there."
After 12 years of working in Federal Hill, she decided to start her own business.
"My parents had owned two Scorpio's in Florida, and my brother said, 'Why are you working for someone else? Why aren't you working for yourself?'" she said. "So I just did."
Costantini said all her restaurant recipes came from the cookbook of her grandmother Lucia Milano.
"With the exception of the Americanized food … we make to accommodate American pallets," she said. "Everything else is her recipe."
Costantini said the key to her grandmother's cooking was simplicity of ingredients. She said this is the case in many Italian regions, but she added that every region is different and unique more in the way the ingredients are put together.
"My grandmother said anything over five ingredients is a waste," Costantini said.
Although she has made a life in the restaurant business, Costantini said she had no desire to get into cooking when she was growing up in Italy.
"I didn't like it very much when I was younger," she said. "The older I got, it just seemed like it was the thing I was meant to do."
Costantini said she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother.
"I have six younger brothers and they're all pretty decent cooks too," she said.
Costantini said the move to Attleboro from Federal Hill was quite a change, but she said she felt it was the right thing to do.
"We had a number of folks say that it was not a good idea to open here," she said. "I'm glad I didn't listen to them. Attleboro is beautiful. The mayor's doing a wonderful job … the streetlights, the parks, the streetscapes—he's just doing a very good job of it."
Scorpio's is located at 55 Park St. in Attleboro. It is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
yerkillinme
12:25 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
I spent over a decade living in Italy and I frequent Scorpio's on a semi-regular basis, I'm also a foodie. Scorpio's does some things well, others not so much. It seems inconsistent at times - one time I go and the food is well seasoned, the next time it's bland. The calzones and pizzas are wonderful as are some of the pasta dishes, the Puttanesca is awful and resembles nothing you'd find in Italy. In general I find the pasta dishes over sauced which is another no-no in Italy.
It's a good location, the decor is nice. Most of the time the service is very good but others it's middle of the road at best - the owner is a wonderful lady. The bar should have draft beer options. They should definitely offer cracked pepper and freshly grated cheese; pepper and cheese shakers are fine for Eli's but just not appropriate for this type of restaurant (and something you'd never see in Italy). I wish the restaurant all the success in the world.
Gretchen Robinson
3:01 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
We love Scorpios. With any restaurant the hard work is keeping up the quality day in and day out. The place has dedicated owers and the staff are top notch and well trained. The food is usually superb, even though we are not garlic people. Keep up the good work! Attleboro needs a restaurant of this calibre.