La Galleria 33

Rita and Lisa are the two owners of one of the newest chic and stylish Italian restaurants to open in the North End in 2006. Their parents, Paolina and Nicky DiPietrantonio, first opened the highly celebrated L’Osteria Ristorante in 1985, located just a few doors down on Salem Street. We talked with Rita and Lisa about their future aspirations for La Galleria 33.

What does “swank Italian dining” mean?

Lisa: It means smart and stylish, not trendy.

Rita: We think of the dining experience at La Galleria 33 as being chic, classy and timeless.

How did the two of you get mixed up in starting your own restaurant?

Rita: It’s been a family tradition as far back as May 9, 1965 when our father opened his first eating establishment in the North End. In 1985 he and our mother, Lina, opened L’Osteria on Salem Street. Our family has been serving great authentic Italian food ever since.

As sisters, are there certain advantages or disadvantages when it comes to operating a restaurant?

Lisa: The very few differences that we do have are pretty easily worked out simply because of the fact that we are sisters.

Rita: And we do share the same sensibilities and also the same commitment to respond to the individual needs and desires of our customers.

Does the La Galleria cuisine have any particular regional leaning or focus?

Lisa: As you know, there really is no such thing as "Italian cuisine" since Italian cooking is regional cooking, based upon different cooking traditions in, say, Sicily, Puglia, or the Abruzzi region, in Lombardy or in Piedmont. Our cuisine is a fusion from the many different regions across Italy.

Rita: And because we are Abruzzese, we really love food. We can turn any ingredient into a sumptuous entrée that everyone will enjoy no matter what regional cuisine they’re familiar with.

With the family restaurant, L’Osteria, just down the street, do you envision La Galleria 33 becoming a “L’Osteria II”?

Rita: No, not really. First of all, we don’t want to compete with the proverbial “mother ship” [L’Osteria]. We want to establish our own identity, our own clientele, our own “history”, so to speak.

Can you tell us something about your restaurant staff, your Maitre ’d, your chef, your servers?

Rita: Our mother, Lina, is our hostess. Margie, who has been with us for over 30 years and is, for all practical purposes, more like a member of the DiPietrantonio family - she is our head waitress. Our chef is the inestimable Ciro de Cicco, whose culinary reputation in the North End is almost legendary. His exceptional talent is in tirelessly creating and producing an ever-changing, succulent variety of menu offerings. Our personable and attentive staff of servers – including Lina, Andrew and Lisa - are all highly-trained and experienced in providing excellent world-class service.

Only a handful of the more than 80 North End restaurants are women-owned and operated. Are there special qualities or sensibilities that you, as women, bring to this endeavor?

Lisa: As women, I think we tend to pay close attention to details. We’re very sensitive and in tune with the needs of our customers.

Rita: And to this extent, we’re almost territorial, in that we consider our restaurant to be like our own home - a place of friendship, welcome and warmth.

What more would you like future dinner guests to know about La Galleria 33?

Rita: That we are thankful and appreciate their dining with us.

Lisa: And that they are always welcome back, anytime.