The Street Chestnut Hill announced the opening of Bianca, the highly anticipated, casual neighborhood restaurant from husband and wife team, James Beard Award-Winning Chef Tim Cushman and restaurateur Nancy Cushman. Debuting tomorrow, November 12, Bianca is a restaurant that celebrates Tim and Nancy’s world travels while being as comfortable as enjoying a meal in one’s own kitchen. Originally slated to open in March 2020, Bianca will finally open its doors to provide a full service experience and invites guests to explore its menu of main courses from the custom wood-fire grill, house made pastas, sushi rolls, creative cocktails and more available for dine-in, take out, and delivery. In the future, the menu will also include woodfire pizza, signature sandwiches, and a variety of seasonal offerings. www.biancachestnuthill.com; www.thestreetchestnuthill.com

Whether seeking the perfect date night spot, a place to eat out with the kids, meeting a friend at the bar, take-out for Sunday night football, or a special private dining experience, guests will be greeted by a menu designed with everyone in mind.

“When we started to plan our opening for the second time – after it was put on hold back in March – we decided to start with Mr Roni Cups and offer a taste of what was to come at Bianca until we could establish a model that would be sustainable and safe. Figuring out how to stay open through these difficult times but also providing the food and hospitality that our guests crave was, and will continue to be, an exciting challenge. We realize that folks have different comfort levels with dining in restaurants during the pandemic and we want folks to feel welcome and safe no matter how they choose to dine, whether it’s in our dining room or at home. Now that we’re finally here, we can’t wait for the folks of Chestnut Hill to taste these dishes that we’ve been so excited to share in addition to the Mr Roni Cups menu,” says Nancy Cushman, co-founder and co-​owner of ​Cushman Concepts.

“Bianca is a family friendly restaurant and so much more. It’s offering an entirely unique dining experience while joining some of the most talented individuals in the culinary space here at The Street. From childhood comforts to the new and unexpected, the menu is outstanding and the ‘Bianca experience’ is the perfect complement to our eclectic dining mix. Tim and Nancy have created a truly special concept for the community that we know our guests will love,” says Alana Stein, General Manager of The Street Chestnut Hill.

Bianca’s menu is a surprise twist on the familiar with main courses off of the custom J&R wood grill, handmade pastas and house-made breads alongside sushi rolls, soups, salads and a variety of appetizers and desserts. The opening menu includes standout items like “Masa” Ball Soup with heirloom corn “matzoh” balls, spicy green chile pozole broth, pulled rotisserie chicken, pickled onion, and cilantro; grass fed steaks served with umami jus and Bianca’s herb butter; and Ligurian Handkerchief Mandili, a handmade egg pasta sheet served with basil-almond pesto, ricotta, and san marzano sugo. With a commitment to serving fresh, local fish and vegetables, Bianca’s menu will rotate with the seasons. Driven by classics done well and peppered with specialty cocktails unique to Bianca, the beverage menu will offer an array of local craft beer, wine and even sake to complement the food.

Mr Roni Cups, a Roman pizza concept that opened for takeout within Bianca in August 2020, offers Roman square slices from a Moretti Forni oven imported from Italy. Mr Roni Cups, inspired by Chef Tim’s first trip to Rome 30 years ago, is the culmination of years of pizza research and development from Chef Tim and the Cushman Concepts culinary team. Mr Roni Cups specializes in pizza al taglio “by the cut” which has a tender inner crumb due to a longer dough fermentation and a delicate yet crispy crust. Due to the longer fermentation time, the dough is lighter and more easily digestible, and does not give the feel of being too full after eating several slices. This is a characteristic of this style of pizza given by its bakers. Baked in a Moretti Forni oven in rectangular blue steel pans imported from Italy and cut into individual slices, Mr Roni Cups’ pizza is made with a blend of special imported Italian flour and a local whole wheat flour. Mr Roni Cups Roman Style Pizza will continue to be offered via Mr Roni Cups takeout and will also be available on Bianca’s menu.  

To be a true neighborhood restaurant, Bianca wanted to think about everyone in the community including the kids who would be coming through its doors. While Bianca has some kid classics, the culinary team also knows that kids these days have sophisticated tastes, and the menu will include items like Japanese Fried Chicken with ginger-soy marinade, lemon, and French fries, and ‘Sketti & Meatball with handmade pasta, marinara, and one big meatball.

Upon opening, Bianca will offer full-service, socially distanced indoor dining in its main dining room, at its spacious bar, and on its two outdoor dining patios. The full service patio on the Green-side (Boylston St. side) of the building will be equipped with umbrellas and heaters to provide comfort for Bianca’s diners to enjoy al fresco dining. The pond-side patio at the rear of the building will offer seating for guests to enjoy Mr Roni Cups takeout. For those looking to host a special gathering, Bianca’s private dining room will be available for intimate events at a limited capacity of ten guests.

In partnership with Kaplan Thompson Architects (Portland, ME), Whitlock Design Group (Waltham, MA) and Cafco Construction (Boston, MA), Chef Tim and Nancy Cushman designed Bianca with a Palm Springs vacation in their hearts. The white stucco walls and airy skylight, and retro-feeling color palette are accented with vintage, art deco inspired elements aimed to create a space that feels like being on vacation in one’s own neighborhood.

Victor Mazariegos, formerly of Hojoko and an integral part of the Cushman Concepts family, leads the Bianca culinary team as Chef de Cuisine, and Rob Wong, also formerly of Hojoko, is Cushman Concepts Group Executive Chef. Pastry Chef Nik Mastelerz, who joined o ya’s team in Boston after spending four years in San Francisco at a collection of bakeries and restaurants, including BIX and the two Michelin star restaurant, Lazy Bear, oversees the bread and dessert programs.

As The Street continues to evolve as a dining destination, Bianca is an exciting new addition. Upon opening at The Street, Bianca will join the property’s robust culinary roster of acclaimed chefs, fast casuals, nationally recognized brands and beloved local gems, including Chef Ronsky’s, OddFellows Ice Cream Co., Chilacates, sukker & sweet, Legal Sea Foods, Aquitaine, Davio’s, The Bagel Table, and Bernard’s. Bianca is located at 47 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA (next to Shake Shack). Its opening hours will be 4pm-9pm Wednesday through Saturday and 4pm-8pm on Sunday. Weekend brunch will launch before the holidays. Reservations are recommended. Takeout and delivery will also be available. For more information about Bianca, visit www.Biancachestnuthill.com and follow @Bianca_chestnuthill on Instagram, and @Biancachestnuthill on Facebook.

The health and safety of Bianca’s staff and guests is a top priority. COVID-19 safety protocols that align with local and CDC guidelines are currently in effect at Mr Roni Cups and will continue to be in place at Bianca. In addition to these guidelines, Bianca will require all employees and guests to have their temperature checked when entering the building and the large windows on both ends of the restaurant will remain open through service to maximize air flow.