New Danville restaurant celebrates flavors of Italy

By DAWN WITTER
Special to the Register & Bee
Published: November 26, 2008

A new restaurant has opened on South Boston Road across from Danville Regional Airport. It is called Tuscany Italian Grill and is owned and operated by Mike Elmasry.

Elmasry carefully considered the location at 1481 South Boston Road. When asked why he chose Danville, he was more than happy to explain that after visiting a friend who had moved here, he decided to move here as well.

Elmasry pointed out that the people here are extremely nice and the green landscape was much more pleasant to view. Elmasry used to be a cook in New York City for about 10 years and after moving to the region, he managed pizza places in Danville and Chatham.

Elmasry is considering opening more restaurants if there is enough interest. Even though opening Tuscany is a dream of his, he said, “Tuscany is not the end of my dream, it is just the beginning.”

Elmasry said he is focusing on Tuscan foods because he was raised largely on the Tuscan way of preparing food and dining.

Elmasry’s dedication to perfecting the Tuscan dining experience has him arriving way before opening hours to begin preparing his sauces from scratch, using fresh ingredients and as much local produce as possible. Even his ranch dressing is made from scratch.

He also made sure to point out that when cooking with wine, he uses upscale wines. Elmasry said this adds to the exquisite flavors that are most commonly associated with Tuscan cooking.

Tuscany Italian Grill offers a wide variety of Italian dishes ranging from pizza to vegetarian dishes, as well as the Tuscan favorites like chicken Marsala, veal scaloppini and tiramisu. Lunch prices range from $3.95 to $8.95 and dinner prices range from $8.25 to $17.50.

Tuscany is open from 11a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Tuscany also has a private room that can be booked for anything from parties and meetings to weddings or conferences.

There is no loud music to drown out family conversations, the large-screen television is kept muted and the atmosphere is fresh and enjoyable. With hard work and attention to detail, Elmasry has managed to achieve the Tuscan way of fine food, social atmosphere and a place for families to gather right here in Danville.