This summer has been flying by and even though it seems slow here it’s been very busy for me.   Who knew building a house could be this time consuming.  Couple that with the fact that I really haven’t been out downtown that much this summer makes for slow posts online. Either way, here are a few stories we’ve been keeping an eye on…

• Harrisburg Restaurants Get Ready For Smoking Ban - yeah just as suspected, some restaurants are considering dropping their percentage of food business under 20% just so they can keep attracting smokers and maintain their alcohol revenue.  We will be keen to note where to order a Zima, not emphysema when going out.
• Arooga’s opening in Camp Hill.  Yeah, we called it a few months ago, but heard it should be opening soon.
• Carmella’s closed? Saw this coming a few months ago when I heard they stopped serving lunch.  Another Italian restaurant??  Sara says she has the scoop in her column next week.
• Working on some additional upgrades to DineOutHarrisburg.com hopefully to be launched this fall.  While you pinch your pennies during this economic recession, choose your restaurants carefully.

Less than a year after opening, Carmella’s Trattoria has served its last plate of spaghetti Bolognese. A new restaurant called Sambuca’s will now inhabit its piece of prime downtown real estate. Carmella’s employee Kevin said that he isn’t completely “in the loop” on the situation, but gave me the vital details including the name change. The restaurant closed for business on Saturday night, and renovations began immediately. Inside, all of the Italian-themed art that covered the walls is sitting on the floor near the front entrance. Red curtains cover the windows and trash cans block the doors. Huge, sparkly stars hang from the ceiling. Kevin said that ownership is aiming to reopen some time next week, but could not provide any more details without an okay from the higher-ups. There is a well-regarded contemporary restaurant in Scranton called Sabuca Grille, but I’m not sure if it is in any way related to the new Harrisburg venture. Anyone with more details can feel free to fill them in below.

Big boss Dori checks in again after lunch at Carmella’s Trattoria. She also gives her second bathroom review in as many posts. I’m beginning to feel as though becoming a parent makes you view restaurants as changing tables that happen to serve food. Frightening. Anyway, here’s what she had to say: We decided to try Carmella’s yesterday for a small, impromptu client lunch. It was my first visit there, and I was pleasantly surprised with the decor and the menu. Sadly, I was not impressed with my meal. I ordered the blackened chicken lasagna which, for $10, was thoroughly uninspiring — pasty white, paltry in size and, worst of all, rife with unidentifiable chicken bits that were not the slightest bit blackened. If I was not out with a client, I would have sent it back. The two guys dining with me both had much better luck. They each ordered a tomato-based zuppa di pesce (a.k.a. fish chowder) for $7 a bowl that they loved. The shrimp cobb salad and wild mushroom pizza were also big hits. The clientèle while we were there was entirely comprised of politicos and businesspeople, so it would not top my list of places to take an infant or toddler. Yet, at the risk of starting a pattern here in only my second post, I must give Carmella’s a shout out for their spotless, spacious ladies room with a pull-down changing table in the larger stall. The setup is particularly nice because there’s a sink next to it where you can wash up while still standing next to your child on the table. There’s a semi-private party room in the back that seemed like it would be nice for small events. I’d say it’s definitely a place to hit after work for a cocktail and appetizer… maybe dinner. I’m still a little turned off by my meal, but, in the immortal words of Meatloaf, “two outta three ain’t bad.”