Brooklyn-Style Italian Restaurant Pelato Expands to Charleston | Eater Carolinas

"The Scotto family—restaurateurs Theresa and Anthony Scotto Jr., along with their son Anthony Scotto III—are bringing a Brooklyn‑Italian restaurant to the former Butcher & Beespace at 1085 Morrison Drive in Charleston, drawing on the food their family made when they stepped off the boat from Italy and settled in New York in 1905. The Scottos opened the first location in Nashville, where it’s popular for Italian comfort foods in a relaxed setting, and they chose Charleston because they have family in the area and have long been attracted to the city’s food scene: “One of the biggest reasons why we spent a lot of time in Charleston, besides the architecture, is the food scene,” says Scotto III, “We grew up having fresh local seafood in New York and surrounding areas, and Charleston is just a mecca for that. We try different restaurants every time we go.” The menu will feature recipes from the Scotto family—“It’s the food that my family, my parents, my grandparents, and great-grandparents all made in their kitchens at home as soon as they got off the boat from Italy and intertwined with the culture here in America,” says Scotto III—so expect dishes like Brooklyn-style calamari, chicken Parmigiana, radiatori vodka, cacio e pepe, and orecchiette with Italian sausage, plus regional seafood specials specific to the Charleston location. On competition and the rising number of Italian projects in the city, he notes: “We love the fact that there are Italian providers there, and we love the fact that more are opening up,” he says, “People in the South don’t have as many Italian food options as we did in the Northeast. Where we’re from, there was an Italian restaurant on every block. The restaurant that we had in New York for 30 years, before we moved to Nashville, was within a five-block radius of 20 Italian restaurants. So we don’t shy away from competition, and we really don’t pay much attention to what other people are doing in the market. We kind of just do our thing.” He also expects the concept to stand out because of its Brooklyn flavors, a creative small-plate menu, extensive gluten-free pasta options, and lower costs driven by making everything in-house. Look for the Charleston location to open in spring 2025." - Erin Perkins