Local Flavor: Diners Are Enjoying Louis Rubino’s Cutting Board Restaurant on Broadway

Revere resident Louis Rubino grew up a block away from the location on Broadway where he now owns a new restaurant. He worked at New Deal Deli a block away between the ages 14 and 20.

“I’m a local kid,” said Rubino, a 2011 Revere High graduate, proudly.

Rubino, owner and head chef, has just opened his new restaurant, The Cutting Board, at 744 Broadway.  The Cutting Board is a modern bistro-style restaurant that serves an eclectic selection of foods – Italian, American, Asian, and Greek cuisine.

The restaurant also specializes in local craft beers, ciders, and homemade Sangrias.

Rubino is very pleased with the reception to his new venture. Some choices on the menu are already becoming “go-to” items. The appetizers have been particularly popular.

“An appetizer, our fried gnocchi, is the most popular,” said Rubino. “Our Asian dumplings (with ginger dipping sauce) are the second most popular.”

There is a wide range of selections on the entrees menu, including Cowboy Pork Chop (bone-in) with pan sauce and mixed potato hash, chicken souvlaki, New York strip, seared, au jus butter, mushroom risotto, and candied ginger salmon.

The “Veggie Bowl,” consisting of mushrooms, zucchini, bean sprouts, onions, sweet and savory sauce, and white race, has also become a house favorite.

An Impressive Resume

Rubino, 28, attended Wentworth Institute of Technology where he studied electrical mechanical engineering.

He brings strong, managerial experience in the hospitality industry to his new venture. He was most recently the general manager at Bertucci’s in Woburn, where he oversaw three other managers and 15 employees. The restaurant had $3 million in sales under his leadership.

A Homemade Approach

As a professional cook, Rubino said his skills were established working in ‘the line’ in restaurants. He added that all the creativity in his food preparation comes from home cooking.

He is certainly proud of that “homemade” approach.

“I do everything here – I make the barbecue sauce, I make the ice cream, I make every single item we have, expect the bread, pasta, and pesto.”

His own style of hamburgers is drawing a following.

“One of our most popular burgers is our Barnyard Burger, which is a little over a third-pound burger with full chicken that we braise in local hard cider, topped with homemade barbecue sauce and bacon,” said Rubino.

A Proud Son of Revere

Louis is the son of Gino and Antonella Rubino. He has a younger sister, Amanda, 22, who is studying to be radiologist.

It was Mrs. Rubino who conceived the name of the restaurant.

“The Cutting Board name is my mom’s contribution,” said Louis. “I think she just thought it was catchy and so do I. It’s different. I thought it was a very good idea, to be honest.”

In addition to having 24 seats in the dining room, The Cutting Board also does deliveries through DoorDash and accepts orders on its Web site (with a 10 percent discount).

The Cutting Board is open Sunday through Thursday, from 5 to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 5 to 10 p.m.