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Joey's done it again. This time, naked-style.
Joey Crugnale, the guy behind Bertucci's and Steve's Ice Cream, knows that today, simplicity without boredom is vogue. His latest concept, Naked Fish, excites the senses even though most of his seafood entrees are prepared rather simply and served naked, that is, sans sauce. The vibrant decor, inspired by the streets of Havana, is warm, curving and sensuous. Diners contemplate dancing the Samba while they drink their Cuban-style bebidas. Its provocative ad campaign, entitled "The Man Behind the Fish," thrives on deliciously good-looking, naked men holding fish to cover what boxers normally would. Units are surfacing fast, at a pace that seems to work with the restaurant's personality. It's simple, but sexy simple, complemented by a Cubanismo flair. He's found yet another perfect niche.
Crugnale hit the dance floor at some of Havana's hippest night spots while conceptualizing Naked Fish, now an eight-unit chain in the greater Boston area. He revels in the importance of enjoyment-Naked Fish reflects this. His baby debuted in Westboro, Mass., May 1999. The chain is privately owned by his Woburn, Mass.-based company, Naked Restaurant, Inc. Two more units are currently under construction. "To be fresh, it must be naked" reads the restaurant's tagline, playfully mocking Legal Seafoods' "If it isn't Legal, it isn't fresh." It's a story where success is practically guaranteed if one takes a moment to admire Crugnale's past.
Crugnale's love affair with food began as a small boy as he watched his grandmother cook in Italy, and later, his mother while living in the famed North End of Boston's Italian section. They taught him well. In 1975 he opened an ice cream shop in Somerville, Mass. He stole street signs to decorate the place; his buddies from the nearby college were his regulars. In his early 20s, Crugnale left this first venture to become a partner, and eventually take over, another ice cream shop called Steve's, famous for the marriage of ice cream and candy. Back then it was a single outlet, also in Somerville. For Crugnale, Steve's was Boston's ice cream parlor version of Cheers-a place where everyone knew his name. But soon competitors began introducing their own gourmet-style ice creams, and Crugnale knew that he had...