The stage lights are shining. The stars are smiling. And the red carpet is rolled out, at Premiere on Broadway.

Like any great Broadway premiere, Premiere on Broadway is big, and bold, and beautiful. But this show didn’t open in New York City, it debuted in Somerville Massachusetts.

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “Premiere on Broadway is your one stop shop. It’s the place that you can come and spend your whole night. You can come have an amazing dinner, have some awesome drinks and then dance the night away.”

Koryn Zammuto and her family are from the neighborhood and are the folks behind this stunning, spacious spot, boasting a 300-seat restaurant, 70-seat bar, 600 square foot stage for live music, and a bright red carpet right out front.

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “A couple people think it’s tacky, but I mean, I think this is Broadway. And yeah, you are in Somerville, but we want you to get that vibe as soon as you walk in the door, like this is the place to be, like you’re about to walk into something amazing.”

And one of the first things you’ll notice when you walk in are the dozens of paintings of famous entertainers all over the walls; courtesy of Koryn’s father.

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “My dad is a workaholic. And he doesn’t sleep. And he decided one day to start painting and if you go down the basement, we used to have a pool room. And the pool room has now turned into dad’s studio. So he goes down there after work and he just paints. And miraculously one day we’re like, ‘holy crap, you can paint!’ You know, like where did this come from?”

With the décor, the drinks, and live music, the atmosphere here is certainly top notch. And when it comes to the food, Executive Chef Dan Bazzinotti makes sure the Italian-American dishes coming out of his kitchen are up to the same high standards.

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “When I was talking with Koryn about this restaurant before we opened. I said, you know, you always have places that are great music and great atmosphere and things like that, but the food always just is subpar. And one thing that Koryn wanted to do is to make sure that we have great food. And that’s kind of why they brought me on board here. And we’ve been getting to have a lot of fun. We’re doing Italian American food, but we’re having a ton of fun with it. So not only you get dinner and a show, but you’re getting a pretty awesome dinner.”

The opening act of your meal at Premiere on Broadway features appetizers like Sicilian-style Arancini made with New Orleans-style Dirty Rice, a big antipasti board loaded with imported and housemade charcuterie, and Meatballs passed down from Koryn’s grandmother.

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “These are a Zammuto family recipe meatball. So we use veal, pork and beef, and there’s a little bit of whipped ricotta underneath. So this is more of like that really classic, homestyle food, the things that we all grew up with.”

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “My grandmother’s meatballs are so tender. When I was a kid, we used to have a big crock of sauce with our meatballs and run by with a Scali bread and dip it in and we were getting in trouble. ‘Don’t touch my sauce.’ So now I grab some bread and always grab a meatball and I pinch it, and I’m like, ‘I don’t have to get in trouble here.’ So I love it. It’s awesome. It makes me feel like I’m at home.”

Those same great meatballs are also showcased in an entrée known as Rigatoni Della Nonna…

And this dish also owes some credit to Dan’s grandma.

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “The rigatoni is near and dear to my heart. It’s based off a recipe that my grandmother makes. And it’s one of my favorite things. It’s rigatoni pasta. House made meatballs. We top it off with a big beef rib and house made sausage. If you’re coming in and you want some comfort food, you want something that’s familiar, it makes you feel so good.”

Premiere on Broadway’s menu has meals for any mood. For something upscale, order the Grilled Prime Sirloin served atop polenta, or the housemade Butternut Squash Ravioli with sage, brown butter, and crumbled amaretti cookie. If you’d rather something handheld, check out the Sausage Pepper and Onion Sub, featuring house-made pork sausage bursting from a sweet squishy potato roll, or the double patty Smashburger, with melted American cheese, on a sesame seed bun.

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “The burger is to die for. One of our best sellers at an Italian restaurant, the burger. Who’d a think.”

Of course it’s no surprise that the best selling dish here is the Chicken Parmigiana. But its spot on the menu didn’t come without some controversy.

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “The Chicken Parm was not on the original opening menu. Koryn and I sat down before we opened.”

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “And I go to Dan, I go ‘Hey Dan, are we gonna put Chicken Parm on the menu?’”

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “And I said, ‘I don’t really want to do the Chicken Parm, I’m not sure.’”

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “And I’m like, ‘we can not not have Chicken Parm.’”

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “And I said, ‘if we’re going to do it, I’m going to make it like bigger than your head. It’s going to be one of those premiere moments. It’s going to show stop.’

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “So he comes out with this Chicken Parm and it’s bigger than my head. I’m like, ‘Oh my god. This is the Chicken Parm that everyone needs.’ And it’s so perfect because it’s so crispy on the edges and you have fresh mozzarella on the top with some basil it is to die for. And when you go to other places you have this Chicken Parm, it’s all soggy on all this spaghetti, covered in sauce. This Chicken Parm has the best amount of crisp, and it’s phenomenal.”

And while this dish is always the star of the show, Koryn likes to give it a little extra push behind the scenes.

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “It’s funny because people will come in and they’ll be like, they’re like, ‘What’s the best thing on the menu?’ And I’m like, ‘don’t tell chef but just get the Chicken Parm.’ And he’s like ‘why does the Chicken Parm sell so much.’ I’m like, ‘I just love it.’”

When it comes to dessert here, the only dish you need to know is the Tiramisu.

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “I don’t claim to be a pastry chef but this is one of the desserts that we make in house. It’s just super decadent, light and fluffy. You get that zip from the espresso, we put a little bit of rum in there, and a little coffee liqueur too.”

Koryn Zammuto – Owner, Premiere on Broadway: “It is so rich, so creamy. Just everyday Tiramisu, Tiramisu. So everyone loves the tiramisu. And the guys do a phenomenal job making it.”

And the whole team at Premiere on Broadway does a great job making sure your big night out here hits all the right notes.

Dan Bazzinotti – Executive Chef, Premiere on Broadway: “We’re trying to create that experience. We want everything to hit. We want the music, the drinks, the food, we want to feel that hustle and bustle. We want to see it. We want to make sure you feel special, you feel accommodated, you’re going to have a great time, and this is a show.”