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Hernando Today

Going Upscale With Wings And Spirits

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: May 5, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The female servers are young and attractive.

A Bike Night is inevitably going to be included in the weekly rotation.

The highlights of the menu include blazin' hot wings, burgers and a roast beef sandwich.

But the owner, manager and head cook insist on one thing - Jimmy Diablo's Wicked Wings is an upscale restaurant.

"This is a good location," said owner Jimmy Broccolo, who chose the vacant restaurant building along West Jefferson Street near Tom Varn Park to open his latest business. "We have everything we're looking for here."

From 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., the venue is an ideal place to order lunch or dinner. The menu includes wings that can be served mild, hot or blazin'. Customers can order six, 12, 18 or 36 wings on one platter.

They can be served naked or lightly breaded, with dry rub or honey barbeque sauce, buffalo or Asian-style.

There are appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, Southwest foods, sandwiches and wraps.

For dinner, customers can order a rib eye, sirloin, ribs, chicken, shrimp and grouper. A seafood platter also includes calamari.

From midnight to 2 a.m., the kitchen will serve a "midnight madness" selection of breakfast food.

Broccolo hopes to incorporate a variety of candied martinis and other exotic mixed drinks. He has patented several of his own.

Jake Wilds is the head chef. He bragged openly about the wings, Southwest menu and dinner platters. Mostly everything is prepared and served fresh.

"We're priding our menu on fresh produce," he said. "There's no charcoal or gas fires in the back. It's all wood stone cooking."

Food always will be served, but after 9 p.m., the restaurant is converted to a night club. Live bands will perform Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The preferred music is blues and soft classic rock, said manager Terri Mauriello.

Jimmy Diablo's already has attracted the likes of Bobby Stixx, formerly of Crosby, Stills and Nash, who performed last weekend.

Broccolo wanted a seasoned veteran to manage his restaurant and he needed to look no further than Citrus County. Mauriello helped launch four clubs in the area, including the Oar House in Crystal River.

"I was the head oar," she said with a throaty chuckle.

She was zipping back and forth from the bar to the kitchen throughout the morning Friday.

Jimmy Diablo's had its soft opening less than a week earlier. The wait and bartending staff have been learning the ropes ever since. Mauriello wanted them to train for a couple of weeks on real customers prior to the grand opening, which is scheduled for Saturday.

"We've been slammed here," she said of the business following the soft opening. "People are just curious."

While there will be live music, bike night and alcohol specials in the not-so-distant future, Broccolo and Mauriello want to maintain a respectable night club and restaurant free of any disturbances and controversy.

"It's casual, but proper attire is required," Mauriello said. "We want to keep the riff raff out."

Broccolo knows how to run an upscale restaurant. He has tended bar, owned restaurants and managed hotels. He has served everyone from cosmopolitan Ivy Leaguers in Massachusetts to burly bikers in the Deep South during his 35-year food and beverage career.

"I consider myself as a displaced Southerner," he said. "Now I'm at home."

Biz at a glance:

Name of biz - Jimmy Diablo's Wicked Wings

Owner - Jimmy Broccolo

Manager - Terri Mauriello

Type of biz - Restaurant and bar

Hours of operation - 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday

Get in touch - 352-799-0350

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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