The business serves “smoochies,” a nickname for fresh fruit smoothies served with “boba,” or bubble tea served with tapioca pearls.
MORE: Popular restaurant moves into new Butler County location with new name
Nadja Mirpuri and Dr. Susan Alcasid opened the first Smoochies Boba & Crepes at Liberty Center in late 2017.
Tapioca pearls are gummy-like spheres made from starch and casava root, a plant native to South America.
The drink originated in Taiwan in the 1980s when a tea stand added the “boba” to its frothy tea drinks to create imaginative, new beverages. Because the drinks had tapioca pearl “bubbles” at the top and bottom, the drink became known as “bubble tea.”
MORE: Butler County restaurant news: 8 recent openings, closings and demolitions
Smoochies also serves fruit shakes, milk teas, fruit teas paired with our sweet and savory crepes.”
Variations of the creamy-texture drink come in classic and island flavors and are made from mangoes, avocado, coconut, corn and other fruits.
Mirpuri said she hopes to open the new location no later than September.
Caruso’s Ristorante & Bar
Fairfield’s newest restaurant is Caruso’s Ristorante & Bar, which opened for business last Monday.
The restaurant at 6765 Dixie Highway serves traditional Italian and American-Italian dishes.
Hours intially are 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday to Friday and the menu offers sandwiches, pizzas, soups, salads, and “a couple featured pastas per day,” said owner Braheam Shteiwi.
The business is waiting on the state of Ohio to finalize its liquor license and will most likely not open for dinner until when that occurs, he said.
Pizza and pasta dough are made fresh by hand, he said.
When it does receive its liquor license, Caruso’s Ristorante & Bar will feature a wine list of approximately 75 bottles, which concentrate on Italian selections, but also feature recognizable American brands and varietals, as well as “clean” wines.
It also will offer a lineup of seven rotating taps from Brink Brewery, the winner of the Best Very Small Brewery Award at the Great American Beer Festival, along with domestic and Italian beers.
Caruso’s features a 2,500-square-foot renovated dining room and a newly created private dining area for small and large parties of up to 30 people, as well as business meetings that require full privacy. The restaurant’s exterior has been updated with a new paint job and new landscaping.
Caruso’s takes the place of The Spinning Fork, a longtime eatery that now operates as The Spinning Forchetta in Liberty Twp.
About the Author
