Coco Dolce holds grand opening

For those with chocolate and wine cravings, look no further.

Coco Dolce opened its doors on Tuesday at 1910 College Parkway, Suite 130. The bistro, decked out in chic, modern decor, focuses its efforts on the luxurious combination.

"The main focus is on artesian, hand-made chocolates and small vineyard wines, old-world style," said owner Paul Bonaldi. "And handcrafted beers."

Bonaldi opened the business on Tuesday next door to Bella Salon Spa, which is owned by his wife Jeannette.

His grand opening is Friday from 6-10 p.m.

Their chocolatier, Elizabeth Moore, makes the chocolate in an off-site kitchen. The chocolates come in a variety of flavors, from sweet to savory and some infused with ingredients like green tea, lavender and chipotle.

Bonaldi pairs the chocolate with wine. They offer $19 sample plates that come with three wine and chocolate pairings. Chocolates are sold by the box, too.

They also serve sandwiches, soups and salads as well as pastries and coffee drinks.

Bonaldi said his wife's salon has been open about two years and they decided the wine and chocolate shop would make for a good addition.

"We were getting a lot of feedback from the ladies at the salon and my wife came up with this idea about wine and chocolate," he said. "The ladies go crazy with the wine and chocolate."

Bonaldi is a culinary school graduate from San Francisco who most recently owned a restaurant in Lake Tahoe.

Now the former restaurateur is hoping the wine and chocolate market will carry the new business to larger cities.

"We're hoping to expand to Reno and other districts and hopefully San Francisco, Las Vegas," Bonaldi said. "Trying to make it a big thing like Starbucks."

Coco Dolce is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For information call 775-636-9051 or visit www.cocodolce.com.

Olive Garden is hiring

As construction on the Olive Garden in south Carson City nears completion, the popular restaurant chain is expected to start hiring 72 servers and 10 bartenders on June 8.

Jinny Suarez, the liquor manager for the Olive Garden, 4253 S. Carson St., told the Board of Supervisors on Thursday the restaurant is planning for a June 27 opening date.

• Reporter Sandi Hoover contributed to this report