Rialto Marks Its Last Service in Harvard Square Today

When chef and owner Jody Adams announced her plans to leave Harvard Square's Rialto in April, word was that the restaurant's chef de cuisine David Ladner would step into the lead role and carry Rialto into a new era. Soon after, however, Cambridge learned that Rialto would not go on without Adams, and today it marks its final day in business after more than 22 years at the Charles Hotel. (Moving forward, the Charles Hotel will remove the Rialto restaurant space from its license, according to Cambridge Day, allowing an independent restaurant owner to lease the space from the hotel.)

Adams is a fixture of Boston's restaurant world, and she has her hands in several projects. She is an owner of Trade downtown, as well as the new fast-casual Fenway restaurant Saloniki, which specializes in speedy Greek food.

Her departure from Rialto provides more time to focus on these projects, in addition to a third that's currently in progress: Adams is working with fellow restaurateurs Eric Papachristos and Sean Griffing to open a seafood restaurant in Back Bay. Porto will focus on Mediterranean seafood and is slated to open in July.

Rialto has been sharing photos on Facebook in a countdown to its final day. The restaurant will be open one last time tonight from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.