WORCESTER, Mass. - Blackstone Herbs and Martini Bar held a ribbon cutting in Worcester's Canal District Wednesday.

The restaurant, located on Green Street, is at the former sight of the Hangover Pub and Broth. Its opening marks some good news for a part of the city that has seen several businesses close in recent months.

Worcester Mayor Joe Petty said Blackstone's opening marks a turnaround in the trend. He said the previous restaurants left for different reasons and are already being replaced, which, according to him, was expected.

"It shows how vibrant the area is," Petty said. "People are still interested in coming to the city of Worcester and the Canal District. I think all these restaurants will be replaced, who decided to either sell their property or move into another place. 

"I know some people left because they were selling their property to another entity, a developer, or maybe they were retiring from the restaurant business is Worcester, but each of these entities are being filled."

Blackstone features food and drink flights, which the husband and wife owner team of Bryanna Joseph and Gian Ranucci said gives customers a chance to sample multiple options each time they visit. 

"Our concept is something that hasn't been done before," Ranucci said. "People have heard of beer flights, but we do flights of everything. Flights of martinis, flights of margaritas, flights of food, down to wings, french fries, lettuce wraps."

Joseph and Ranucci also own and operate another restaurant in Rhode Island with the same name and concept.

"This is actually the exact same layout as our first location down in Coventry," said Joseph. "So when we saw that this place was available, it just kind of made sense. We work with the different vibes of the different sides, so it's kind of like three different dining experiences when you come here."

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.