Peterborough has a new Italian restaurant on Hunter Street called Kettle Drums. It is owned by Reg Maranda and Cameron Green, who also own Reggie's Hot Grill in East City and El Camino's downtown (we spotlighted both back in 2010).

Friday night kicked off with a soft opening, while construction is completed on the side patio (which will seat 50) and a few more fine touches inside.

The soft opening gives the staff a chance to iron out the menu, and while not all the options will be available this weekend, there are still plenty of pizzas to try.

There is a very relaxed atmosphere inside, with lovely decor and wall art as well as a small patio out front that will seat 20. Quite a few patrons came to sample the food, and try the beer, cocktails, martinis and wine.

I had a brief moment to chat with Reg while he was zipping to-and-fro, and he mentioned that they were proud with what has come together. They had been working on the plan for this restaurant well before having to close their chip truck, and even snuck the famous Reggie Burger onto the menu.

Drop in this weekend and give one of their pizzas a try (gluten free crust available, too), and shortly thereafter the rest of the menu including the Crispy Sweet Potato Chips—which Reg confesses he likes even better than Reggie's Hotgrill's tasty Sweet Potato Fries.