Paesano's pizza is pure heaven
Have you ever walked into a building and had a deja vu moment where you felt you've been there before? Was the sense of familiarity overwhelming and made you wonder why you felt so comfortable in a place you've never been? I had that happen last week when I walked into D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.S. on Broadway in Bradley. I sat at a table alone and just wa...
Author and film director returns to northern Indiana for event featuring Italian food
It’s not just the food, it’s the table that matters. Adriana Trigiani, author of 17 books and director of “Big Stone Gap,” the movie based on her first novel, said she’s spent a life mining how Italian-Americans come to the table together. Though Italian-Americans agree on little, they come to the table as equals. “We’re all the same level at th...
Angelo's features gourmet burgers, artisanal pizzas
The D'Angelo family's values live on through Carla Bolin, who said she wants to share the time-honored recipes and Italian heritage of her grandfather and father through her endeavors. "I am truly honored to bring back the name, traditions, quality and sense of family that the Angelo's brand represented in the Chicago Southland for many decades," B...
Chicago Mike's Gets the Windy City's Italian Beef Sandwich Right
Chicago has many regional food favorites, but the most famous may be its Italian beef sandwiches. Still, if you haven't spent time in the Windy City, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this hearty taste sensation. My indoctrination came late in life, but the experience made such an impact on me, I knew I was onto something epic. The Chicag...
Salerno's keeps its old-school vibe, menu
Four Salerno brothers came to America from Italy in the late 1950s, opened a bar in Berwyn in 1966, and served up pizza, lasagna and other Italian food. The brothers used to go trap shooting on land west of St. Charles. A real-estate agent/friend convinced them to buy land in St. Charles on the Fox River, telling them, "How nice to be on the water,...
Buona Beef Opening In Frankfort: Free Italian Beef For Early Guests
The much anticipated opening of the Buona Beef restaurant in Frankfort will come to fruition on Thursday and those who wait in line early will get a free Italian Beef sandwich. Buona, The Original Italian Beef will officially open its 19th location at 20950 S. La Grange Road in Frankfort on Thursday, July 6 at 10:30 a.m. Those in line at 10 a.m. wi...
Columbus gets its hands on Giordano’s stuffed deep-dish pizzas
Giordano’s has brought its pizza to Columbus, but don’t call it deep-dish. It’s a stuffed pizza. That’s a very important distinction, CEO Yorgo Koutsogiorgas said. “It is a different kind of experience than the original deep dish,” Koutsogirogas said. “We’re kind of the evolution of the deep-dish pizza in Chicago. It tastes somewhat different, in o...
Ohio meatball gem Marcella’s is coming to LoHi
So. Many. New. Restaurants. Here’s another one: Marcella’s Ristorante, Pizzeria and Wine Bar will open on Central St. in LoHi. Marcella’s, in case you couldn’t guess by the name, is an Italian restaurant, and it’s from Ohio-based restauranteur Cameron Mitchell, who also runs Ocean Prime. (Not to mention loads of other restaurants around the country...
Chef's Choice: Grandma's cooking big influence on Italian deli owner
In Chef's Choice, the Naperville Sun asks local chefs to share their culinary background and experiences and talk about a featured dish found on their menu. This week, we speak with Joe Turco, 57, who co-owns Turco's Italian Deli at 1523 North Aurora Road with wife Sherry, who worked for 30 years in the newspaper industry before helping his brother...
Bourdain-Approved Bonci Pizzeria Plans U.S. Debut for Mid-July in Chicago
Anthony Bourdain did wonders for the popularity of Pizzarium Bonci, the tiny and divey pizzeria in Rome with a cult following. Gabrielle Bonci showcased his genius three-ingredient pizzas on a 2011 episode of The Layover with Anthony Bourdain and Americans rushed to the unassuming spot to try Bonci’s inventive and simple three-ingredient pies. Ital...
Detroit's La Lanterna goes modern
The latest outpost of the Barbieri family's Da Edoardo Italian restaurant empire is making the most of its 60-year-old downtown roots. A portrait of patriarch Edoardo Barbieri, clad in a V-neck-sweater, pipe in hand, adorns a wall. A framed April 1958 copy of Michigan Restaurateur headlines, "A Rigid Standard of Quality at La Lanterna Pays Off!" La...
Prisoners Learn to Make Pizza in Chicago
Chef Bruno Abate owns one of the best pizzerias in Chicago. His restaurant makes thin pizzas, heated in an oven with a wood-burning fire. They come with toppings like mushrooms, onions, olives, tomatoes and Italian meats. Each pizza sells for between $12 and $18 at Abate’s restaurant, Tocco. But did you know you can get a similar pizza for half the...