The sandwich shop Madison deserves
There’s certainly no shortage of lunch options downtown, and there are more than a few places where you can find a great sandwich. But there are perhaps none better and more buzz-worthy than Casetta Kitchen and Counter, the new Italian-American deli on West Washington Avenue. The restaurant opened in February in the space formerly home to Bluephies...
3 Illinois Eateries Among 50 Best Italian Restaurants In America
Three Chicago eateries landed on a well-respected list of the top 50 Italian restaurants in America. Balena, Davanti Enoteca and Spiaggia all earned spots on The Daily Meal’s 2017 ranking of America’s 50 Best Italian Restaurants, which was released last week. Coming in at No. 39, Balena, 1633 N. Halsted St., is a "Chicago-must visit," according to...
La Lanterna, a new northern Italian restaurant, opens Wednesday in Capitol Park
La Lanterna will open on Wednesday in downtown Detroit's Capitol Park. As we reported last month, the restaurant is an undertaking of the Barbieri family’s second, third, and fourth generations, and an homage to their father, grandfather, and great grandfather, Edoardo Barbieri, who launched the venerable Da Edoardo restaurant group. He also ran th...
Italian restaurant schedules opening
A new Italian restaurant is set to open soon in Grand Rapids. Palio, at 545 Michigan St. NE, will host a VIP grand-opening celebration on April 18. The Medical Mile restaurant opens to the public on April 19, with dinner-only hours running until April 23. Palio’s normal business hours begin on April 24. The VIP party requires reservations, which co...
Fine dining with fine service at Bella Mia
From the timing of the courses to the atmosphere, the folks at Bella Mia in Midlothian strive to make every diner feel welcome and special."It's really important to me how people feel about the food and the restaurant," owner Randy Spears said between mopping floors and driving a senior patron's car to the front of his Italian restaurant. "Personal...
Macri's Italian Kitchen works from scratch
Mention the name Macri in this town and the first thing that comes to mind is the family that owns the bakery and two Italian restaurants in South Bend and Granger. “We’re not related,” Frank Macri says while in the small office inside his Macri’s Italian Kitchen during a recent Sunday afternoon. He readily acknowledges that although the name “M...
Mirabella is the Gene & Georgetti of the neighborhoods
There is no more mercurial restaurant than Gene & Georgetti, the storied River North Italian steak house that's a living set piece for a Chicago that dies a bit more every day. Sometimes it welcomes you with a drunk uncle's embrace, dirty martinis in each hand. Other times it acts like you haven't even arrived. At the National Italian American Foun...
Eataly: A Tale of Four Crusts
Pizza is all about the crust. You can change the sauce, swap out the cheese, and vary the toppings. It’s all a matter of taste. But if the crust is a failure, so is the pizza. And in the end, thick or thin isn’t as important as taste and crumb, the latter being the term bread lovers use when they’re talking about the interior texture of a particula...
Casetta Kitchen knows how to make a sandwich shine
The Italian-American deli Casetta Kitchen and Counter makes some of the most extraordinary sandwiches in Madison. It’s hard to beat its turkey sandwich. The breakfast and lunch spot opened Feb. 16 on West Washington Avenue, where Bluephies Downtown Deli used to be. It’s on the ground floor of an office building that is home to Sonic Foundry, the U....
No donuts at Bakery 151
“Where are your donuts?” That is the question Michelle Kelly of Bakery 151, 130 N. 1st Street, Miamisburg, gets on a-daily-basis. Bakery 151 is a traditional New York/New Jersey style bakery. Exit 151 is an area in Northern New Jersey located a few miles outside of New York City. The Kelly’s are from New Jersey. Michelle is Italian descent. Her gra...
Italian restaurant Osteria to reopen in downtown Milwaukee
Remember Osteria del Mondo? It's coming back and will be known simply as Osteria. "I am extremely excited. And it's about time," said chef and co-owner Marc Bianchini. Osteria del Mondo closed on Milwaukee's lower east side in 2011. It was in the Knickerbocker Hotel, 1028 E. Juneau Ave., for 16 years. Bianchini will reopen his Italian restaurant wi...
The Sapranos discuss the family business 35 years after its deathSteve Russell
There are places in Mansfield that I’ve often heard talked about but will never see, places from the past that live on only in stories and conversation. One of those places is - or was - Saprano’s Bar, a downtown beer and pizza joint that closed its doors 35 years ago. The bar was sold off and longtime proprietor Joe Saprano died in 1987. With the...