Top 5 reasons to attend CincItalia Festival
Between Italian culture, live music, a wine garden and meatballs with marinara, there are plenty of reasons to love the Cincinnati Italian Festival. The fifth annual CincItalia begins Friday, May 16 at Harvest Home Park, presented by St. Catharine of Siena Parish and School. In celebration, the organizers brainstormed the top five reasons...
Sbarro Bankruptcy Update: $148M Reorganization Plan Lifts Pizza Chain From Darkness
Sbarro emerged from bankruptcy protection Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, the pizza chain's $148 million re-organization plan went into effect Monday following a judge's approval May 19. The company will now relocate headquarters to Columbus, Ohio to cut expenses and work closely with its new entity, Pizza Cucinova. R...
O' Sole Mio closes Batavia, St. Charles locations
In the warmly-lit corner of Batavia's O'Sole Mio Friday, friends Jaime Gutierrez, Kalley Gutierrez and Kari Kraus sank back into their couch's cushions, sipped their drinks and took in the final moments of their favorite neighborhood spot's last day. Kids press their noses against the glass of the gelato case a few feet away. A group of customers...
Stefani's Mad Social Opens, Serving Food Late Night In The West Loop
by Ashok Selvam It's a big day for the Stefani family as Mad Social finally opens, allowing Gina Stefani to branch out in the West Loop. Take a tour of the space here, as Stefani teams up with chef Mariela Bolanos and takes the torch as Phil Stefani Signature Restaurants' first new spot in 14 years. Stefani's Italian heritage and...
Suzy Pacifico, Server at Guarino's for Half of Its 100 Years
By Nikki Delamotte Once a Prohibition-era speakeasy, the humble storefront of Guarino's (12309 Mayfield Rd., 216-231-3100, guarinoscleveland.com) in Little Italy opens to a lush interior, its Victorian decor a reminder that you've arrived at one of Cleveland's oldest dining institutions. Inside, next to the grand piano in the fron...
Buon Appetito: D’Urso brings taste of Italy to Collinsville
Today, Rita Palumbo is flying back to Naples, Italy, after spending a few weeks visiting, and cooking with, her daughter Tiziana D'Urso in Collinsville. For Palumbo's last full day of her visit, the mother and daughter had a lunch of traditional Mediterranean foods they spent all morning cooking. However, that menu isn't much differen...
New home for Italian Villa, same great pizza
Wether it's pizza or good conversation being served, it can be like a slice of home at Joe's Italian Villa Inc. "We're probably on our fourth or fifth generation of customers," said Frank Serio, who co-owns the Palos Heights restaurant with his wife, Jane. "People tend to keep coming back. They're more than just customers; they're friends." ...
Marco’s Pizza Creates a Taste of Italy in America
By Charles Payne, Matthew Kazin In this Salute to American Success, we're taking a look at Marco's Pizza, a pizza restaurant franchise headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. The company focuses on using fresh ingredients to create authentic Italian pizza. Marco's Pizza was founded in 1978 by Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco. When he was nine-year...
More details on Bar Lupo, 'Italian pub' opening soon in River North
In a city famous for its Irish and American pubs, restaurateur Brian O'Connor is adding something new to the mix: Bar Lupo, a self-dubbed Italian pub coming soon to River North. Italian pub? O'Connor, formerly a managing partner at steakhouse Maple & Ash, explains it this way: "When you travel to Italy, it's not a theme park of tourist...
Before Chicago’s Eataly opens next week, feast on some photos of the original
At long last, it's almost time to Eataly.My hunger for Chicago's outpost of the Italian original has grown from a gentle rumbling of the stomach to full-blown pangs. I've loitered outside Eataly's new home, the former ESPN Zone at 43 E. Ohio, like a dog waiting for scraps. As construction crews entered and exited, I've tried stealing peeks at what'...
Formento’s Will Open Wednesday in the West Loop
Say ciao: Italian-American throwback Formento's (925 W. Randolph St., West Loop, 312-690-7295) officially starts serving Wednesday evening, which means modernized twists on red-sauce classics such as rigatoni alla vodka, tuna tetrazzini, and canestri with Sunday gravy for all. The massive spot (seriously–multiple dining rooms, a bar area,...
35 Italian wines? Yes, please
There's an old Italian proverb that reads: Un buon vino, un buon uomo e una bella donna dura poco. (literally translated: A good wine, a good man and a good woman don't last long) Ultimately, if you're American, it's a fancy way of saying "every good thing comes to an end" – which is one of those statements that's both sad and true. And for me...