Mangia! Peapod Is Now Carrying Buona Beef In Chicago Market
Chicago is famous for food, but it's not just deep dish pizza that gets mouths watering. The city's flavorful sandwiches are a must-eat for both locals and visitors to the Windy City. One of the classics, Chicago Italian Beef, originated on the South Side of Chicago, is made with tender Italian beef, thinly sliced and piled high on a sub. ...
Labriola's Pizza Barra Opens With Macchia's Menu and an Exhibition Kitchen
by Brett Hickman Pizza Barra, Rich Labriola's latest restaurant, hit the Oak Brook Promenade (3011 Butterfield Rd.) today at 4:00 p.m. Featuring a menu from Chris Macchia (The Florentine, Coco Pazzo), Pizza Barra will attempt to satisfy a wide variety of pizza lovers with their Chicago thin crust, pan-style and coal-fired "Neapolitan-ish"...
Passione e Fantasia in the Windy City
Passione e fantasia! Sounds like a Felini movie. But when pizza entrepreneur and dough magician Gino Rago, owner of Panino's and Via Pizzeria 1-2-3 in Chicago, pronounces the words in his native tongue, it's clear he's melodically accenting a committed way of life. I met Gino and his lovely wife, Tina, for the first time last week and I'm not exagg...
Marco's Pizza Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week
Everyone can remember a teacher who made a difference in his or her life. During National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6, you can recognize your favorite teacher by posting a message to #ThankATeacher. Marco's Pizza is encouraging its customers to do the same, and is also distributing 250,000 Free Pizza Certificates for teachers to schools acro...
Bittersweet Italian liqueur gains following in metro Detroit
I took my first sip of amaro — the bittersweet Italian liqueur — just after dinner on a balmy late-September night in the Piazza dei Madonna del Monti in Rome. It was close to midnight, but my wife and I had just finished dinner with our Chicago-born host and her Roman boyfriend, Lodo. Lodo suggested a post-meal digestivo procured from a shoebo...
Dining Out: Vito's transforms Washington Taco Bell into solid Italian cuisine
If you're a Washington resident or an attentive central Illinois diner, you may have heard some buzz about a new Italian restaurant in the Tazewell County city. You also may have been harboring some low expectations based on the nondescript former Taco Bell location this place calls home. My first bit of advice: roll with the surprises of...
Fall Italian Cooking Classes at Casa Italia
Join Italian instructor Giovanna Dimetros and her team for an exciting cultural and culinary adventure through various regions of Italy!! MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th CAMPANIA, 6:30 to 9:30pm MONDAY, OCTOBER 28th EMILIA ROMAGNA, 6:30 to 9:30pm Read more Source: http://casaitaliachicago.wordpress.com
Fabio Viviani on How Chicago's Food Scene is Very Different Than LA's
By Emma Sarran Webster Two years after opening, Siena Tavern is still one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago, and this summer, its star chef Fabio Viviani is proving that lightning can strike twice. Bar Siena, Viviani's newest restaurant with partners Lucas Stoioff and David Rekhson, opened its West Loop doors on July 25 to an already e...
At Monteverde, a Spiaggia alum brings passion to pasta
by Marissa Conrad Pasta and prosciutto butter toast await in the West Loop. "I'm getting my second espresso right now," says Sarah Grueneberg with a laugh as she bustles around the kitchen of Monteverde, her new Italian restaurant in the West Loop. It's a busy morning: Besides the typical dough prep — most pastas on the menu...
Formento's Continues Revamp, Names Cristiana DeLucca as First-Ever Bar Director
A trifecta of talent completes what could be called a total transformation at Formento's. The red-sauce Italian spot recently welcomed new executive chef Stephen Wambach, followed by wine director Jen Schmitt. Now, B. Hospitality Co. (The Bristol, Balena) has named Cristiana DeLucca as Formento's first-ever bar director. DeLucca comes to F...
Palumbo's Italian Market draws on owners' authentic experience, creativity
by Larry Fugate When time is tight and local families want to eat healthy without the fuss of cooking, many are heading down River Road to Palumbo's Italian Market in Granville. "We felt there was an opportunity in town with the large college population and the number of two-income families with children," owner Paul Palumbo says...
First Look: Sophia's Brings Elevated Homestyle Italian to West Sixth
This weekend, Sophia's opened in the historic space last occupied by Sandra Bullock's Bess Bistro. Chicago's BDG Hospitality conceptualized the Italian restaurant, which will feature executive chef Mark Sparacino (of Chicago's Topo Gigio, Sparacino, PROSECCO and more) at the helm, with Tom Schmitt as chef de cuisine. The gist: Though plenty of It...