Holy Grail owners opening Italian restaurant at The Banks
The owners behind Holy Grail Tavern and Grille are bringing an Italian restaurant to The Banks, representatives announced on Thursday. 'Santo Graal' will open this March on the northern side of Freedom Way, right next door to Holy Grail. It will occupy the former space of Mahogany's Restaurant. Read more Source: http...
Rita Loccisano and the discipline taking over Italy – Now in Chicago!
Rita is the creator of the new culinary discipline VisualFood®, which unities aesthetics and function by transforming food into little works of art without altering the essence, function, or value of the food itself. It has become a huge success in Italy with an evergrowing number of fans. Like in design, the object is not stripped of its...
Piccolo Sogno Due Will Reinvent Itself as the More Casual Nonnina
A taste of cooking from the four Italian grandmothers you never had is headed to River North in early summer. Piccolo Sogno Due (340 N. Clark St., River North), sibling restaurant to Piccolo Sogno, will close at the end of April to reconcept into the more casual Nonnina. "Nonnina is influenced by our grandmothers—all four of them," says ch...
Longtime Gene & Georgetti Chef Opening Italian Spot In Mirabell Space
Arturo Aucaquizphi has spent his last 20 or years as executive chef at Chicago steakhouse stalwart Gene & Georgetti. The Ecuadorian native is now heading out on his own, taking over another Chicago classic, the Mirabell. In about three weeks, he said he's opening Mirabella Italian Cuisine inside the space at 3454 W. Addison St. He'll f...
Monteverde's Opening Night Brings Sarah Grueneberg's 'Soulful' Italian Food to West Loop
by Daniel Gerzina "Cooking with a traditional heart and a modern hand." That's the phrase that chef Sarah Grueneberg and her team constantly reiterate, a question that they ask of themselves about every dish they present, dishes that Grueneberg says she "cooks from a soulful place." It's what they hope will be recognizable to everyone who...
Chesterland chef Loretta Paganini takes Christmas dinner menu from her native Italy
By Debbi Snook While our Thanksgiving dinners are trussed up in American traditions, Christmas leaves a little wiggle room for overseas adventure. If you aren't already wedded to your usual ham, fish or another turkey, anything goes – as long as it sparkles. Add an ethnic twist – let's say Italian – and you can plunge into the col...
Monteverde brings taste of Italy to West Loop with homemade pasta
There are dozens of Italian restaurants in Chicago, but only a small percentage go that extra mile and make all of their pastas in-house from scratch. A new restaurant in the West Loop is committed to hand-making everything, including one pasta dish that has become a personal favorite. When Sarah Grueneberg left Spiaggia, she took wit...
Gelsosomo's: A Region institution with a well-deserved loyal following
Growing up in Roseland, a South Chicago Italian neighborhood, Tom Gelsosomo enjoyed the meals prepared by his Italian family so much that after spending time working in the food industry he decided to open up his own restaurant serving many of the dishes he remembered so well from his youth. Choosing an Italian restaurant in the growing co...
Dolce Italian of Miami coming to Godfrey Hotel
New York-based LDV Hospitality, in partnership with Chicago-based Oxford Capital Group and Quadrum Global, which has a Miami office, are opening an Italian restaurant in the Godfrey Hotel Chicago. Dolce Italian is slated to open in late spring at the Godfrey on Huron and LaSalle streets in River North. Dolce, which has locations in Mi...
Arturo’s stays true to Italian roots
Local northwest Ohio pizza places must remain competitive because of the seemingly unlimited supply of pizza chains. Each place must promise fresh ingredients, signature recipes, and appealing menus, and deliver on those promises. They must continue to attract a customer base at the right price. Arturo's Pizza Kitchen opened in Northwood i...
Wisconsin's taste of Italy
Dennis Elert has made his own pasta and pizza sauce for years, usually on weekends or at other times when his job as a commercial welder would allow. Elert, 60, no longer peers through the dark glass of a welder's helmet. Instead, his days are spent on the road delivering, marketing and urging others to taste what he's been ladling over sp...
Portillo's future in the hands of Boston buyout firm
Portillo's Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef have whet the appetite of Boston-based buyers who are eager to introduce the local favorites to more diners nationwide. The company confirmed Tuesday that Berkshire Partners is investing in Dick Portillo's eponymous chain, two months after its 74-year-old founder announced he was consideri...