NEWS FROM : Food & Wine  

You do not have to travel to St. Louis, Kansas City or Nashville to sample locally sourced and slowly smoked barbecue. The tastes of the south reside in our own backyard, at Donavito’s in Struthers. “My barbecue is all wood fire (smoked),” Donavito’s owner and executive chef Alan Donatelli said. “I put 10 hours into a slab of ribs. With what I’m do...

How do you say "work of art" in Italian? Answer: prosciutto! From April 1 to 14, we're celebrating all things prosciutto crudo (yes, there will be special offers, too!). Read on to find all the prosciutto activities planned at Eataly Chicago. WHAT IS PROSCIUTTO? Prosciutto, meaning "ham" in Italian, is cured pork leg. To make good prosciutto, you n...

How did the Bartolotta brothers, partners in the Milwaukee-based Bartolotta Restaurants group, become leading restaurateurs in the Midwest? Joe Bartolotta, president and co-owner, would point out that his brother, Paul, brought talent and experience from working in the kitchens of storied spots like the Rainbow Room in New York and Spiaggia in Chic...

Onalaska restaurateur Tony Angelini plans to open Mario’s Chicago Beef & Hot Dogs, specializing in Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, in about three weeks at 118 S. Third St. in downtown La Crosse. The new restaurant will be named after one of his sons, Mario. Angelini also owns Angelini’s Ristorante in Onalaska and Gino’s Pizzeria...

Pending light renovations, Tannin’s new home in the former Tabooli building will likely open within the next month. The upscale Italian eatery left Okemos in November to start work on its new east side Lansing home. Though it plans to keep its original Okemos upcycled tables and traditional dishes, the restaurant’s prime focus for the new location...

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 Alberto Torres, 39, assistant chef at Braconi’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria in Naperville. He first started cooking 20 years ago as a teenager in Naperville at La S...

Things you can count on: death, taxes and everyone likes Italian. Right? Pretty true in my experience. That's why there's a good long list of local Italian restaurants. So which one? Every Italian restaurant is slightly different, but there are a lot of places that serve spaghetti with red meat sauce and associated dishes, sometimes with pizza. Sor...

Be careful if you plan on cooking up a tasty pasta dish this week, because there’s an olive oil shortage halfway around the world. Quartino Restaurant cooks up close to 10,000 meals a week, but in his kitchen, Chef John Coletta is stocking up to avoid a shortage of the key ingredient. A severe winter in 2018 and a massive bacterial infestation are...

A mom-and-pop grocer -- actually an uncle, his two nephews and their extended families -- is celebrating 30 years in Arlington Heights. Valli Produce International Fresh Market opened its first store at 450 E. Golf Road in 1989 -- the creation of Alfredo Presta and his two nephews, Lou Tenuta and Frank Chilelli. To celebrate, the store will offer f...

Tony Noto and Santina Noto, who own and operate Noto’s Old World Italian Dining in Cascade Township with their family, last month opened Noto’s at the Bil-Mar in Grand Haven, at 1223 S. Harbor Dr. Howard Meyer sold the former Bil-Mar Restaurant, a lakeshore eatery since 1952, to the Notos in 2017, who demolished the building and built a “new upbeat...

Dreaming of Italy? Dreaming of spring? If a trip overseas isn’t in your near future, you have three opportunities this week to experience a little bit of Italy here in the Gem City as we usher in the beginning of spring. 1. The Italian Happy Hour at Meadowlark. Learn how to make some of the best Italian cocktails with Meadowlark Bar Manager Nik Hu...

Italia Gardens is planning to break ground on its newest location in Grand Blanc next week.The chain of Italian restaurants in Mid-Michigan will build its fourth location on the southeast corner of Grand Blanc Road and Davis Street next to Grand Blanc City Hall. The new restaurant was announced in May 2018. Groundbreaking is scheduled for 5:30 p.m....