Bacino’s serves Italian classics in warm, friendly setting in Lincoln Park
Some have called it the Magnificent Mile of Lincoln Park — the long stretch of shops and restaurants down Lincoln Avenue would delight just about anyone. It's my belief the sun shines particularly bright on the street for a reason. Perhaps it's the fact that the street not only features a Jimmy Johns and a Potbelly's, but other American classic res...
Portillo's to open new restaurant in Champaign
by Greg Trotter The fighting Illini just got a recruiting boost from an alum: Portillo's is coming to town. "It's nice to go back to a place where you have some good memories," said Keith Kinsey, Portillo's CEO and class of 1976 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For Portillo's, the Oak Brook-based ch...
Inaugural Italian Food and Wine Festival to Land at Eataly in Mid-October
A new food and drink festival focused exclusively on Italian cuisine will hit Eataly Oct. 14-16, schooling Chicagoans on everything from Arneis to ziti. Presented in partnership with Identitá Golose, a nearly decade-old celebration of Italian cuisine founded by food journalist Paolo Marchi, the three-day festival includes an instructive di...
Italian Wines and Fine Dining Event to Help Orchestrate Music in our Community
South Shore Orchestra will host their 9th Annual Wine Dinner on January 31, 2015 featuring Nicholis wines from Valpoicella, Italy at Bon Femme Cafe in downtown Valparaiso. You are invited to experience an evening with a 5 course gourmet meal from one of Valparaiso's finest restaurants paired with 5 distinctive wines including "Amarone", t...
Rebooting the boot
By Michael Jackman In metro Detroit's dining scene, there's perhaps no food as misunderstood as Italian. Most customers think of Italian food as "spaghetti and meatballs," or such "Italianese" derangements as "steak Gorgonzola Alfredo" dreamed up by some corporate chain. More accurately called "Italian-American," this fusion fare is relentlessly "...
Take a look around the new Bar Toma
Bar Toma, Tony Mantuano's Italian restaurant in the Gold Coast off Michigan Avenue, reopens Aug. 21 as a casual pizzeria. The restaurant had been closed since July 6 for renovations, including the addition of a pizza oven. "At Bar Toma we have realized that people want our pizza, and we've been trying to do so many different things th...
Eataly Chicago Celebrates its First Anniversary
On tuesday, December 2 in honor of Eataly Chicago's first anniversary, for the first time in the windy city, nine Chicago restaurants will be reunited under one roof for a night only, to celebrate the event "Una Serata Tra Amici," an evening with friends. Chefs from nine great Chicago restaurants will join Eataly's kitchens and cook as par...
Al’s Italian Beef serves Chicago favorites in Chino, Alhambra
So, what comes to mind when you think of Chicago cuisine? Certainly deep-dish pizza; hot dogs served with bright green relish, hot peppers, dill pickles and tomato slices; and Italian beef sandwiches, right? Well, the latter, I must confess, has always left me wondering what all the fuss was about in the Windy City. My prior experiences w...
The Italian American Chamber of Commerce invites you to a Unique Culinary Experience in Italy
Living the Italian lifestyle and culture is the perfect way to discover Italy! This program, developed in collaboration with Pelago University in Naples offers the opportunity to experience and taste the Mediterranean cuisine, learn Italian language and visit Campania, a region in the south Italy rich in artistic and archaeological sites,...
That’s amore: Love story is on the menu at Agostino’s
John Gabrielle tells a love story just about every night. It's about him and his wife, Francesca. They own Agostino's Restaurant in Fairview Heights with other family members, including his mom, Rosa, and brother, Paul, who is executive chef. John, 57, works the dining room, a large area with murals of Italy on the wall and white cloths on th...
Marco’s Pizza Reveals Aggressive Development Plan for the Southeast
Marco's Pizza, the fastest-growing pizza franchise in the United States, is targeting the Southeast for growth. With hundreds of franchise locations already open and operating in the region, the company has announced plans to open more than 300 additional locations through strategic franchise partnerships in the coming years. The new franc...
Coda Di Volpe Opening In July, Bringing Billy Lawless To Southport Corridor
Chicago restaurateurs Billy Lawless and Ryan O'Donnell are opening shop in the Southport Corridor in July with Coda di Volpe. The Southern Italian restaurant will open at 3335 N. Southport Ave. under the direction of executive chef Chris Thompson, known for his San Francisco eateries A16 and Spruce. "We want to bring a little sophisti...