Dining

Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, a fast-casual restaurant at 6075 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, specializes in homemade pasta, Roman-style pizza and Italian sandwiches. It also features a “pasta lab” and a retail area with imported Italian ingredients, Block Club Chicago reported. Leading the kitchen is Vincenzo Vottero, a Michelin-starred chef from Bologna, Italy, who also has been tapped as Stefani Group’s culinary director. Vottero’s signature dishes are Bolognese tortellini stuffed with meat and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lasagna made with seven layers of spinach-infused noodles with Bolognese sauce. In addition to Vottero’s handmade pastas, Bottega offers additional pastas made in-house, along with a …

Chef and restaurateur Rick Tramonto, who was behind the acclaimed, now-closed Tru in Chicago, is at the helm of Nisos Prime, a Mediterranean steakhouse in Chicago’s West Loop. The author of several books and cookbooks, Tramonto is executive chef and director of food and beverage for Parker Hospitality in Chicago. Tramonto and Parker Hospitality launched Nisos Prime at 802 W. Randolph St., the location that housed Nisos, a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant that closed last year. “What was exciting about the project was the fact that I could take all of this Mediterranean influence from Italy and France, Greece and Spain, and …

When Lauren McLaughlin found out she was allergic to gluten and about 30 other foods, she soon discovered that a lot of gluten-free food wasn’t very good, and some even “legitimately terrible,” she told the Daily Herald. McLaughlin, who used to make homemade pasta with her grandmother, decided to start her own brand of gluten- and allergen-free pasta. She first sold her pasta at farmers markets and in December opened a retail store, Ugly Noodle, at 2600 Keslinger Road, Suite 15, in Geneva, Illinois. The store sells fresh, gluten-free pastas, dried pastas and a curated selection of mostly gluten- and …

Pequod’s Pizza, which has locations in Chicago and Morton Grove, is the nation’s favorite pizza, according to Yelp Elite Squad’s 2024 Top Pizza Spots. Pequod’s has a unique take on the traditional deep-dish pizza: The crust is made by placing a ring of mozzarella around the rim of the pan, which caramelizes as the pizza cooks, TimeOut reported. Pequod’s was the brainchild of the late Burt Katz, who brought his signature caramelized crust to his new establishment from the now-closed Gullivers Pizza & Pub in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Katz stayed at Pequod’s until 1986, when he sold the business …

A new Italian restaurant in Oak Park is a labor of love for its Italian-born chef and owner. Ciro Parlato hails from Corbara, a town near the Amalfi Coast, and moved to the United States in 2012. He first settled in Miami Beach, Florida, without knowing a word of English. He started taking classes at an international school and fell in love with Oak Park through his English teacher and her son, who lived there. “I visited, and I loved Oak Park so much,” says Parlato, who moved to the Chicago suburb in 2016. He decided to open a restaurant …

Growing up in Detroit, Noah Zamler learned to make pasta beside his mother and grandmother. Now, Zamler is living out his childhood dream as co-owner and head chef of Terra e Mare (Land and Sea), an Italian restaurant that opened at 404 S. Wells St. in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, Block Club Chicago reported. Zamler partnered for the venture with Cristian Mendoza and Petros Papatheofanis. Terra e Mare features “the best of the land and sea,” according to the restaurant’s website, including fresh seafood dishes, house-made pasta and bread, and locally sourced ingredients. A beverage menu includes cocktails, Italian wines …

Amore Mio has opened in downtown Aurora. Roberto Avila, the owner and chef of the Italian restaurant and piano bar, learned about Italian food while living in Venice, Italy, more than a decade ago. He is also chef and owner of the Latin fusion restaurant Altiro, with locations in Aurora, Geneva and Wheaton. Amore Mio “pays homage to the essence of the great Italian-American restaurants of the mid-20th century in New York City,” according to the restaurant’s website. Its menu includes antipasti, salads, pasta, and meat and fish dishes. The latest planned addition is Roman-style square pizza made in an …

Giovanni Labbate, owner of Tievoli Pizza Bar in Palatine, triumphed in the “plant-forward” category of the 5th annual Real California Pizza Contest. The competition pitted 12 professional chefs against each other in a quest for the most innovative pizzas, Food Industry News reported. Labbate took home a $5,000 prize for his “Sunset in Sonoma” recipe, featuring a garlic-confit cream sauce, sharp California cheddar, purple potato slices, caramelized onions and mushrooms. Tievoli, at 44 W. Palatine Road, has a menu with 13 types of wood-fired pizza, along with salads, pasta, sandwiches and panzerotti. For more, click here.

Marcial Bereciartu, owner of the newly opened Strapoli Pizza in Chicago, grew up in Venezuela, where he was inspired by his parents’ belief that one can work, not just for money, but also to have fun with family, serve the community and make good pizza. That’s what Bereciartu intends to do with Strapoli Pizza, 545 W. Diversey Parkway, which serves Neapolitan-style pizzas based on his family’s recipes. The business’ name is a combination of strada (street) and Napoli. Bereciartu’s parents operated a pizzeria for a few decades in Merida, Venezuela, and their children pitched in by making dough, preparing pizza …

If you thought arancini only showcased the flavors of Italy, think again. Amici restaurant, which opened recently at 3933 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, serves classic Italian arancini stuffed with meat sauce and prosciutto, plus a variety of other flavor profiles, including Mexican, African, Indian and Thai. The eatery’s tagline is “five different cuisines in the palm of your hand.” “A lot of people assume we’re an Italian place, but we’re not,” owner Alfio Sciacca told Block Club Chicago. “The idea came from Italy because the arancini are from Italy, but we stuff them with different cultures.” The menu …