Dining

A new spot in Chicago’s South Loop owned by former Chicago Bear Israel Idonije boasts offering “the world’s best amaro party.” Buttercup, located at 75 E. 16th St., is a coffee bar during the day and an amaro-focused cocktail lounge and bistro in the evening, Eater Chicago reported. The 900-square-foot space features a 40-seat room with an 11-seat, chrome-topped bar. Starting at 7 a.m., the coffee menu offers custom blends for espresso and drip from Chicago-based Sparrow Coffee, alongside baked goods like pastries, blueberry-corn muffins and sticky-toffee bread. The evening menu starts at 4 p.m. and features Italian-leaning classics like …

Sometime this winter, “Top Chef” alum and celebrity chef Joe Flamm will open Bar Tutto, an Italian all-day cafe and restaurant in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood, Eater Chicago reported. Located at 1110 W. Carroll Ave., Bar Tutto will serve breakfast pastries and espresso in the morning, and salumi, pastas, and spritzes for lunch and dinner. With seating for about 100, the space will feature an open kitchen, wood-fired grill, outdoor patio and walk-up window. Bar Tutto is the fourth Chicago restaurant from Flamm and Day Off Group, following Roman-cuisine focused Il Carciofo, the Italian-Croatian restaurant Rose Mary, and BLVD Steakhouse. …

Emilia D’Albero of Philadelphia became the first American to win at the Mondial du Fromage, one of the world’s top cheese competitions, held every two years in France. D’Albero earned the title of Meilleure Fromagère du Monde (Best Cheesemonger in the World) at this year’s event. D’Albero’s love affair with cheese began at La Scuola di Eataly in New York City, where she worked in education and event planning, The Washington Post reported. “When it came time for me to make a decision about what I was going to do next in my career, I decided I wanted to learn …

The Vatican is teaming up with two Chicago hospitality heavyweights, chef Art Smith and restaurateur Phil Stefani, to open a restaurant at Borgo Laudato Si’, located within the historic Papal Villas of Castel Gandolfo. The collaboration was announced in early September as part of the inauguration of the 135-acre property, with Pope Leo XIV presiding over a ceremony, Eater Chicago reported. The yet-to-be named restaurant is expected to open in spring. The restaurant will be open for breakfast and lunch, and “will highlight farm-to-table Italian cooking with global touches, drawing influences from Chicago and Peruvian flavors in honor of Pope …

Steve Lewis of Meadowlark Hospitality has opened Little Lark, his newest concept, at 3132 N. Rockwell St. in the Guild Row space in Chicago. Lewis is the restaurateur behind Michelin-recognized Lardon, Union and The Meadowlark bar in Chicago. Little Lark’s “high-quality yet approachable cuisine set in a carefully crafted social space makes for a special immersive dining experience on the city’s Northwest Side,” a press release states. The menu features wood-fired neo-Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from familiar favorites like sausage or margherita, to more inventive like the ‘Nduja, featuring Lardon’s spicy house-cured salumi. The sweet corn pizza includes local farm fresh …

The website The Infatuation recently named Bar Roma in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood among the best pasta spots in the city. “Their staples like oxtail ragù with tagliatelle or spaghetti and meatballs (these beefy spheres are as excellent as the pasta) strongly place this spot in the category of restaurants called ‘I Wish This Was My Neighborhood Spot,’” the website states. Chef Alfredo Ramos, a graduate of the Culinary School of Kendall College, was chef de cuisine at Printer’s Row Restaurant in Chicago when he was nominated as a top-10 sous chef in the nation by Bertolli Olive Oil. He later …

Described as a “design-forward steakhouse,” Adalina Prime opened in September in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood under the direction Chef/Partner Soo Ahn and the team behind Adalina restaurant in the city’s Gold Coast. Adalina blends “refined technique, cross-cultural flavors and standout hospitality” in 10,500 square feet of indoor/outdoor setting that “evokes warmth and drama through lush greenery, sculptural wooden arches and rich velvet accents,” a press release states. The space features an exhibition kitchen and a two-story wine cellar, as well as private dining alcoves and spaces that accommodate 20 to 200 guests. For more, click here.  

The wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum will debut in Chicago on Oct. 5 and 6 at the iconic Navy Pier, marking the first time this trade and networking event has been held outside Italy. Over two days, the program will feature a range of masterclasses designed to contextualize every aspect of the contemporary wine industry and showcase Italian styles, regions and trends currently shaping the global wine scene. Among the event’s offerings, the Italian Trade Agency will host three masterclasses to strengthen the role of Italian wine in the U.S. market and highlight ITA’s mission as a facilitator for Italian producers abroad. For more, click …

A new Pompei restaurant opened last month in Elmwood Park, guided by the third generation of the family-owned Chicago staple. The original restaurant on Taylor Street in Little Italy started more than a century ago as a bakery that sold bread, cheese pizza and, later, pastries. In the 1980s, the menu expanded to include other varieties of pizza, plus sandwiches and “strudels” (similar to calzone). The new location at 22 Conti Parkway in Elmwood Park is a great fit because of the area’s deep connection to Little Italy, owner Ralph Davino told the Wednesday Journal. Many Italians settled in Elmwood …

The Elmhurst retail location of Lezza Spumoni & Desserts is celebrating its 10th year in the Chicago suburb, Food Industry News reported. The bakery started in Chicago’s Little Italy with a spumoni recipe brought from Italy by Salvatore Lezza in 1905. The business, which eventually moved to suburban Bellwood due to the need for more space, was later run by Salvatore’s son Victor. Today the business is in the hands of Ed Lezza Sr. (the family’s third generation) and nephew Louis (fourth generation). Opened in 2015, the Elmhurst store also features a cake-tasting room and a coffee bar that serves …