Authentic Italian with fresh, modern flair
By Joanna Broder, Contributor
One of Nonna Silvia Trattoria's featured dishes is Calamari Alla Griglia is a favorite at Nonna Silvia's Trattoria in Park Ridge.
Agnelle Arrosto, a French cut New Zealand rack of lamb, is a featured dish at Nonna Silvia's Trattoria.
Nonna Silvia Trattoria owners Steve Marti and John Gianni take a break in their outdoor seating area.
Photos by Michelle LaVigne
Nonna Silvia's Trattoria and Pizzeria
1400 Canfield Road, Park Ridge.
- 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays;
- 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays;
- 4-10 p.m. Saturdays;
- 4-9 p.m. Sundays.
(847) 292-9970 or www.nonnailvias.com.
In Park Ridge, two cousins keep the items on their authentic, Italian restaurant's menu traditional, and their creativity still shines through.
Regularly-changing, weekly specials allow the cousins a chance to showcase their originality with seasonal ingredients.
"We don't like to be stale," said Steven Marti, 34, who co-owns Nonna Silvia's Trattoria and Pizzeria with his cousin, John Giannini. Sometimes the specials have a Spanish spin; other times they're Asian-inspired.
Does Nonna's offer time-honored, veal marsala and thin-crust pizza? Of course.
"But I'm not afraid to use a ginger glaze," said Marti, whose brother, a professionally-schooled chef, trained him.
In early August, some salad specials even had a hint of South America. "Sometimes I just play around and see what I get," Marti added.
The specials in late July ranged from $9.95 to $25.95, and included honeydew wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma, lamb chops in a demi-glace sauce (which cooks overnight), and pork tenderloin with fresh sage.
The cousins also make sure the ingredients used for the more fixed dishes on the menu are very fresh, said 28-year-old Giannini (who has co-owned the restaurant and also been a chef there since the age of 19). Fresh fish is delivered three times a week, freshly-baked bread daily. Everything, except the bread, we make from scratch, said Giannini. That includes sauces, soups and pastas.
Making use of seasonal ingredients is also of prime importance. Nonna's offers soft-shell crabs, halibut, Chilean sea bass and wild Alaskan king sockeye salmon when they're in season. Also on the menu: homemade gnocchi with creamy vodka sauce with crispy pancetta, onions topped with parmigiano for $11.95; Sapore di mare, otherwise known as clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, squid sauteed with fresh herbs and garlic served in light tomato sauce over linguine for $18.95 or ribeye steak panini for $9.95. Pick up a red snapper dinner for $12.95 or an array of specialty pizzas, such as the margherita which includes fresh mozzarella, marinara Napolita, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil for $14.95. Portion sizes are healthy.
And keeping with tradition, the cousins import many foods directly from Italy, such as cheeses, prosciuttos, porcini mushrooms and a bevy of Italian wines. Giannini swears that Nonna's is one of the only places in the Chicago area to carry a 2001 vintage of Casanova di Neri -- Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Nuova 2001 produced in Tuscany. (But at $195 a bottle, you better have a real hankering.)
Nonna's -- named after Marti's late grandmother, and Giannini's great-grandmother, Silvia Giannini -- is cozy, decorated in the theme of rustic Tuscany, the restaurant is a wash of browns, burgundies, tans and burnt oranges. Above it all is a restored, original 1950s copper-tin ceiling.
At night, patio dining by candlelight is very romantic, Giannini said. Fresh herbs and flowers only add to the mood and help to provide that "European experience" Giannini so wants his customers to have.
Silvia Giannini, who died at age 97, clearly influenced her grand- and great-grandsons. For the first two years of the restaurant's life (2001-2003), she baked cookies and brought them in. She led a long, healthy life and was a great cook, John Giannini said.
Nonna (Grandmother) Silvia grew up in Abruzzi, Italy, a rural town where the Giannini family were farmers, making their own olive oil and curing their own meats, Marti said.
Giannini, intense and energetic, learned about cooking and gardening at a young age. His mother would take him with her to the family's restaurants where he would work as a prep cook or a host. "Instead of reading books and coloring, I was an ambitious young lad," he said. Today, he tries to make the food as healthy as possible for his customers, often substituting extra virgin olive oil for butter. At home, in his large Norridge garden, he grows arugula, butternut squash, Swiss chard and fresh herbs that he brings to the restaurant.
"We grew up eating so good that we're like, you know what, if we name the restaurant after her, it's an omen; we can't fail," Giannini said.
Source: Pioneer Press
One of Nonna Silvia Trattoria's featured dishes is Calamari Alla Griglia is a favorite at Nonna Silvia's Trattoria in Park Ridge.
Agnelle Arrosto, a French cut New Zealand rack of lamb, is a featured dish at Nonna Silvia's Trattoria.
Nonna Silvia Trattoria owners Steve Marti and John Gianni take a break in their outdoor seating area.
Photos by Michelle LaVigne
Nonna Silvia's Trattoria and Pizzeria
1400 Canfield Road, Park Ridge.
- 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays;
- 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays;
- 4-10 p.m. Saturdays;
- 4-9 p.m. Sundays.
(847) 292-9970 or www.nonnailvias.com.
Regularly-changing, weekly specials allow the cousins a chance to showcase their originality with seasonal ingredients.
"We don't like to be stale," said Steven Marti, 34, who co-owns Nonna Silvia's Trattoria and Pizzeria with his cousin, John Giannini. Sometimes the specials have a Spanish spin; other times they're Asian-inspired.
Does Nonna's offer time-honored, veal marsala and thin-crust pizza? Of course.
"But I'm not afraid to use a ginger glaze," said Marti, whose brother, a professionally-schooled chef, trained him.
In early August, some salad specials even had a hint of South America. "Sometimes I just play around and see what I get," Marti added.
The specials in late July ranged from $9.95 to $25.95, and included honeydew wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma, lamb chops in a demi-glace sauce (which cooks overnight), and pork tenderloin with fresh sage.
The cousins also make sure the ingredients used for the more fixed dishes on the menu are very fresh, said 28-year-old Giannini (who has co-owned the restaurant and also been a chef there since the age of 19). Fresh fish is delivered three times a week, freshly-baked bread daily. Everything, except the bread, we make from scratch, said Giannini. That includes sauces, soups and pastas.
Making use of seasonal ingredients is also of prime importance. Nonna's offers soft-shell crabs, halibut, Chilean sea bass and wild Alaskan king sockeye salmon when they're in season. Also on the menu: homemade gnocchi with creamy vodka sauce with crispy pancetta, onions topped with parmigiano for $11.95; Sapore di mare, otherwise known as clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, squid sauteed with fresh herbs and garlic served in light tomato sauce over linguine for $18.95 or ribeye steak panini for $9.95. Pick up a red snapper dinner for $12.95 or an array of specialty pizzas, such as the margherita which includes fresh mozzarella, marinara Napolita, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil for $14.95. Portion sizes are healthy.
And keeping with tradition, the cousins import many foods directly from Italy, such as cheeses, prosciuttos, porcini mushrooms and a bevy of Italian wines. Giannini swears that Nonna's is one of the only places in the Chicago area to carry a 2001 vintage of Casanova di Neri -- Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Nuova 2001 produced in Tuscany. (But at $195 a bottle, you better have a real hankering.)
Nonna's -- named after Marti's late grandmother, and Giannini's great-grandmother, Silvia Giannini -- is cozy, decorated in the theme of rustic Tuscany, the restaurant is a wash of browns, burgundies, tans and burnt oranges. Above it all is a restored, original 1950s copper-tin ceiling.
At night, patio dining by candlelight is very romantic, Giannini said. Fresh herbs and flowers only add to the mood and help to provide that "European experience" Giannini so wants his customers to have.
Silvia Giannini, who died at age 97, clearly influenced her grand- and great-grandsons. For the first two years of the restaurant's life (2001-2003), she baked cookies and brought them in. She led a long, healthy life and was a great cook, John Giannini said.
Nonna (Grandmother) Silvia grew up in Abruzzi, Italy, a rural town where the Giannini family were farmers, making their own olive oil and curing their own meats, Marti said.
Giannini, intense and energetic, learned about cooking and gardening at a young age. His mother would take him with her to the family's restaurants where he would work as a prep cook or a host. "Instead of reading books and coloring, I was an ambitious young lad," he said. Today, he tries to make the food as healthy as possible for his customers, often substituting extra virgin olive oil for butter. At home, in his large Norridge garden, he grows arugula, butternut squash, Swiss chard and fresh herbs that he brings to the restaurant.
"We grew up eating so good that we're like, you know what, if we name the restaurant after her, it's an omen; we can't fail," Giannini said.
Source: Pioneer Press
