Trattoria Pomigliano keeps it all in the family
Patsy Panico dreamed of opening an Italian restaurant. He did just that in 1995 and named it Trattoria Pomigliano, after the town near Naples, Italy, where he was born. Fifteen years later, his dream carried on by his wife and children is still going strong in downtown Libertyville.
Today, daughter Patty Saladino runs the trattoria with her husband, Nick, brother and sister-in-law Tony and Dee Panico, and the help of a third generation. Her mom, Ann, whose recipes launched the restaurant, still comes in to oversee the kitchen.
The restaurant carries that warm family feeling throughout.
Green-checked cloths cover the tables in the bustling, casual spot. The menu offers comforting Italian and Italian-American classics, from pastas to seafood to chicken, veal and steaks.
Starters include such familiar dishes as fried calamari, mussels marinara, an antipasto platter of Italian cold cuts and cheeses and a hearty minestrone chock-full of chunky vegetables.
We went with the baked, stuffed clams. The flavor of the seasoned bread crumbs was just fine, but, disappointingly, the clams were minuscule. Oddly, the dish came with a bowl of what seemed to be soupy extra filling; the whole effect seemed to indicate that the clams themselves were not an important component of the dish, a concept with which I strongly disagree.
My favorite of the dishes we tried was the roasted-red-pepper gnocchi, light pillows of potato dough given just a bit of a spicy pepper bite. You get a choice of sauce, and at our server's suggestion we paid a slight upcharge for “pink sauce,” a creamy, tomato-tinged vodka sauce that made a perfect pairing with the zesty pasta. They also offer plain and spinach-stuffed gnocchi.
A variety of other pastas feature a wide choice of sauces: bolonese, marinara, red or white clam sauce, garlic and oil, cream sauce and more. Some of the combinations are predetermined, however, such as tortellini carbonara, which seemed a little too rich and salty, given the cheese-filled pasta and Italian bacon in thick cream sauce. There's a reason this dish is traditionally made with spaghetti or fettuccine.
Spaghetti and meatballs appeared to be a popular choice. Further options include lasagna, manicotti and pasta primavera piled with broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, garden peas, red and green bell peppers, onions and carrots in herbed tomato sauce.
All the chicken dishes start with breast of chicken, even the Vesuvio. You can get it Marsala, limone, parmigiana and Francese (egg-battered), among other ways. Veal is served in most of the same ways.
For red-meat lovers, there's sausage and peppers, as well as a couple of steaks. Fish choices include zuppa de pesce, a combination of clams, mussels, calamari, cod, monkfish, tilapia and salmon in a light marinara over linguine. Another pick is the sauteed salmon with creamy tomato sauce with artichoke hearts and mushrooms over angel hair and vegetables.
Tiramisu is a house specialty, but we opted for the less frequently seen cannoli, which had that essential crispness that denotes the pastry shells filled to order, in this case with a sweet pastry cream.
Portions aren't the everybody-must-take-home-a-doggie-bag size of some Italian eateries, but they don't skimp, either. Service was friendly without hovering.
The restaurant has a full bar. On the first Friday of each month, diners are offered a free glass of wine.
Homey and old-fashioned, Trattoria Pomigliano is just the place for a heartwarming winter dinner.
Trattoria Pomigliano
602 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, (847) 247-2208, trattoriapomigliano.com
Cuisine: Classic Italian-American
Setting: Casual, intimate spot in downtown Libertyville
Entrees: $8.25-$25.95
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday