Nonna's Italian deli a hidden gem
CHICAGO (WLS) -- You've got a look a little harder to find Nonna's, tucked into the back of the big and flashy Formento's on West Randolph, but the search is worth it.
"I grew up in New York suburbs going to a lot of old school Jewish delis and a lot of great just Italian neighborhood delis, and I wanted to bring a lot of those ideas to the table here. But do it in our way, with our flavors and our food," said Tony Quartaro, the Chef at Nonna's.
Most creations begin with excellent bread from Fire and Water Bakery, like the outstanding ciabatta brushed with garlic butter, housing crispy chicken parm coated with marinara and mozz, plus a blend of grana padano and pecorino romano cheeses, and a bit of micro basil.
"The important things is having the quantity of sauce correct, quantity of cheese correct and of course crispy chicken," said Quartaro.
The mortadella dog is made in-house, and few sausages in town get treated this well: not only a dijon spread, but also pickled mustard seeds, pickled cabbage and fiery pepperoncinis, all loaded into a New England-style bun with minced red onions and pickled horseradish.
From the "cold" section, shredded chicken breast is dressed with Calabrian mayo, giardiniera and onion on a soft potato bun. Sides are simple, like charred broccoli with a horseradish dressing, and desserts even more so: chocolate layer cake or bomboloni filled with vanilla rum cream. But to really get a sense of their unique approach, check out their interpretation of the Italian beef: horseradish aioli with beef tenderloin, dark beef jus on the side, served on Publican Quality Meats semolina sesame bread.
"It's what I would like Italian beef to be personally. If I were to just make this at home, if I had all the ingredients at my disposal, this is what I would do," he said.
Now you know this is not your dad's Italian deli when you see how they construct the Italian beef here, but that's what's so great about Nonna's: take some tradition, turn it on its head, but keep it extremely delicious.
Nonna's Sandwiches and Sundries
925 W. Randolph (corner of Randolph/Sangamon)
312-690-7323
