The trouble with eating Italian food, a comedian once said, is that five or six days later you`re hungry again.
At Saporito`s in Glendale Heights` Meadowbrook Shopping Center, people are going looking for that kind of trouble.
The Italian restaurant, owned and managed by three siblings, opened several months ago and is gaining a strong and steady customer base.
”It`s a family restaurant,” said Tina Nerstheimer, who oversees the 100-seat dining area and does ”a little bit of everything.” Her brothers, Jerry and Enrico Ferrigno, cook the food at Saporito`s, the Italian word for delicious.
”My father came over from Italy maybe 40 years ago,” Nerstheimer said.
”He opened an Italian restaurant in Skokie called La Rosa. Many of our dishes are prepared from original Italian recipes.”
Their pasta is all homemade by the Ferrignos, who also serve up many specialty dishes, such as a boneless chicken vesuvio for $8.25. Homemade ravioli costs $7.50, and vitello ala Saporito, featuring cheese and spinach on top of veal, is $12.95. All entrees are served with soup or salad and Saporito-made breadsticks.
”We specialize in a lot of fish dishes,” Nerstheimer said, ”but they`re not on the menu because it depends on what`s fresh. We don`t have anything frozen.”
For those who can squeeze in a dessert after dining, the Ferrignos can whip up an outstanding timari su ($3.25), made from scratch and featuring a creamy mascarpone cheese and a dash of liqueur surrounding lady fingers.
Saporito`s also features a complete line of pizzas, ranging from $8 to $11.50 (extra for additional ingredients). All food is available for carryout.
The dining room, done in green and white tones, is comfortable and spacious. ”We didn`t want it too elegant,” Nerstheimer said. ”It`s casual dining, just a simple Italian restaurant with good food.”
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Saporito Ristorante, 338 E. Army Trail Rd., Glendale Heights, is open from 3:30 p.m. until midnight Tuesday through Sunday; closed Monday. Call 708-924-1992.
