One especially pleasing aspect of the current restaurant scene is the increasing number of small places with high culinary standards in various Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs. “Neighborhood-plus” restaurants I’m tempted to call them, recognizing that the most important plus is a chef with culinary skills beyond the norm.
And so it is at Piazza Bella, the 2-year-old trattoria in Roscoe Village.
There’s a lot of friendly energy here, sparked by Giuseppe “Joe” Scalzo, one-time mechanical engineer and co-owner with his father-in-law, Dominic Femminella. It’s truly a neighborhood rendezvous with only 58 seats (plus 24 outside during the summer), minimal decor and familiar recorded Italian tunes playing in the background. Customers greet customers, the staff greets customers and everyone greets Joe or is greeted by him.
“We hope everybody feels cozy and at home here,” Joe explains. “For me, niceness is the key to winning customers’ respect and keeping them coming back.”
There is, he readily acknowledges, an additional reason for the restaurant’s success. A certified star chef, Tina Maggi, is in charge of the kitchen. Tina began to learn her craft at age 16 in La Posta, a well-known Milan trattoria. After several years, she came to this country to visit family in New York and, as she puts it, “I never go back.” In 1990, she came to Chicago and the kitchen at Bice (she also worked for the upscale Italian chain in Tokyo and Palm Beach) and cooked at Tuscany on Taylor Street.
Tina explains her move to a small restaurant away from downtown by saying, “I wanted to cook at the stove, not direct others who do the cooking.”
A quick visit to her kitchen establishes that she is a fiercely organized cook with a cleanliness fetish. The menu she executes is large, with more than 20 items marked as “chef’s specialties.” She produces 14 pastas and nearly that many meat and fish entrees, plus daily specials. Ingredients are first-class, and her seasonings are applied gently.
At the moment, life is good in the piazza. The chef is pleased with her suppliers and on occasion is applauded, literally, by the diners. Joe recently upgraded the sidewalk terrace and talks of expansion. He has even introduced live music on Tuesdays.
“You ever hear a harpist play Sinatra’s songs?” he asks.
The featured recipes are adaptations of two dishes Chef Tina Maggi makes in her kitchen at Piazza Bella. Feel free to cut the pork chop recipe to serve the same number of people.
FARFALLE ALLA BUTTERA
(BOW-TIE PASTA WITH CHICKEN, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND MUSHROOMS)
Six servings
Salt
18 ounces dried farfalle (bowtie pasta)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes and patted dry
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup tomato sauce, fresh or canned
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, shiitake preferred, stems trimmed and caps diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil plus 6 leaves for garnish
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to taste and pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (tender but firm), about 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and saute until browned on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate. Drain oil. Add wine and boil till reduced by half. Add cream and tomato sauce and stir to combine. Add sun-dried tomatoes, diced mushrooms, pepper and additional salt to taste, minced basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Return chicken pieces to the pan along with 1/4 cup pasta water. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Drain cooked pasta and add to sauce. Simmer 2 minutes. Ladle into pasta bowls and garnish each portion with a basil leaf. Serve at once.
PORK CHOPS PIAZZA BELLA
Six servings
12 bone-in pork chops,
1 inch thick (about 8 ounces each)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil, extra virgin preferred
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) salted butter
2 tablespoons chicken stock or broth, low-sodium if canned
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon each chopped fresh tarragon, oregano and mint
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat pork chops dry and dust them with flour. Divide oil between two large skillets, cast-iron preferred, that hold the chops in a single layer. Heat oil and brown chops on both sides, then transfer to the oven and roast until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Return pans to the stove and add half the butter, stock and wine to each pan. Bring to a boil, then sprinkle the tarragon, oregano, mint, salt and pepper over the chops. Simmer for 2 minutes before serving with roasted potatoes.
