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Owner says it's time to close NEAR restaurant in Barrington

Fans of NEAR restaurant in downtown Barrington have a little more than a week to get gnocchi, risotto and other modern Italian twists on classic dishes before its seven-year run ends.

Chef and owner Gaetano Nardulli said it's time to close because he believes the 42-seat eatery, north of Main Street in the Barrington Commons plaza, has run its course a little bit. The restaurant uses the first letters of his grandmother, Nina Elena, and his mother, Angela Rosa.

"I love everybody that comes in here," said Nardulli, an Itasca resident. "I love the regulars, I love the first-timers and all. I just thought this was the best decision that I could make for my family and me personally, also."

Nardulli said Tuesday he has nothing set in stone regarding his professional future. He said he's plenty busy in his home life with a 2-year-old boy and another child expected in six weeks or so.

"There's opportunities that we have already, so we'll see. We'll make that decision as a family," said Nardulli, a graduate of Kendall College culinary school in Chicago who spent a year working at restaurants in Italy and sharpened his skills at several high-profile restaurants in Chicago.

NEAR opened in 2011 after Nardulli and friends transformed the space that formerly housed a catering company and other Italian eateries. NEAR, which closes April 28, set out to offer modern twists on traditional Italian cuisine and not be a place where diners could find checkered tablecloths and food swimming in red sauce.

NEAR's last menu has main courses such as the gnocchi with tomato sauce, braised pork and Fontina cheese, the risotto with rhubarb, grilled asparagus and balsamic vinegar, and a beef filet with confit potatoes, trumpet mushrooms and taleggio cheese. Appetizers include marinated eggplant with grilled country bread, parsley and a mixed greens salad, and fried chickpeas with paprika salt and marinated olives.

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Chef and owner Gaetano Nardulli said it's time to close NEAR restaurant north of Main Street in the Barrington Commons plaza. The final day is April 28. Daily Herald File Photo, 2012
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