Roselle's family-friendly Impecca does Italian right
Doggie bags are a must at Impecca Restaurant in downtown Roselle, where hearty traditional and contemporary Italian dishes are best shared with a group of friends or family members.
Some of the Italian chains sprinkled through the city and suburbs serve their dishes on family-style platters, as would be done in an Italian home. Impecca does not, opting for individual service. While the portions, especially the entrees, are not as large as at the family-style places, most are large enough to provide at least two meals.
This family-friendly 16-month-old restaurant, owned by John Gianforte, has a contemporary look, with walls of soft red and brown with some exposed brick. A long bar dominates one room, and tables occupy another. A private party room can seat up to 100.
Co-chefs Phil Martino and Diego Ortiz prepare recipes introduced by a consulting chef when the restaurant opened, partner Frank Skaja said.
Bottles of house-filtered water were first to arrive at our table — a welcome nod toward sustainability over the too-prevalent trend of trying to sell imported bottled sparkling or still water. Our personable server kept our glasses filled throughout the meal — not an easy feat on a busy night.
We elected not to order wine but did look over the list of some 62 bottles, priced from $22 to $48. The bulk are from well-known Napa and Sonoma wineries, with wines from Italy and other countries sprinkled in.
We began with a selection of six bruschetta with three different topping combinations — an affordable beginning at $6. The bread was crusty, and of the toppings, our favorite was the roasted red pepper and goat cheese. We found that the artichoke, prosciutto and Parmesan bruschetta was too light on the prosciutto. Other combinations include the Brie and apple, sausage and peppers and fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato.
Soup or salad accompanied the entrees. My companion ordered tomato basil bisque, which was tasty, although rather heavy to be a starter soup and light on the basil flavor. My mixed greens salad with grape tomatoes, carrots, red onions and cucumbers in a house vinaigrette was excellent.
We skipped the pizza section in favor of pasta. Selections run the gamut from orecchiette with sausage, red pepper flakes, escarole and roasted red peppers tossed in a roasted garlic and olive oil sauce to black linguine in a spicy white wine sauce with tomatoes, peppers and jumbo snow crab claws. Guests also can create their own pasta and sauce combinations.
I ordered the gnocchi with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and spinach in a fresh pesto sauce. Potato gnocchi is not the lightest pasta around, and this house-made version was no exception. It was delicious and gave me enough for a second meal.
Even better was my companion's choice of baked tilapia with cheesy polenta, sautéed spinach and roasted red pepper sauce. Crispy yet tender fish paired beautifully with flavorful accompaniments that were not overly filling.
Desserts were the usual assortment of Italian specialties, with some American favorites included. We decided to try the cheesecake, made on a graham cracker crust. It was lighter than the type more commonly found in Chicago and very good — imported from Italy, we were told.
We left feeling full, content and with doggy bags in hand.
<b>Impecca Restaurant</b>
121 Main St., Roselle, (630) 295-9700, <a href="http://impeccarestaurant.com" target="_blank">impeccarestaurant.com</a>
<b>Cuisine: </b>Contemporary Italian
<b>Setting: </b>Storefront bistro
<b>Entrees: </b>$14.95-$23.95
<b>Hours: </b>11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday