Osteria Trulli brings taste of Puglia, a top tourist destination, to the suburbs

Suburban diners who want a taste of what one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations has to offer need only make the drive to Arlington Heights.

For 10 years Osteria Trulli, from chef and owner Giovanni DeNigris, has been the only area restaurant to specialize in the cuisine of Puglia, the sun-drenched coastal region on the southeastern most part of Italy where he grew up.

“I wanted to do food from my land, my region, where I grew up with my mother and my grandmother,” DeNigris said. “Today it is very well-known with tourists, but Puglia has always been my passion.”

The heel of the boot of Italy, it’s an area that’s seen an enormous increase in international tourism, including over 25% growth in the past year, according to visititaly.eu. And DeNigris is the region’s unofficial ambassador and cheerleader.

“Puglia’s got a unique landscape, unique architecture, you could never build anything like it again,” he said. “And the food, I think, is amazing.”

The food reflects the coastal nature of the region, which is bordered on either side by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

DeNigris said he sources as much as he can from his native region, including extra virgin olive oil, burrata, some pasta and wine, including a Trulli-branded primitivo. If he can’t source it directly, he makes it.

“We use simple sauces, not too much cream or butter or mascarpone like they do in the north,” he said. “Extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onions, those are the basics. And of course there’s the orecchiette.”

“The orecchiette” is the small, dome-shaped pasta from Puglia whose name translates to “little ears.” It’s a staple of Osteria Trulli menu.

Orecchiette con cime di rapa exemplifies the clean, simple style of Pugliese cuisine, using fresh rapini, aka broccoli rabe, sautéed in EVOO, garlic and a pinch of chili flakes. Orecchiette con osso e bracciolo features beef sirloin roulades filled with pancetta, Parmesan, parsley and garlic simmered in a neck bone ragu.

The Osteria Trulli menu features myriad pasta and risotto dishes, as well as a list of chef’s specials that rotate every couple of weeks highlighting fresh seafood like whole roasted branzino and red snapper.

“Seafood is number one in Puglia,” he said.

DeNigris moved to the United States in 1971, starting in New York before settling in Chicago.

“I’ve been behind pots and pans since I was 16,” the 74-year-old said.

DeNigris was previously the executive chef at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago and later owned Trattoria Trullo in Evanston.

Many of his employees have been with him since his time at the Fairmont.

“My guys, they know what to do,” he said. “I’m here every day because I want to be here. To me, it’s not anymore about business or money, it’s more that I have a pride of what I did and what I do and where I’m from, and I want the people to learn.”

DeNigris named his restaurant at 1510 E. Hintz Rd. after the unique, cone-roofed stone houses called trulli that are ubiquitous in Puglia. The dry-stone homes are built entirely without mortar or cement, using local limestone slabs.

“If you go inside a trulli house back home, you’re going to find this kind of environment, the white walls, the wood, the high ceiling, the fireplace,” he said.

The only difference is his fireplace is a wood-burning oven used to fire dishes like the tiella barese, a traditional Pugliese dish with rice, potatoes and mussels.

DeNigris grew up in Mola di Bari, a traditional coastal fishing town located on the Adriatic Sea. His restaurant recently got a visit from his hometown’s mayor who was visiting the area.

“I’m proud of where I come from,” he said. “But I love the United States, I’ve been blessed in the United States, it’s given me the opportunity to own three restaurants. American people are the best in the world, the most generous.”

He said he gets “a hundred questions every day” from people planning trips to Puglia and he’s always happy to help with trip planning.

“I suggest where to go, what to eat if you go in the area,” he said. “Sometimes I call friends in Italy that have restaurants, I say, ‘Listen, I got this group coming in. Make sure you take good care of them.’ ”

rwest@dailyherald.com