Award-winning dining in Lake in the Hills

La Trattoria Italian Restaurant in Lake in the Hills is basking in the glow of a recent award.

This year, the restaurant will receive the Gordon Larsen Business Achievement Award.

The village's business relations committee hands out the award to one business a year and will recognize La Trattoria at the Sept. 9 village board meeting.

"It was really very nice of them, especially in these struggling times," said Mariano Scandurra, who owns the eatery with his wife Theresa. "Me and my wife feel very good about getting this award."

As part of the honor, La Trattoria will also be part of several events at this weekend's Summer Sunset Festival.

According to a news release, the decision to award La Trattoria was unanimous.

The committee felt the eatery captured the spirit of "Shop Lake in the Hills," the message the committee has been promoting all year.

La Trattoria moved to Lake in the Hills in February 2009, the same village the Scandurras call home.

La Trattoria is on 9541 Ackman Road. The Scandurra family owns other Italian restaurants in Arlington Heights and Long Grove.

"The benefit is not only to their growing and loyal customers that are hooked on their freshly made Italian food, but our community also benefits by the additional sales tax and employment opportunities," Committee Member Laura Jozwiak wrote on the nomination form.

If you have a taste for Italian food at La Trattoria, Scandurra recommends that you order his veal, pork chops or pescatore, a seafood dish with calamari, shrimp, mussels, clams, linguine and red sauce.

"All my food is very natural," said Scandurra, who hails from Italy and runs the kitchen. "Everything is homemade.

For more information about La Trattoria, visit it in cyberspace at www.latrattoriarest.com

Kids name new street in Cary: That new one-way street just south of Briargate School?

Well, it's now called Tiger Trail, thanks to the school's students.

On Wednesday, Cary Mayor Tom Kierna visited the school and during a special assembly, he talked about new traffic patterns around the school that would help improving morning drop offs and afternoon pickups.

As a way of involving the students, Kierna told them they could vote on the new one-way street's name.

The other choices were Tiger Way and Tiger Lane - all three selections were in keeping with the school's tiger mascot.

"It was great to see the young students get excited about having a chance to vote," Kierna said in a statement. "They made an excellent choice in picking Tiger Trail."

Lenore Adkins covers Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Cary, Fox River Grove, Pingree Grove and McHenry County College. To reach her, e-mail ladkins@dailyherald.com or call (847) 608-2725.