Cafe Pomigliano's new location brings welcome changes
After 20 years in the same spot on Milwaukee Avenue in downtown Libertyville, Trattoria Pomigliano has packed up and moved. The new location is still in Libertyville but on Cook Avenue, a block or so off the main drag. We stopped in on a Sunday night to see the new location, try the food and get a feel for changes from the old Trattoria, rebranded as Café Pomigliano.
The biggest changes are the new atmosphere and updated menu. The space has clean lines, wood design features and sparkly wine bottle chandeliers. As for the menu, it's more streamlined. Grandma's recipes are still there, but they're condensed to one wood-backed page with more focus on steaks and fish. There's a full bar and a robust selection of wine. The food, paired with the atmosphere, makes Pomigliano's new location a perfect spot for a night out.
We started with the stuffed artichoke hearts appetizer. Six come on a plate, the middle of the vegetable with the choke cut out and the remaining leaves stuffed full of a breadcrumb and butter mixture. My best advice is to pick it up and eat it - it's nearly impossible to cut without losing all the filling. And be prepared to eat less during your meal, because these are so hearty that you may not be hungry afterward. Overall the taste was a little bland, but it seemed like a great palate cleanser for the main meal. Plus, it paired perfectly with my Riesling; in all, a good start to dinner.
My husband had a Caesar salad for his appetizer. The dressing was homemade and didn't overwhelm, but the croutons were stale. Consider ordering them on the side, because the salad itself is worth it.
Our entrees were the gnocchi and tortellini carbonara. The gnocchi is made in-house and comes in a butter marinara sauce with a sprinkling of shredded parmigiano cheese.
The tortellini came in a house-made cream sauce with bacon, mushrooms and peas. It was easy to spot the homemade quality of the food, which in this case was a great thing. It made us feel like we really were sitting at Grandma's table eating an authentic meal. The marinara had a kick of red pepper spice that only added to the dish. The carbonara sauce was a little too milky for our tastes, but all the ingredients were very fresh and cooked well.
For dessert, we ordered Italian classics tiramisu and cannoli. The presentation for both was gorgeous, and the flavors matched. The tiramisu was made with Kahlua instead of coffee so there was no bitterness, and the cannoli shell was delightfully crispy rather than stale like at many other restaurants.
Our biggest concern was the service. It was not only slow, but disjointed. We received our food at a good speed, but our waters were never refilled, we weren't asked about refills for our other drinks, plates waited for awhile before removal, and my second glass of wine (that I ordered with the appetizers) didn't appear until we had the check.
Overall, with a little more attention to detail and a kick up in service, Pomigliano will no doubt regain its trattoria glory - it's already well on the way.
<i>Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.</i>
Café Pomigliano
160 E. Cook Ave., Libertyville, (847) 247-2208,
Cuisine: Home-cooked Italian
Setting: Upscale casual
Entrees: $13-$38
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday