Cefalu, an Italian restaurant, opens in old Jimmy's Charhouse spot in Elk Grove Village
Cefalu, an Italian restaurant inspired by the city on the northern Sicilian coast, opened its doors in Elk Grove Village on Wednesday.
Boasting a menu of steaks, chicken, fish, pizza and pasta, the restaurant at 1180 W. Devon Ave. has a similar concept as that presented to village officials about a year ago when owners asked for and received tax increment financing district funds for renovation costs.
Mayor Craig Johnson said the only difference is a change in name, which was to be in tribute to a different Italian coast: Amalfi.
Entrees include eight different pizzas in the $20 range, including the Cefalu, which is topped with Sicilian pesto, mozzarella, smoked scamorza cheese, and infused with eggplant oil. Steaks range from a 10-ounce chopped sirloin for $24 to a 22-ounce bone-in rib-eye for $62.
Owner Tom Cirrincione and son Ben, who also own and operate the neighboring Real Time Sports Bar and Belvedere Events & Banquets, upgraded the 7,500-square-foot restaurant that had been vacant after the abrupt closure of Jimmy's Charhouse in November 2019. A different owner leased the restaurant space from the Cirrincione family.
Village officials agreed last May to provide the public financial assistance - $450,000 of an estimated $1.1 million in renovation costs - in hopes of having an upscale restaurant to serve residents. The money came from a special fund controlled by the village in which property taxes above a certain level are diverted from schools and other taxing bodies into development projects.