Owner/Chef Matt Peota announced that Passero, his popular trattoria-inspired American restaurant, will open Thursday at 3 S. Evergreen in downtown Arlington Heights, Illinois. Passero, which opened at 5 W. Campbell in October 2017, has moved down the street to take over the old California Pizza Kitchen space. The restaurant boasts a 100-seat dining room with an adjacent Chef’s Table, hand tossed pizzas and pastas crafted by new chef Joe Dellacroce and Peota, a beautiful bar and focus on local artistry.
“Myself and my wife Rikki are elated to open our new, larger Passero which we have poured our hearts and creativity into for months. Passero translates to ‘sparrow’ in Italian, and like the sparrow, this neighborhood eatery symbolizes joy, innovation and hard work,” says Peota. “Chef Joe Dellacroce has joined our team and we have worked closely to develop an incredible winter menu. We hope the residents of Arlington Heights and surrounding areas will continue to enjoy Passero’s staples plus our new dishes.”
Chef Dellacroce is formerly the Executive Chef at Lettuce Entertain You’s famed Italian restaurant Antico Posto. These two pizza masterminds created a perfectly crispy, charred brick oven crust using organic Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes and house made, hand stretched mozzarella. The pizza dough is cold fermented 36 hours and cooked at 800 degrees in the unique gas and wood fired oven. Pizza toppings include local and sourced uniquely ingredients from Italy, plus homemade sausages and meatballs.
Chef-inspired pizzas include:
- Spicy Sicilian local fennel sausage + fontina cheese + pickled cherry bomb peppers + garlic
- ‘Shroomin wild mushrooms + mascarpone-truffle cream + fresh mozzarella + lemon + arugula
- And a Sunday Brunch Carbonara Pizza Beeler’s bacon + fingerling potatoes + fontina cheese + farm fresh egg + chives
The chefs will continue to make their own pasta, as at the former Passero space, using local durum and semolina flours plus a few new additions like the Chestnut Gnocchi made from freshly mulled chestnuts with delicata squash, brown butter, and sage.
Diners can enjoy a selection of antipasti from Burrata + Brussels to General Tso’s Tempura Cauliflower, salads, house made Wisconsin Beer Cheddar soup and lunch sandwiches like the Braised Short Rib Melt.
Passero will also launch never-before Nightly Features, in the coming month, including: Monday- Slagel Farm Double Cheeseburger; Tuesday- Homemade Buratta Ravioli; Wednesday- Pork Milanese; Thursday- Wood Roasted Chicken + Waffles; Friday- Seafood Diavola; Saturday- Prime NY Strip Steak; Sunday- Braciole with Hand-rolled Cavatelli.
The bar at Passero is a stand out with a carefully procured wine list and ever-changing cocktails developed by Beverage Manager, Jaime Rovira. Cocktail favorites include:
Comfortably Numb flor de cana rum + branca mentha + cinnamon + chocolate bitters
Late Taverna Nights templeton rye whiskey + tuaca + carpano antica formula + angostura bitters
Guests can sit at the 16-seat marble bar and face the open kitchen to watch all the Passero magic. An eight-person chef’s table, perfectly lit by a birdcage chandelier, has the perfect view of the pizza oven and close proximity to the chefs in action. The chef’s table can be requested by reservation.
The restaurant’s modern rustic atmosphere is paired with a lively mix of oldies and indie rock music and adorned with local pieces from nearby artists. St. Charles’ artist Julie Helland, has beautified the restaurant with over 500 hand-painted sparrows, fitting wholly with the restaurant’s name. Passero’s dining tables and wood logs at the host stand were also made locally.
Passero enthusiasts can look forward to upcoming pizza and cocktail classes and wine and beer dinners with the first Pizza-Making Class kicking off on January 26. The restaurant will also offer brunch on Sundays and beginning in March with live Reggae music. An enclosed patio is also set to open this spring.
