DELIZIOSO DENUCCI’S

The pride Chef Salvatore “Sal” Lo Cascio takes in his handiwork is apparent. Stepping from the kitchen with a fresh-baked pesto pizza held aloft, Lo Cascio sets the pie down on a table at the recently opened DeNucci’s in Highland Park, and says with grin, “And there you go!” It’s no surprise that Lo Cascio’s pizzas are among the menu mainstays at DeNucci’s—Ballyhoo Hospitality’s newest North Shore restaurant. Lo Cascio’s pizzaiolo skills, honed in his Sicilian homeland, led to pizza triumphs at Ballyhoo’s Coda di Volpe in Chicago, then at Pizza by Sal in Wilmette, and now at DeNucci’s.

“I become obsessed,” says Lo Cascio, “especially when I am working on a new crust. I work on it every day. It’s not easy because there is so much to balance with time, temperature, and stretch. All of the pieces have to match perfectly to create a winning recipe and procedure.”

At DeNucci’s, the pizza is New York-style. The dough for the crust goes through a three-day fermentation cycle that gives it the perfect crisp and chewy texture and sourdough flavor when baked. It comes in three “white” varieties (pesto pomodorini, mushroom, and tartufo) and four “red” varieties (Margherita, sausage & onion, spicy pepperoni, and good veggie.)

All of that, plus the gluten-free Sicilian-style pizza Lo Cascio first created as an act of love for his wife. “She’s celiac,” says Lo Cascio, “and it was heartbreaking for me that she couldn’t eat the things I could eat.”

Thicker than the New York-style crust, with a pillowy top, nice crispy bottom, and gorgeously fresh toppings (ricotta, mozzarella, blistered cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto), the pesto version was one of the best gluten-free pizzas we’ve had.

But there’s more to DeNucci’s than pizza. Warm, convivial, with plenty of red sauce on top, DeNucci’s is restaurant power-house Ballyhoo Hospitality’s first entry into the Highland Park dining scene. Opened in November, the 220-seat restaurant is classier than the typical Italian joint but not as pricey as the steak houses (Beelow’s Steakhouse and Rosebud) that preceded it in this location. DeNucci’s gives Highland Park residents an inviting evening destination right next door to the recently refurbished Wayfarer Theater.

Like its sister DeNucci’s, which opened last summer in Lincoln Park, the menu at DeNucci’s Highland Park is sans steak. Entrees are either fish or poultry, except for one veal dish. The hearty “Nonna-styled” specials featured throughout the week are Italian American favorites, like the five-layer lasagna Bolognese offered on Tuesday. Classically prepared, this delicious dish is not too cheesy, with its rich sauce layered between delicate pasta sheets handmade in the restaurant that morning.

Our culinary foray began with the mushroom-truffle arancini. The crisp-tender morsels of nutty, 7-year-aged carnaroli rice blended with minced chives, mushroom duxelles, pecorino Romano, and mascarpone cheese were very good on their own, but even better twirled in the truffled aioli on the plate beneath them. Another favorite starter? The platter of grilled calamari dotted with bright, pickled peppadew and banana peppers in a thickened red wine vinaigrette. The combination made me think “acid and spice, and all things nice,” which pretty much sums up the dish. From the pasta offerings, we tried one of the four fresh hand-made selections and one of the five dried and imported pasta offerings.

From the fresh handmade choices, the agnolotti del plin is pure decadence. The bite-sized pasta purses are filled with minced shal-lot, mascarpone, Maine lobster, and herbs and bathed in a creamy fennel-accented sauce dotted with more lobster pieces. The lumache arrabbiata (lumache means “snail” in Italian) is a creamy, yet spicy dish with a sauce Ballyhoo V.P. of Culinary Jaysen Euler calls “Ballyhoo’s version of vodka sauce.” As the
name suggests, the noodles were snail shell-shaped, perfect for cupping and holding the sauce.

Our group included some guests with dietary restrictions (dairy and gluten intolerance). Thankfully, DeNucci’s menu had plenty to offer that met their needs. The fish dishes, for example, were especially good.

The branzino piccata is a must. The nicely crisped and charred fish is bathed in a lemony caper sauce, with surprise bursts of flavor delivered by tiny lemon supremes.

DeNucci’s cocktail options were sampled throug Ahout dinner. We found the Amaro Manhattan especially good, and the fun, non-alcoholic Phony Negroni equally tasty. DeNucci’s wine selec- tion is robust, with more than 50 selections, and the dessert menu includes another 14 after-dinner drink options—from the Grappa di Sassicaia to the Ramazzotti.

And to close? DeNucci’s pistachio blondie sundae—a mountain of pistachio ice cream, whipped cream, and blondie pieces, with an amaro cherry on top is very shareable. We couldn’t even finish it between the four of us.

We look forward to trying DeNucci’s recently introduced mozzarella sticks on our next visit. The mozzarella is freshly made and hand-pulled in-house, before being breaded, fried, and served with marinara sauce. We’ll also pay close attention when the server lists the verbal specials, anticipating the introduction of the tavern-style pizza Lo Cascio is working on now. “That day will come,” laughs Lo Cascio. “But not until it’s perfect.”

For more information visit denuccisitalian.com.