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Formento's on Randolph Opens Wednesday

By Stephanie Lulay | January 14, 2015 8:00am
 Classic Italian restaurant Formento's opens on Randolph Street Wednesday in the West Loop.
Classic Italian restaurant Formento's opens on Randolph Street Wednesday in the West Loop.
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Formento's

WEST LOOP — The much-buzzed, old-school Italian restaurant Formento's officially opens on Randolph this week.

Chef Tony Quartaro opens the red-sauce restaurant at 925 W. Randolph St. for dinner Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Nona's, the take-out sandwich shop attached to Formento's, opened to lunch crowds. The corner spot will serve up casual Italian-American sandwiches, salads, soups and sides, including a mortadella dog topped with salted cabbage, horseradish and pepperoncini, and a pork-and-beef meatball sandwich with mozzarella cheese, marinara and giardiniera.

Sandwiches at Nonna's are $8.50; a sandwich, chips and soda combo is $12.

At the 8,000-square-foot Formento's, Quartaro and partner John Ross aim for classic Italian and Italian-American fare grounded in tradition. The menu includes Italian wedding soup, featuring a rich chicken broth steeped in parmesan rinds; an antipasta wedge salad with provolone plicate and chicken Vesuvio, featuring a de-boned, whole Amish chicken.

As of last fall, Quartaro also planned to serve timpano at the West Loop Italian restaurant — an elaborate, pastry-wrapped pasta drum that weighs 13 pounds and can feed up to 16 people. 

 Nonna's, the take-out sandwich shop attached to Formento's, opened Tuesday.
Nonna's, the take-out sandwich shop attached to Formento's, opened Tuesday.
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DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay

The classic Italian restaurant is named for Ross's grandmother, whose last name was Formento.

Formento's will seat about 130 and will open for dinner at 4:30 p.m. daily.

Nonna's, accessible via a separate entrance on Sangamon Street, will open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. The sandwich shop will also sell retail products, including Formento's sauce.

B. Hospitality Co., the team behind The Bristol and Balena, is opening both restaurants.

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