From the

AN ITALIAN ACCENT
Dominick's Ristorante brings a bit of Sicily to West Dundee
From the Courier News 2001

     Italy has much to be proud of.
     There is the breathtaking Italian architecture and art.
     There is the marvelous music of Verdi, Vivaldi, Puccini and Rossini.
     There is history and tradition, as well as an official language that is melodic and colorful.
     But most of all, there is Italian food.

Vince Gariti (second from left), one of the owners of Dominick's Ristorante in West Dundee, waits on regular customers Ladi Kolacny (left), Roger Pilcher and Phil Wroblewski. The restaurant features upscale Italian cuisine. 

     Just about everybody loves it. Americans, in particular, have grown very familiar with la cucina italiana, even though the dishes they love best actually are of Italian-Americna origin, such as veal parmigiana, spaghetti primavera and veal francese, among others.
     In the Fox Valley, food fanciers now have a creatively conceived, reasonably priced Italian restaurant they can call their very own.
Dominick's Ristorante, which opened late last year, is an extension of Dominick's Pizzeria, a longtime local favorite for pickups and deliveries. Located on Illinois 31 in West Dundee, the Century Plaza restaurant is family owned and operated. "The pizzeria has always done very well, but we wanted a sit-down restaurant, too," said Vince Gariti, who, along with wife Enza and brother-in-law Vince Incandela, spent nine months designing and developing the Dominick's interior from what was a vacant storefront. Once inside, the strip mall setting gives way to a Sicilian sensibility. "Opening the restaurant...well, it's been a dream come true for us," Gariti said.
     A dream come true, too, for delighted diners who come looking for an assortment of exquisite entrees, including ravioli, baked manicotti, mostaccioli, chicken Marsala, fettucine Alfredo and eggplant parmigiana. There also is a smattering of American classics, such as steaks, ribs and combination plates.
     "I was raised on Italian food," said 68-year-old Rose Mariani, a semi-regular customer, "so I can tell you from experience that Dominick's has just about the best Italian meats and pastas around. And that's coming from someone who's been to restaurants from Milan to Messina." For the uninitiated, both are cities in Italy; one north, the other south. A Chicago resident, Mariani stops in at the restaurant whenever visiting her sister, who lives in Crystal Lake. "Another thing that's nice is the Dominick's people are very friendly," Mariani said. "They make you feel like part of their family. And the meatballs! How do you say it?...They're beyond belief."
     Mark DeBoer is a Judson College student who eats at Dominick's three or four times a week. "Everything is great here," DeBoer said. "My favorite dish, if I had to pick, is the lasagna. All the ingredients are fresh. It's high-quality dining at a reasonable price." DeBoer said, too, that the family ambience is as hearty and wholesome as the food. "There's nothing pretentious about Dominick's. The food's made the way you want it. And one of the owners always stops at your table to make sure everything's OK." DeBoer's classmate and friend, Kristin Lundquist, said Dominick's pizza, which is available in the dining room, is her favorite food.
     Whether it be pizza or entree, Incandela, Enza's brother, oversees everything that goes through the kitchen. "My brother-in-law is a terrific chef," Vince Gariti said. "All his recipes are from things he learned at home. They were passed down to his grandmother, then to his mother. Now it's Vince's turn." But beware, mere mention of Incandela's name is likely to set off alarms at Weight Watchers. "I don't want anyone leaving hungry," he said, smiling. Incandela, 30, seems the gracious type. Sauce and never-ending banter about this and that, for example, give the kitchen part of its informal flavor. He becomes serious, however, when discussing the personal pride he takes in preparing each one of his dishes. "I feel like my name is on every plate," Incandela said. "Cooking is not just about joining the dots and following one recipe and moving on to the next. It's about loving what you do and understanding the food. I get a lot of satisfaction from serving a really good meal."
     Incandela and the Garitis put a "substantial" amount of their savings into opening the restaurant. The money seems well spent. "Our idea was to bring a small part of Sicily to West Dundee," said Enza Gariti, who was born in Altavilla Milicia, a small town outside of Palermo, Sicily. Coincidentally, her husband, Vince, 43, was born in that same small town, though the two did not meet until after coming to the United States. "Our families knew each other, but we just never met. Our introduction came at an outdoor Italian festival near Chicago," Gariti said.
     It was in Chicago that Vince Gariti's parents settled after leaving Sicily in the mid-60s. "I was eight years old and didn't speak any English," Gariti recalled. "But I love this country. For me, it really has been the land of opportunity. I've worked hard and tried to do the right thing. Now, we have the restaurant."
     And what a restaurant it appears to be. The decor is cozy and subdued. Italian music is piped in at moderate volume. Stucco walls are decorated with black-and-white framed photos from, where else, Sicily. Dominick's Ristorante seats about 50, with perhaps a dozen tables and booths spaced comfortably apart. "We wanted to give people an idea of what it's like to dine in Sicily," Enza Gariti said.
     Known since antiquity as "the island in the sun," Sicily is surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Ionian, Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean seas. Sicily's strategic position has made it a cultural crossroads. The medieval Arabs, for example, ruled the island for nearly 250 years. Its eclectic history has resulted in a rich culinary heritage, which Incandela and the Garitis try to honor on a daily basis. "We want to be here for a long time," Vince Gariti said.
     Dominick's Ristorante has daily lunch specials. There also is imported beer and wine. "And we're really proud of our desserts," Incandela said. Probably the best of the desserts is either the tiramisu or the cannoli, though the spumoni ice cream is not far behind.
     For dinner and dessert, customers can expect to spend right around $15. Most entrees are priced at less than $12.
     At least one of the owners is always in the restaurant. "Sure the hours are long," Vince Gariti said. "But this is our place. We want it to be the best. Even one complaint would ruin my whole week."
     Now that's Italian.
  

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