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Family recipes make Salerno’s a delicous destination
“Their pizza is one of the best around,” said Michael Alter, who lives in Glencoe but who works in Glenview, “It’s fresh and it tastes so good.” | Jackie Pilossoph~for Sun-Times Media
Michael Salerno’s Pizzeria
2085 Tower Drive
Glenview
(847) 724-0700
www.salernospizza.com
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Updated: February 25, 2013 6:18AM
GLENVIEW — The story of how the Salerno family got into the restaurant business is one that Michael Salerno, owner of Michael Salerno’s Pizzeria in the Glen Town Center tells with a chuckle.
“My dad and his three brothers owned a bar, and people would come in and stay awhile, and they’d get hungry,” said Salerno, “So my dad and his brothers would call their wives to come over to the bar and cook, and my mom and my aunts would make lasagna and pasta.”
That was in 1966 on the south side of Chicago. Since then, the Salerno’s, who are originally from Calabria, Italy have opened restaurants in Chicago, Oak Park, Bolingbrook and four years ago, Glenview.
“We were always south,” said Salerno, who has been working in his family’s restaurants since he was 15 years old, “I really liked this location. There are other great restaurants here, good stores, good traffic and apartments upstairs, so I thought it was a good opportunity.”
Michael Salerno’s Pizzeria with its family-friendly environment is open for lunch and dinner, and serves appetizers, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, steaks, chicken and veal dishes, fish, ribs, salad, soup and homemade Gelato. The restaurant offers carry out, catering and delivery.
Laurie and Stan Rothbardt of Glenview said they eat at Salerno’s about twice a month.
“The food is good and reasonably-priced,” said Stan, who mentioned fried chicken, minestrone soup, and chicken Marsala as some of their favorite dishes, “The portions are nice and the food is cooked well. Take the fried chicken, it’s plentiful and juicy and not dry.”
“This is some of the best pizza in town,” said Ryan Gillispie of Northbrook, who moved here from California two years ago, “I now know why Chicago is known for its pizza.”
Favorite dishes of Salerno’s include baked lasagna, cheese ravioli, chicken Francese, pasta Fagioli, and chicken Ala Salerno, a dish he said was created by one of his aunts.
“My aunt Frances said, ‘If we put chicken with olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes, and sausage, it’s something different,’” said Salerno, “It really is delicious.”
Dena Hackl has been a server at Salerno’s since it opened four years ago, said what makes the restaurant so successful is the distinct flavor of the food.
“The Eggplant Parmigiana and the chicken Francese are very popular,” she said, “It tastes so good because it’s all homemade and fresh.”
“We make everything ourselves,” said Salerno, “Nothing in here is defrosted.”
Pasta dishes at Salerno’s start at $5.50 for a half portion and $10.50 for a full portion. Chicken and veal dishes range from $12 to $15, and specialties, such as lasagna and ravioli are $11.50.
A slice of pizza is $4.60 and whole pizzas start at $12 for a small and $20 for an extra large.
“Their pizza is one of the best around,” said Michael Alter, who lives in Glencoe but who works in Glenview, “It’s fresh and it tastes so good.
