D'Carlo Italian Cuisine was a subterranean restaurant off of Oak Lawn Avenue, since converted to a Thai space called Si Lom. Before it was d'Carlo, the space was called Daniele Osteria, another Italian restaurant owned and operated by chef Daniele Puleo. Puleo sold out in 2011, and has been opening multiple locations of another restaurant calIed Inzo Italian Kitchen.
I bring all this up because Puleo has announced his intentions to open another new business, Bottega Italia, which will grace Sylvan | Thirty by the end of this year. This is welcome news, and it shows that development project has some style.
Usually, after the bricklayers leave a new construction site, the folks from Chipotle and Chili's swoop in, stamping out another square of homogenous pseudo-urban real estate. But the folks at Sylvan | Thirty have curated a great family of businesses so far.
Cox Farms Market opened back in April and offers a nice switch from yet another Whole Foods or Sprouts. Teiichi Sakurai's ramen shop Ten might have been open now if a fire hadn't set everything back, but it's still coming along, and now Puleo announces that the Italian restaurant won't be a Maggiano's but a locally owned Bottega Italia.
Expect a coffee bar, handmade pizzas and sandwiches, a deli counter and a market with pastas, olives, olive oils, sea salts, vinegars, sauces, cheeses and charcuterie. They're also selling take out fare, wine and locally brewed beer. Sounds like a pretty sweet bodega for those moving into the new apartments in the same development. Anyone want to split a two-bedroom?