Heirloom recipes, contemporary style at Barrington’s NEAR

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Grilled octopus with artichokes, persimmons and orange at NEAR.

NEAR
Restaurant

108 Barrington Commons Court, Barrington

Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday

Call (847) 382-1919 or see www.near-restaurant.com

Article Extras

Updated: January 3, 2012 9:02PM

Named for the owner’s grandmother and mother, NEAR Restaurant in Barrington is an Italian gem blending a little bit of Old World Italian with contemporary culinary creations.

“We are a traditional Italian restaurant but pride ourselves on doing things that you wouldn’t expect,” said chef/proprietor Gaetano Nardulli. “Our place is sophisticated but still casual.”

The first generation Italian American spent many days in an Italian kitchen in the western suburbs learning family recipes from his grandmother, Nina Elena, and mother, Angela Rosa. When he visited Italy, he worked at a number of restaurants in Tuscany and Rome before returning stateside to study the culinary basics at Kendall College. He went on to learn from the masters at such popular Chicago destinations as Spiaggia, Butter and Schwa.

Imported cheeses

With such a wealth of culinary knowledge, Nardulli’s specialties of the house include a variety of shared plates including his favorite, the ricotta and burrata cheeses, which are flown in weekly from Italy. He also makes all of the pastas in house every day.

Other shared plates include the Confit Shimejii Mushrooms with pecorino Romano, rosemary and toasted bread; Fried Chickpeas with smoked paprika, marinated olives; Crostini with chicken liver, black truffle, cannellini beans, lardo; Shrimp with garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, tomato grattinato; Marinated Eggplant, with grilled country bread, parsley, mixed green salad; Crudo with orange, green cardamom, black pepper, puffed rice, fried shallots, basil; an Arugula Salad with whipped ricotta, lemon, ricotta salata, toasted hazelnuts; Fried Polenta Bites with chives, parmigiano reggiano; Rapini, roasted garlic, chili oil; Ascolana Olive Croquette with sausage, fennel; and the Burrata Cheese with olives, capers, tomatoes and ciabatta.

The menu also features a selection of traditional pasta dishes, and entrees of fish, pork loin, chicken breast and rib eye steak. Shared plates start at only $5, pastas and entrees range from $10 to $24.

Upscale ambiance

“The food we serve is something people would expect to get in the city, not the suburbs,” Nardulli explains, noting most of his recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. “Our guests are usually surprised by our presentation.”

That presentation extends to the ambiance of the restaurant which offers a very basic design with clean lines and dark wood. The dark floor is offset by cream walls and scenic pictures of Italy taken by the chef while he was living abroad. Nardulli describes the bar area, which is separate from the dining room, as laid back with an upscale feel.

“You can feel comfortable both enjoying a glass of wine and some shared plates, or while watching the game with friends,” he said.

Nardulli, an Itasca resident, felt right at home
when he discovered the Barrington location. “It was almost like the stars aligned when we walked into this place and we just knew,” he said. “We also really loved the community and wanted to be a part of it.”