Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Too thin to be a rope for a tire swing and too tender for use as dental floss, spaghetti maintains its niche as the perfect hammock for meatballs. Savor a comforting plate with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of Southern Italian fare at Giacomo's Ristorante Italiano in Des Plaines.
Helmed by Sicilian-born chef Giacomo Zito, Giacomo's Ristorante Italiano's chefs populate the dinner and lunch menus with regional cuisine from the Southern reaches of Italy. The fettuccine alfredo's tender homemade noodles swim within creamy, homemade alfredo sauce ($11.95 for lunch, $15.95 for dinner), and a juicy 10-ounce filet mignon distracts forks and steak knives from shamelessly flirting with the soup spoon ($24.95). The risotto portobello is served in a garlic, oil, and white-wine sauce with the choice of shrimp ($16.95 for lunch), and vegetarian options and gluten-free gnocchi tend to those with dietary restrictions. An array of paninis ($7.95–$12.95) round out the lunch menu, energizing patrons for an upcoming afternoon spent rock climbing in clown shoes.
Red, white, and bubbly wines complement continental-dining experiences, with a multitude of globetrotting vintages from regions of Italy, France, and California. Giacomo's intimate, Old World dining room beckons patrons inside where tables and booths can accommodate large groups as well as small football teams.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Dec 5, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person. Limit 1 per table. Limit 1 per visit. No separate checks between patrons. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Giacomo's Ristorante Italiano
Giacomo's Ristorante Italiano has been a family affair ever since Sicilian-born Chef Giacomo Zito, his wife Anna Maria, and daughter Amanda originally opened the eatery in 1998. Above all else, the Zitos sought to create a casually elegant setting where locals could find the familiar tastes of authentically grounded southern Italian cuisine. As Chef Giacomo toldCheck, Please!, "I want [diners] to say, 'this is the way restaurants used to be.'"
He embraces these time-honored roots by adhering closely to culinary tradition and making fresh pastas every day. This unwavering dedication to comforting flavors of Old World cuisine is readily apparent throughout the menu, which overflows with familiar classics, including braciole, eggplant parmigiana, and hearty lasagna with layer after layer of ground beef, ricotta and mozzarella, meat sauce, and polenta. Even the tiramisu goes one step beyond the traditional trattoria staple by using imported ladyfingers soaked in espresso and various Italian liqueurs.
The timeless quality of the cuisine is echoed by the cozy, homespun ambiance in the restaurant's dining area. Exposed brickwork lends a rustic vibe to the space, although there's a fine attention to detail, such as tables draped with crisp white linens and the black napkins folded into perfect dodecahedrons. During the snow-free months, the restaurant also features an outdoor seating area.