REVIEW

Fine Food for the Whole Family
at Cesar's

From the Fra Noi - Chicagoland's Italian-American Voice

Ceasar's Ristorante at 18881 Oakton in Des Plaines has been serving great Italian food since the early 1950s, long before Jim Palazzolo came to the United States from Cinisi, near Palermo.

Now, Cesar's is staffed by the entire Palazzolo family, and it is still serving fine Italian cuisine, but with an even larger menu.

The menu is larger because Jim Palazzolo knows how to buy for the restaurant. "I spent 25 years managing stores for Butera Fods. Paul and Joe taught me how to manage a business; they were like brothers to me," he says.

That professional networking is one of the secrets of his success; he knows what to buy, and when. He talks to his suppliers every day. He orders according to their specials.

Jim's first job in the United States was at his uncle's restaurant, Sorrento, near Madison and Kilbourn. "I like cooking," Palazzolo says. "Plus, I like being my own boss and working with my family at the restaurant." When his wife Joanne has free time from raising their toddler Rosa, she is at the restaurant helping out with her son John, the chef, and sons James, Paul and Robert, who help out in the kitchen.

Palazzolo enjoys the family feeling that his restaurant radiates. "The most rewarding thing in the business is people coming in with their families and enjoying the atmosphere. When they tell me that they were recommended by someone they know, when they tell me they have come here since they were children and now they have kids, it is rewarding to me," he says.

It is no wonder that people keep returning to the restaurant. The entrees are fresh, never frozen. Some dishes - such as the zuppa di mare, steak al forno, chicken al a Cesar's and the Venetian shrimp - have individual touches not found elsewhere.

When John is asked about the Venetian shrimp recipe, he chuckles and says, "Fresh jumbo shrimp, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh garlic, fresh onion, some secret seasoning that I'm not going to tell you about, and then toss with angel hair pasta - just the basics."

Because of its location, Cesar's attracts conventioneers from the Rosemont Expo, audience members from the Rosemont Horizon and Rosemont Theater, and travelers from O'Hare Airport, as well as northwest suburban families.

"Business travelers from all over the country come in," Palazzolo says with pride, "then they refer someone else to us - rodeo riders form Montana, business executives from Britain and Australia, show up for lunch and dinner."

When they enter Cesar's, they find an elegant restaurant with a newly remodeled interior.

A tour of the kitchen reveals gleaming stainless steel everywhere. Jim is currently working on the exterior, too.

Palazzolo's eye for detail and drive for perfection are at least in part responsible for the Golden Plate award that he recently received from the Accademia Nzionale Economico Sociale.

Although he has a strong pizza business - thin, pan and stuffed pizzas are available for delivery and carryout - Palazzolo believes that the heart of the business is in the restaurant.

Palazzolo keeps it open all seven days of the week. When asked if he ever gets a vacation, he shrugs and says, "I get a couple of days off here and there, but I love working with my family. I get to see them here in the restaurant."

So if you're looking for fine Italian cuisine without the downtown prices, drop by Cesar's.

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