Troilus and Cressida : The Cuisine
Just as Troilus and Cressida presents a mix of the historical, tragic and comedic genres; Chef Tony Priolo presents a seafood stew featuring a medley of shellfish inspired by the flavors of Shakespeare’s day.
 

 
Chef Tony Priolo
Chef Tony Priolo knew when he was just a child that he wanted to be a chef. Growing up in Chicago, he started cooking at the age of eight with his Sicilian grandmother in her kitchen on the northwest side, and his first restaurant job was as a 16-year-old prep cook in an Italian restaurant near his house. He went on to graduate at the top of his class from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago in 1989, and quickly immersed himself in Chicago’s competitive Italian restaurant scene. Priolo’s style of simply prepared Italian food caught the attention of Chicago restaurant critics and diners in 1997, when he opened Coco Pazzo Café as the executive chef. After a year, he took over as Executive Chef of the flagship Coco Pazzo, and later was made partner in both restaurants. During his time with Coco Pazzo, he traveled to Italy regularly and even worked for a short time at Da Delfina, a two-Michelin-starred country restaurant in Tuscany, with famed chef/owner Delfina Cioni.
 
Under Priolo’s direction, Coco Pazzo was honored by many leading food organizations. It won the AAA Four Diamond and Dirona awards, and received high ratings from local and national restaurant writers, including the Chicago Tribune, La Cucina Italiana, Zagat and Fodors. Priolo has also been a regular guest on several Chicago television stations and is known for his support of local charities such as Meals on Wheels Chicago, St. Jude’s Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
 
Priolo brings his rustic, clean cooking style to Piccolo Sogno. His philosophy is to find the best ingredients possible for his guests, and he sources specialty items including heirloom vegetables from local organic farmers, fish from the Mediterranean, Italian “00” pizza flour, San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella from Naples. He says it is all part of providing his guests with a true Italian dining experience at Piccolo Sogno.
 

About Piccolo Sogno
Piccolo Sogno opened its doors to Chicago in July 2008. The name, which means “little dream,” in Italian, was chosen by partners Tony Priolo and Ciro Longobardo because it had always been their dream to open a restaurant of their own. Piccolo Sogno features a menu of fresh, seasonal rustic Italian cuisine with an impressive all-Italian wine list. “The restaurant fits our personal goal to get to the heart of Italian wine and food,” says Executive Chef Priolo. “You go to Italy for simple food, prepared by hand with local ingredients and served with local wines. That’s why people love eating in Italy, and we wanted to bring that experience to Chicago.”
 
Priolo’s menu, offers a wide selection of regional Italian dishes—from homemade pastas and hand-tossed pizzas prepared in the restaurant’s wood-burning oven to Roman-style pork and Mediterranean sea bass—as well as homemade gelato and sorbet. Menu prices are moderate, with entrees ranging from $12 to $24.
 
The wine list is both comprehensive and approachable, as Ciro Longobardo, an expert in Italian wines, has carefully chosen each of the 400+ selections and trained his staff to offer well-informed recommendations to customers. “Italian wines can be confusing for many people,” says Longobardo. “We wanted to provide diners with an appreciation of the enormous variety of Italian wines without overwhelming them. That’s why we pay special attention to making sure our staff can help them select a wine that pairs perfectly with their meal.”