Heart of Italy

SOUTH OAKLEY | Sorry, Taylor -- this is the street of Italian food dreams

When asked if they've been to Heart of Italy, many Chicagoans would respond with a knowing, "I love Taylor Street." Except they wouldn't be correct.

While Taylor Street goes by the popular Little Italy moniker, that designation once belonged to a stretch of decades-old ristorantes on the 2400 block of South Oakley, an area now known as Heart of Italy.

Accessible via the Western Blue Line stop on the Cermak branch, this picturesque street is home to some of Chicago's most memorable Italian restaurants.

2413 S. Oakley

(773) 254-6555

A true family affair, brother and sister Dante and Paula Pieri continue to plate the Tuscan cuisine their parents began serving in 1979. Menu updates reflect the latest tastes -- in Pisa, Italy, where the Pieris' cousin, a chef, updates his Stateside family on popular items there. All dishes are made to order, and you can't go wrong with a seafood entree; look for specials like swordfish vesuvio and lobster ravioli with "the best vodka sauce in Chicago." There's a pink-walled bar up front; the rear restaurant, with vinyl tablecloths and tiny white Christmas lights, seats about 65.

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 4-11 p.m. Saturday; 3:30-9 p.m. Sunday.

2414 S. Oakley

(773) 927-5249

www.lafontanellachicagoitalian.com

Red-and-green checkered tablecloths outfit La Fontanella's dining room, the most intimate on the street with seating for 38. Signed photos of Dennis Farina and Oliver North, among others, sing tomato-tinged praises for Franco and Maria Gamberale's menu. Opened in 1971, the husband-and-wife team has taken turns in the kitchen since they took over in 1986 and are quick to insist that no guest is rushed out. Relax over dishes of their own invention like Pollo Alla Fontanella, a half-chicken stuffed with garlic and herbs then breaded, baked and served with pasta and vegetables.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday.

2448 S. Oakley

(773) 847-6873

Signs out front proclaim the "best Italian subs" await beyond Miceli's doors, but you'll have to plan your visit wisely, as a trip here is constrained to weekday breakfast or lunch. Trade a wimpy sandwich for a saucy meatball wonder or no sandwich at all: daily specials include the downright dinnerlike linguini and clam sauce for $5.95. Unlike most take-it-to-go delis, Miceli's 30 tables boast four times as many chairs. Take a load off, dip Italian bread into your cup of pasta fagioli and dream about imitating the soup at home; a small grocery area on the left sells Italian products to get you started.

Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

2421 S. Oakley

(773) 579-0300

While Ignotz, which opened in 1999, is a more recent addition to the 'hood, Roger Wroblewski's Heart of Italy ties are as deep as a slice of his baked lasagna. It is just about impossible not to love every detail of this ristorante, from its tucked-away side entrance between two buildings to the dishes named after members of his family, who have called the neighborhood home for 112 years. Order a carafe of house wine and steady yourself before ordering the massive pork chops vesuvio. Chocolate-covered cherries plated on a whipped cream-topped saucer are one of the best meal-ending freebies in town.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday; 4-11 p.m. Saturday; 3-9 p.m. Sunday.

2424 S. Oakley

(773) 254-5550

A solid wooden door and two slim windows lined with wine bottles prevent a peek inside this restaurant, whose 1933 opening makes it the block's oldest. The secretive exterior is appropriate: Luciano Silvestri's ristorante is one worth keeping close to the chest. It's equally satisfying to spend the night at a white cloth-topped table in the bar, sipping from a bottle of private-label wine and sinking into an order of tiramisu, made daily by Silvestri, as it is to reserve one of the eight-tops in back for a hearty feast with friends. Try a giant antipasto platter, caprese salad sandwiched with basil grown by Silvestri and porcini-filled ravioli.

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 1-10 p.m. Sunday.

Kate Schwartz is a local free-lance writer.