(upbeat music)
- Now, my Grandmas 99,
and she hasn't cooked
for us in awhile, so,
when Nikki told us
that Vito's Old
Italian in Elmwood Park
tastes just like her
grandmas cooking,
we headed straight here.
(Italian style music)
- So, Vito, we're at Vito's.
Tell me about how you
came up with the name,
Vito's Old Italian?
- I go back to the old
recipes, we serve tripe,
we serve neck bones,
we serve pigs feet.
Ma, what's your mom's recipe?
- [Marley] I'm gettin'
gram's cooking.
- [Vito] You're definitely
getting grandma's cooking.
- [Marley] Everybody's family,
when you're Italian, right?
- [Vito] Exactly, exactly.
And that's what I want
these people to feel.
When they come
in, I grab them...
How was the food gramps?
I sit with them...
Yeah, she went to Lalapalooza.
I talk to them...
You like that chicken?
That's how I am.
Salute, everybody.
- [Marley] There is another
thing, other than you,
that brings people
into this restaurant,
right there, on your wall.
- That's a photograph of my
dad, Fenway Park, in 1939,
and here's Babe Ruth standing
there, and my dad asks him,
Babe, would you take
a picture with me?
So, he says, sure, come on
over here you little wop,
and then, he pulled
him close to him.
Wait a minute, I never
thought this would happen.
- It's a special photo.
- Yeah.
- [Marley] So Vito, what
are we making, today?
- [Vito] Frutti di mare.
- Do you eat their
frutti di mare?
- Absolutely.
- What's in it?
- Everything.
- Probably, some fish...
- Calamari, lobster...
- Clams, mussels...
- When are you gonna cook me,
Some linguine and calamari?
- From here, take a
right into my garage,
we've an old kitchen set up.
- Take a right into my garage.
(woman screaming)
-[Marley] I think I'm going to
opt for an actual kitchen
instead.
(bell dinging)
- Order up.
- Chef Benito, frutti di mare.
- Frutti di mare, yeah.
- How do we begin?
- Well, we gonna start
with the olive oil,
now, we gonna go
with the garlic.
Not all, just use your tongs.
- My husband's not here,
I can put in as much
garlic as I want.
- Okay.
- [Marley] With
my tools in hand,
we throw our first
seafood into the mix.
Shrimp, and lobster.
I'm so much better with tongs
than I am with the knife.
Step one, don't
hold it like this.
- [Benito] Time for
some little white wine.
- [Marley] (laughing)
a little more?
- No, that's enough.
- Down here?
- It's enough.
- [Marley] Then, goes in
our clams and calamari.
Mussels for my muscle man.
- Mussels for the muscle man.
- [Marley] All that's left is
to juice it up with seasoning,
add our white wine sauce,
and of course, linguine.
Alright, Benito,
we've got our white,
you make up some red, and
I'll go pour us some vino.
- Alright, then.
(Italian style music)
- We've got our frutti di
mare, with the red sauce.
We've got the frutti
di Marley, which,
I have renamed, since I made it.
Shall we dig in?
- Lets dig in, I use a spoon.
- You're gonna do it, okay,
we'll do it old school.
That hint of garlic,
its just enough.
Why is Vito's Old
Italian, Chicago's Best?
- [Vito] Its like coming
to grandma's house.
- [Marley] Everybody's
family at Vito's,
that might need a
cheers, then, Vito.
- Okay everybody,
raise your glass,
-To a familia!
- [Group] A familia!
