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Hailing from the Chicago area, the restaurant Osteria by Capri had a soft opening at Hilton Palm Beach PBI in early October.
Named after the small bistro-style restaurants of Italy, Osteria by Capri is led by Chef Joey Capri, in partnership with Cicero Hospitality Group, and celebrates the bold flavors of Capri’s hometown of Calabria, Italy.
Using family recipes passed down from generation to generation, some dishes include homemade rigatoni, Nonna’s meatball, the pork chop alla capri and the lobster diavolo.
These dishes are expertly prepared and made with only fresh ingredients. That’s why Osteria by Capri doesn’t have freezers. “We’re going to get everything fresh,” Capri said, adding that when a particular dish runs out, they don’t just go into the freezer. “When it’s over, it’s over.”
Capri discovered his love for cooking at an early age and opened his first restaurant with his mother Annamaria in 1984, when he was just 16 years old. He has since operated restaurants in the Chicago area.
Osteria by Capri actually started after Fadi Osmano, vice president of development and acquisitions for Cicero Hospitality Group, stopped by the Capri Lounge & Grill in Willow Springs, Illinois. during the pandemic.
Osmano said even though almost everything was closed at the time, the Willow Springs restaurant was doing takeout.
Osmano stopped by for the homemade rigatoni with crumbled sausage alla vodka and was blown away. So much so that he thought to himself, “We have to get this guy to our hotel.” Osmano was referring to the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, managed by Cicero, in nearby Downers Grove.
Although Osmano quickly became a regular at Capri Lounge & Bar and was friends with Capri, it would take a few years to work out the details to get him to the DoubleTree.
One day Osmano called Capri and said, “Get ready, you’re moving in.” Osteria by Capri opened in March 2023 in the DoubleTree in Downers Grove.
So impressed with the food and service, Cicero Hospitality decided to open another location in their West Palm Beach hotel, the Hilton Palm Beach PBI.
Staff began training at the restaurant in mid-August under the guidance of Chef Capri and mixologist Giovanna Rovito.
Capri said he flies back and forth between Chicago and West Palm Beach and will stay in South Florida for about two weeks to oversee the operation. Although he is on site a lot, Capri said Chef Diego Diaz is the full-time chef at the location.
With an emphasis on freshness, Osteria in West Palm Beach makes all of its pasta in-house, except for the rigatoni, which is flown in fresh from Downers Grove.
The meal isn’t complete without dessert and Osteria has plenty, including tiramisu. But Capri had high praise for the banana foster and ended up at the table.
Capri never skimped on portions and said his mother always emphasized “always letting them go home with something so they remember you.” He said that “you never left hungry and never left without a takeout box.”
Osteria by Capri is coming to West Palm Beach
Where: 150 Australian Ave., West Palm Beach
Opening hours: dinner 4:00 PM to 10:30 PM seven days a week; bar 4pm to 11pm; happy hour from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Information: 561-472-9350; osteriadg.com
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Postpart of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Support our journalism. Subscribe today.