“It’s going to be a new concept,” Mike Del Pietro explained when asked about the lease he just signed at 1059 S. Big Bend, the former home of Riverbend Restaurant & Bar and Harvest. “Actually, it’s a 'new-old' concept,” he added. “I’m going to recreate the restaurant my parents started on Hampton Avenue in 1976.”
That restaurant was originally named Del Pietro’s House of Pasta, which for decades offered high-quality Italian fare at reasonable prices, a bridge between fine-dining restaurants and everyday eateries. The restaurant expanded three times over its 35-year run.
Michael and his three siblings grew up working at the restaurant, as he recalled to SLM: “One day my dad asked me to slice 30 pounds of mushrooms, which is a lot because they don't weigh anything. My fingers were numb after 20, so I stopped. When we ran out that night my father said, "you didn't cut 30 pounds, did you?" I said I thought 20 would be enough. He told me not to think so much.”
Michael Del Pietro Sr. died in 1988, leaving matriarch Mary Rose to run the restaurant, which closed in August 2011.
In late March of this year, several members of the family honored the founders by hosting a one night-only recreation of Del Pietro’s, featuring favorite dishes from the restaurant. It sold out so quickly, a second night was added. Mary Rose was on hand both nights, greeting guests at the door with her famed specialty cookies.
“I had been thinking about somehow doing another Del Pietro’s for years,” Michael says. “But until my mom retired, it wouldn’t have been right. Last year, I had a spot picked out, but it fell through, which was fine since the Riverbend space is perfect for this.”
Michael hopes to open the doors in October, and the plan is to serve dinner seven nights a week and weekend brunch.
In creating the menu, Michael has been poring over old Del Pietro's menus, trying to determine what items merit a second life. So far, the list includes Spaghetti a la Angela, Beef Sotto (medallions of breaded and charbroiled beef, topped with cheese, and a white wine mushroom sauce), stuffed artichoke, spinach patty, and Chicken Burko (named after his father’s friend John Burk). The chef also plans to create new dishes that will dovetail with the classics.
The 50-year-old restaurateur already owns six other restaurants: Sugo’s Spaghetteria (in Frontenac and Edwardsville), Babbo’s Spaghetteria (in Chesterfield and Columbia, Missouri), Via Vino Enotica (in Frontenac), and Tavolo V (in the East Loop). He'd like the food at Del Pietro's to stand on its own merits, rather than repeat dishes served at his other restaurants. “But let’s face it,” he jokes, “there has to be meatballs and spaghetti and lasagna, in some form or another.”
In order to create a new look for the space—which will be “a mix of old world and modern”—the existing bar and elevated dining platform have been removed. “The kitchen stays put, but otherwise it’s a gut rehab job,” says Michael.
Del Pietro’s landlord is Hank Krussel, owner of Hank’s Cheesecakes, with whom he shares the building. “And before you ask, I will be more than happy to serve Hank’s cheesecake," says Michael. "I love his cheesecake.”
