You’ve got the red vinyl booths as you walk in, a terrazzo floor that could survive an earthquake, a tin ceiling in a pattern that is no longer made,” says Guido Nardini of Club Lago, the 14-table Italian restaurant he runs with his brother, GianCarlo, in River North. Club Lago was founded by the Nardini brothers’ grandfather 50 years ago this month. And while the neighborhood has been almost completely transformed in the intervening decades, the restaurant remains virtually unchanged. As Guido says, it’s “a good old joint that has been through its years,” and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
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In late 1951 or early ’52, Jenny’s burned down. So Lazzerini took his wife, Ida, and two daughters, Gloria and Joan, back to his homeland for a six-month vacation. They met up with family he hadn’t seen in more than 20 years, as well as some old friends, the Nardinis, who lived in the nearby town of Barga.
“Before this area was ‘River North,’” says Guido, “it was print shops, factories, warehouses, sidewalks with weeds growing in them. On the weekends you could hear crickets chirping. There was no residential property anywhere. We were, for years, the only restaurant in probably a four-block radius.” As a result there were usually lines out the door at lunchtime. The loyal mass of working-class customers knew where to get food that was not only delicious and plentiful but also affordable.
GianCarlo recommends the veal piccata, with a mildly spicy sauce and capers, whereas the bracioline all’agro (veal in a lemon, oregano, and white wine sauce) is described by Guido as “a simple dish that’s out of this world.” There’s also the Guido Sandwich, which is “the biggest sandwich you’ve ever eaten,” says its namesake. “Meatballs, roast beef, and Italian sausage baked with peppers, onions, and cheese. It’s a hog–a two-person sandwich. There are 13 of us who have finished it in one sitting.”
