Braciole Barese e Sfincione: Rex on Harlem

Braciole Barese e Sfincione: Rex on Harlem

The braciole I used to know is flank steak stuffed with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, parsley and parm; I had some at Jimmy’s Place last weekend, but about this variety, Franca Pinello (the Sophia-Lorenesque owner/chef of Rex) told me tonight, as sunlight drenched her golden face, “You open it up. There’s nothing there.” Franca has a point; I tried one of her three-buck braciole Barese and found it much more interesting. The meat was tender, and it enfolded salami and capicolla because, as Franca explained, “In Bari, they like the sausage.” There’s also an egg inside. Pretty.



I was attracted to the Sfincione, a spongy focaccia bread covered in onion with a little olive oil. “It’s so simple,” I said to Franca, and with that word “simple,” her face lit up -- it was as though that recognition of its relatively mild seasoning, lack of garlic and straightfoward taste, signaled to her that I got it. She started feeding me lots of food.



I got so many samples -- delicate Sicilian eggplant, schiacciata, meatballs -- that I couldn’t eat my take-out dinner for several hours after I got home.

Rex
4431 N. Harlem
Norridge, IL
708.457.0177

My MIL came here from Calabria when a teen. Rex is her favorite place for Italian sausage. For her, it's an important combination of the grind, the seasoning, and the fat level - Rex does it most like she does it. MIL makes her own sausage most of the time since we bought her a new grinder, but keeps some Rex on hand just in case she runs out.

The last time I stopped in with Mr. Views - we were getting some sausage and cheese - it was about 4 PM. Franca fed me samples of at least 5 things - one of them was pizza that was almost a full slice, lol. I, also, did not eat my dinner for hours after the trip.

This is truly a gem.

David Hammond wrote:The meat was tender, and it enfolded salami and capicolla because, as Franca explained, “In Bari, they like the sausage.” There’s also an egg inside. Pretty

Hammond,

Looks terrific, can't wait to Rex and try the braciole.

Enjoy,
Gary

I sometimes pick up food for meetings at Rex Italian Foods. I love the woman who owns the place. She is so stylish in that Italian way. With her wonderful copper colored hair, she looks like she stepped out of a Felini movie.

I can't say that the prepared food at Rex has ever inspired me much. It is good for what it is (maybe I just got the wrong things), and is a good catering choice for working lunches. However, they have great frozen homemade pasta and pretty good sausage. They also carry really excellent Incanestrato cheese in those pretty purplish brown rounds with the indentations from the wicker baskets. In fact, I have Ms. Pinello to thank for first convincing me to use Incanestrato on pasta instead of Parmasean.

I was also happy they still carry the giardanara that made the original incarnation of Rex Foods (sort of) famous, although I don't know if it is still made in-house and I am not sure this Rex Italian Foods actually has anything to do with the original delis by that name.

d4v3 wrote:I can't say that the prepared food at Rex has ever inspired me much. It is good for what it is (maybe I just got the wrong things), and is a good choice for working lunches.

To the American palate (of which I own one), the food may seem a little underseasoned. I'm not sure I detected any garlic in the several dishes I tried, but the flavors to me were satisfying in their quality and simplicity: the braciole, for instance, was very tender (not easy with flank steak) with hints of spice in the sausage...and it looked beautiful; they do all their baking in house so the many baked goods are fresh and good.

I almost made the comparison between Signora Pinello and a Fellini character, but I didn't want to suggest she was a grotesque; however she is, let us say, a traditional "type."

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:I almost made the comparison between Signora Pinello and a Fellini character, but I didn't want to suggest she was a grotesque; however she is, let us say, a traditional "type."

Oh no, I certainly didn't mean that. I was thinking she reminded me more of Giulietta Masina. You know the scene where she is walking through the café and all the women in fantastic hats and sunglasses are saying "Ciao Giulietta". What I meant is she is an attractive mature woman that still shows a great sense of style. It seems that many European women become more flamboyant and stylish in their fashion and looks as they get older rather than becoming conservative and dowdy.

Anyhow, back to the food. Yes, I also felt the food was under-seasoned. You may be right. I may have been looking at it from the standpoint of what an American expects Italian food to taste like. I think Antonius has discussed that disparity on several occasions. Like in this thread:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2635

Here is a link to where I wrote about my discovery of the wonders of Incanestrato cheese at Rex Italian Foods.
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=13543#131414

d4v3 wrote:

David Hammond wrote:I almost made the comparison between Signora Pinello and a Fellini character, but I didn't want to suggest she was a grotesque; however she is, let us say, a traditional "type."

Oh no, I certainly didn't mean that. I was thinking she reminded me more of Giulietta Masina. You know the scene where she is walking through the café and all the women in fantastic hats and sunglasses are saying "Ciao Giulietta".

Or like the lady with the big white hat on the beach in "Eight and a Half."

Scoop: the baked goods come out at 10:30 AM.

Dad had an appointment for a blood test at {big} Resurrection Medical Ctr. on Tuesday morning. When it finished, we drove to Rex Italian Foods on N. Harlem Ave.
We took out. It was 11:00 am when we arrived. We weren't that hungry that early. We opted for its Lasagna w| meat ($7.99).
There are new items on its menu. They include the Guy Fieri Sausage Sandwich (9" italian sausage, toasted bun, mustard, pepperoncini, and caramelized onions = $6.99), Brittany Arancini (Rice ball stuffed with eggplant, marinara sauce, and romano cheese = $2.50), Chicken Crostata Focaccia in the pan (Slice; Thick crust focaccia topped with chicken breast, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese = $5.99), and Meatball Calzone ($4.99).
Even hours later, this lasagna was very good.

David Hammond wrote:Franca Pinello (the Sophia-Lorenesque owner/chef of Rex)
<snip>
signaled to her that I got it. She started feeding me lots of food.

Stopped at Rex today for lunch and to pick up a chub of Nduja Artisans 'nduja by the family that owns Ristorante Agostino. Loved the ever so vivacious Franca who favored me with so many tastes, caponata, pizza, cookies, I couldn't finish my schiacciata.

Rex Schiacciata

My new job is around the corner from Rex so I find myself there more often than not, it's about the best lunch option in the area.

I was there around 11:30 and I picked up Mushroom soup, arancini, a sausage panzerotti, an italian sub, and an order of cheese ravioli for myself and the rest of the office.

The soup was just ok, more like cream of chicken with mushrooms added. The arancini filled with eggplant and the panzerotti were tasty. If they had been fresh not microwaved they would have been even better. Sub I've had several times, bread is so so but lots of fillings and good quality, go for the barese instead. I didn't get to try the ravioli but they made it to order and my coworker said it was very tasty.

Octarine wrote:My new job is around the corner from Rex so I find myself there more often than not, it's about the best lunch option in the area.

I think Rex is a pretty decent place. It reminds a little of Freddy's, with a few things done better (although most not). The various salads and cold dishes are strong. For instance, they seem to have a magic touch with green beans.

That said, I find it hard to believe that you're having a hard time finding lunch options in this area. After all, Harwood Heights is just about around the corner. Also, while Old Warsaw is not the best Polish Food around, there's a lot of it each meal, and really, some of it can really hit the spot. Just monitor what's being re-filled. Look especially for the ground meat patties and potato pancakes.

There's a few Bulgarian places I've been meaning to try...That stretch of Harlem is pretty interesting if you ask me.

d4v3 wrote:I was also happy they still carry the giardanara that made the original incarnation of Rex Foods (sort of) famous, although I don't know if it is still made in-house and I am not sure this Rex Italian Foods actually has anything to do with the original delis by that name.

I'm wondering if anyone here has recollections of the original Rex deli. I'd be very interested to learn about these.

Not so much a hard time finding stuff but finding fast stuff. I don't get a long break and I usually bring it back and eat at my desk.

That said, you know you've got first world problems when you think "another Will Special for lunch? I dunno..."