Holiday Happenings at Clara's 2017

For each $100 in gift cards purchased through December 31, 2016, Clara's will give you an additional “$25 Bonus gift certificate”. Gift cards can be purchased either in person or online here..

The $25 bonus gift certificate is valid January 2, 2017 through April 30, 2017 for dine-in or carry out only. Bonus certificates are not valid for banquets, catering, promotions, or offers including Five Stars Rewards. Limit 2 per table.


Saturday – Christmas Eve
Clara's will only be open for catering orders, carry out and gift card purchases from 12:00pm until 5:00pm. We ask that all Christmas Eve caterings orders be placed by close of business Thursday December 22, 2016.


Holiday Hours:

December 24: 12:00 – 5:00pm Catering only
December 25: Closed. Merry Christmas
December 26: Closed.
December 27: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 28: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 29: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 30: 12:00 – 10:00pm
December 31: 12:00 – 10:00pm 

January 1: Closed. Happy New Year.

January 3rd: Closed.

Holiday Happenings at Clara's

For each $100 in gift cards purchased through December 31, 2015, Clara's will give you an additional “$25 Bonus gift certificate”. Gift cards can be purchased either in person or online at http://claras.securetree.com/Products/Gift-Cards/.

The $25 bonus gift certificate is valid January 2, 2016 through April 30, 2016 for dine-in or carry out only. Bonus certificates are not valid for banquets, catering, promotions, or offers including Five Stars Rewards. Limit 2 per table.


Wednesday – Christmas Eve
Clara's will only be open for catering orders, carry out and gift card purchases from 12:00pm until 5:00pm. We ask that all Christmas Eve caterings orders be placed by close of business Sunday December 20,2015.


Holiday Hours:

December 9-13: Open for lunch at 12 noon
December 16-20: Open for lunch 12 noon
December 23: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 24: 12:00 – 5:00pm Catering only
December 25: Closed. Merry Christmas
December 26: 4:00 – 10:00pm
December 27: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 28: Closed
December 29: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 30: 4:00 – 9:00pm
December 31: 4:00 – 9:00pm Half Price glass of wine night will not be offered due to holiday! It will start again in January!

January 1: Closed. Happy New Year.

Foods of Abruzzo

During our recent trip to Italy, Rudy and I spent time visiting the region of Abruzzo. Both of his paternal grandparents were born and raised in two towns of Abruzzo: Pescara and Civitella Del Tronto. The eastern border of Abruzzo is the Adriatic Sea and the foods from the towns near Pescara are based on the fish of the Adriatic.

The propriator of the hotel we stayed at in Civitella, Daniele Zunica from the Hotel Zunica, treated us (and our translator) to a wonderful meal at a restaurant named Beccaceci in the costal town of Giulianova. The meal was outstanding and not typical of what many people think of as “Italian food.” We started with a raw fish platter (yes, raw fish), then stuffed mussels, followed by a calamari stuffed with scampi (which are tiny-lobster like crustaceans), then their famous seafood soup and the main entree of grilled monkfish on top of a potato puree. We washed it all down with a wonderful local white wine variety Pecorino.

Rudy and I were both full beyond belief! And, I now understand why Italian do not eat breakfast; one is too full from the meal the night before which didn't start until 8:30pm. Our breakfast would consist of a cappucino, cornetto (like a croissant) and maybe some prosciutto and bread.

The joy of traveling is learning about the culture and traditions of the locals and having dinner and great conversation with Daniele Zunica and our guide Guido gave us great memories. Join us at our wine dinner were we will feature a couple of the recipes we received during our time in Abruzzo.  

Raw Fish Platter

Stuffed Mussels

Monkfish

White Wine

Calamari

Fish Soup

Breakfast

Clara's Grand Re-Opening

Clara's Day of Charity

It has been almost two years of planning, permitting and construction but we are finally finished with our new Clara's.  The final phase was the construction of our sunroom/patio and bar area.  To celebration our completion and to introduce our new room, we will be holding a Grand Re-Opening on Tuesday April 28th from 4:30 - 7:30 pm.  It will be a Charity Open House for the West Suburban Community Pantry. The folks from West Suburban Community Pantry will be with us to celebrate their wonderful work in the community.  Appetizers, beer and wine will be served and we ask for a suggested donation of $20 with all proceeds raised going directly to West Suburban.

Stop by,enjoy our new patio and a couple of appetizers while supporting an important organization for the community.  

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St. Baldrick's Wrap Up

Another year of fundraising for Team Melchiorre is complete.  Our sons Michael and Rudy 3 raised just over $195,000 with $3,400 donated from Clara's thanks to all of your donations and purchase of our Lemon Delight dessert.

Michael found St. Baldrick's after Clara's brother Willie died suddenly of cancer and after meeting a young boy his age that was fighting leukemia.  Those two experience left him wanting to do something more so he decided to shave his head to bring awareness to the unique challenges childhood cancer brings.  We found out that only 4% of all federal cancer research dollars are dedicated to child cancers so organizations like St. Baldrick's are there to fill in that gap.

Since that time, our friends, family and customers have provided tremendous support to Michael and his brother Rudy efforts.  We thank all of you and look forward to next year!

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Happy 28th Anniversary!

On March 13, 1987, Clara's open in a strip mall at 6740 S. Rt 53.  On the first day, Clara was in the kitchen with Rudy Jr and Rudy Sr. waiting on customers.   Most of the early staff members were family members and friends of Clara and Rudy  and their children Michelle, Anthony, Rudy Jr. and Mark.  As the restaurant grew in popularity, we added a second dining room and eventually our new home in our own free standing space in Seven Bridges.  The Melchiorre family has been truly blessed to have had so many customers become our "family members".  It has been our pleasure to watch your families grow and to celebrate so many birthdays, graduations, and weddings at Clara's.  Thanks to all of you!

In honor of our 28th anniversary, we have a video of Clara from last June describing how Clara's came to be.  Enjoy!

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Family Style Dining at Clara's

Clara's family style dining is back!  We are offering our favorite pasta dishes to share with your family and friends.  Family style dining is available for groups of four or more paying adults at one table in a non private room.  We have three packages starting at $15.95.  We highly recommend any party over 12 people to try our family style menu for a great family experience.

PACKAGE #1: $15.95 per person (Children 5-11 $7.95) One Appetizer, One Salad, Two Pastas with Two Sauces, One Side, and Dessert

PACKAGE #2: $18.95 per person (Children 5-11 $9.25) One Appetizers, One Salad, Two Pastas with Two Sauces, One Baked Pasta, One Side and Dessert

PACKAGE #3: $21.95 per person (Children 5-11 $10.95) Two Appetizers, One Salad, One Pasta with One Sauce, One Baked Pasta, One Entrée, One Side and Dessert

Menu Choices

Appetizers: Bruschetta di Roma, Pesto Bruschetta, Herb Stuffed Mushrooms, Portabella Mushrooms, Garlic Bread with or without Cheese, Soakers

Salads: House Garden Salad, Ceasar Salad, Insalata Caprese

Pasta: Rigatini, Rotini, Radiatore, Cheese Tortellini
Sauces: Tomato, Meat, Marinara, Vegetable Marinara, Alfredo, Vodka Cream, Primavera

Baked Pasta: Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, Lasagna Florentine

Entrées: Chicken Limone, Cream of Chicken Pesto, Chicken Parmigiana Shrimp Ersilia (add $2.50 per person), Rudy Jr (add $2.50 per person)

Sides: Homemade Meatball or Italian Sausage

Dessert: Homemade Tiramisu and Cannoli Plate.  Children under 12 receive free ice cream.

The family dining must include everyone at the table and please no individual substitutions in your party.  These packages do not include tax or gratuity.  All children under the age of five are FREE with paying adults. Left over food cannot be taken to go.


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St. Baldrick's Special

Our son Michael was in the 8th grade when he met a boy (Nick) just a couple of years younger than him who was fighting leukemia.  Michael and Nick talked all about playing baseball even though Nick was in a wheel chair.  And, then a favorite great uncle died suddenly of cancer.  Michael decided he wanted to do something to help Nick and honor the memory of Uncle Will so he researched and found St. Baldrick's.  He put together his profile and sent everyone we knew an email to support him as he raised money to fight childhood cancer.

St. Baldrick's is an amazing organization that raises the resources needed for researchers to find cures for childhood cancer which is critical as childhood cancers receive only a fraction of support that "adult" cancers receive. Additionally, everyone who raises money also shave their heads in support of those in treatment.  Our family has been honored to be associated with St. Baldrick's for over five years now and Michael, now joined by his younger brother Rudy, have raised just over $600,000 for the organization.

Rudy and I decided to support Michael and Rudy's fundraising efforts this year by bringing back an old dessert favorite: LEMON DELIGHT.  Yes, beginning Tuesday February 17th until March 15th we will donate 100% of the sales of the dessert to St. Baldrick's in the name of Team Melchiorre.
Last year, we raised just over $3,400 so let's try to get to $4,000 this year.

For more information about St. Baldrick's or to track Team Melchiorre, click here.

Five Stars Loyalty Program

Is your birthday just around the corner?  Have you signed up for the Five Stars program but did not include your birthday during sign up?  In celebration of our customers birthdays, Clara's offers all Five Stars members a free birthday dinner (up to a $15 value).  The offer is valid 7 days before and 14 days after your birthday but you must register your birthday with your Five Stars account.

We have also added more rewards levels to the program.  Reach 750 points and receive $75 off your next bill or save up those points to 2500 and have a private dinner at Clara's for yourself and 5 friends with Rudy.  Rudy will cook a multi-course meal and I (Dawn) will pair each course with a wonderful Italian wine.

Please let us know if you have any other reward you would like to see us include. If you have questions about your account or need any assistance, please give us a call at 630-968-8899 or via email at customerservice@clarasrestaurant.com.

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What's in a name?

How do you decide on the name of dishes? And, who are the people with their name on dishes on the menu? These are questions we get from time to time so I thought I would provide some background on how we name dishes at Clara's.

The history of naming dishes after members of the family started with Clara. Usually, it was named after the person who loved to eat the dish such as Anthony's Calamari after Clara's son Anthony, the Papa Rudolfo's Special after Rudy Sr., or the Pizzelle Michelle after their daughter Michelle. Or, it was named after the creator of the special such as the popular Rudy Jr Sprimp Special (created by Rudy Jr) or the Mark Salmon Special by Clara's youngest son Mark. (side note: Rudy created the Rudy Jr. for me when we were dating. I ate it all the time and recommended it to tables when I waitressed back in the day so Clara decided to put in on the menu). All of Clara and Rudy Sr. children had their name on a dish on the menu.

The tradition continued when Rudy and I opened our restaurant (Rudi Fazuli's) in Chicago and he created two dishes in honor of our then two children. Rudy created our now famous Shrimp Ersilia for our then 4 year old daughter Ersilia (SiSi now 22) and Lasagna Miguel for our new baby Michael (now 18). However, after we had our youngest, we never named anything after him and never really thought about it.  However, he remembers and he has been lobbying for a dish FOREVER! Rudy 3 loves all things spicy especially Sriracha so along with his dad he created the R3 special. So, finally Rudy 3 (as the family calls him) will have a dish even it is only a  special. However, with your support maybe it too can make its way to the menu.  

The R3 Special. A spicy blend of Sriracha in our alfredo sauce with primavera veggies (peapods, carrots, mushrooms, and broccoli) topped with either grilled chicken or grilled calamari served on a bed of our fresh angel hair pasta and garnished with goat cheese.

Rudy 3

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Construction Update 1.8.15

We are back!  Our couple of days of closing really helped our construction crew move the project along.  The brick wall is down and a temporary wall has been constructed.  The temporary wall cuts off some of the waiting space but it will only be for two weeks so the bar/lounge are can be completed.  Once completed we will have 8 more seats at the bar along with a spacious lounge area along with a working fireplace.  Thanks to all of you for our patience as we work to finish this as soon as possible.  And, thanks to our construction crew for battling the extreme weather all week!

Former wall

No more wall!  

Construction Update 12.31.14

Construction is moving along quickly as our four season room is near completion with only the decor and flooring needed.  The new bar lounge area around the fireplace is now framed out and we are ready to remove the brick wall (see picture).  Therefore, we must close the restaurant on January 6th, 7th and 8th so our construction group can move quickly.  We will re-open for business on Friday January 9th at 4:00 pm.  We hope this will be the only time we need to close and hope for the new space to be completed in late February.

New 4 season room

wall that will be removed when we close

Fireplace is now enclosed in the new lounge area

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