When Theresa Easterday’s father moved his Dyer restaurant from a leased location to his own building, that provided the impetus for her to open her own establishment.
On their fifth wedding anniversary Easterday and her husband, Andrew, launched Little Italy in November 2013 in the Crown Plaza spot where her father, Vince Cryns, used to run Pop’s Italian Beef & Sausage. He also owns Pop’s in Crown Point as well as Illinois locations in Homewood and Lyons.
“We made the pricing what we would want to pay for dinner on a Wednesday night,” said Easterday, co-owner and general manager of Little Italy, where her husband is the chef.
“That’s the whole basis of our concept — small menus, items made fresh and it’s not going to break your bank.”
Here is the dish on this local eatery, where familiar faces include server Gail Yonker, of Schererville:
On the menu: Authentic Italian cuisine. Dishes include lasagna featuring handmade pasta sheets layered with veal Bolognese and mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone. Pizzas are baked Neapolitan style, thin and crispy. A different classic Italian dish that is not on the menu is offered every Wednesday. The restaurant’s summer menu, in place since June, changes in mid-November for winter.
About the owners: Starting with Baskin-Robbins, Easterday’s family has been involved in restaurants since she was 10 years old. Her father, who lives in Frankfort, Illinois, opened Pop’s where she worked when she was 15 years old. After working in advertising sales for six years after college, she became general manager for Pop’s. “I worked with my dad until I opened up my shop,” said Easterday, of Schererville. Her husband’s culinary background includes working for a boutique hotel, training in Italy and being executive chef for Dunlay’s Management Group (now 4 Star Restaurant Group), which operates neighborhood restaurants in Chicago.
A mission statement: “The only thing in our freezer is ice cream. That means that everything is made fresh. The difference in that versus what everyone is so used to is what makes us different,” said Easterday. “No one actually thinks about the guy back in the kitchen hand breading the chicken breasts. The mozzarella balls are made by hand. Nothing is frozen. The difference that you’re tasting is fresh.”
Decor: “It’s a rustic Italian candlelit experience,” said Easterday. “There are string lights. It’s like you’re sitting outside on a street in Italy but you’re inside. The music playlist is a collection of songs that mean something to Andy and myself.”
Specialties: “The gnocchi are made from scratch. Those sell really well. From pasta, fettuccine Alfredo is one of our highest sellers,” said Easterday, who added that the chicken Parmesan and crispy pork shoulder also are popular. The former dish features provolone, crispy chicken cutlet and house-made marinara while the latter dish features tomato-braised pork shoulder, roasted portabella, sage and natural juices.
We’re different because: “The whole concept is family-style sharing. You go to dinner with somebody. You want something. The other person orders something else and you want to eat what they ordered. You can eat some of yours and eat some of theirs,” said Easterday. Dishes come in two portion sizes: Little Italy, which serves one or two people and Big Italy, which serves two or three people.
Prices: Start at $5 for soup, $6 for salads, $7 for appetizers, $10 for brick oven pizza, $11 for pasta and $14 for entrees.
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Logistics: Little Italy is at 1155 Joliet St., Dyer. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays and 4-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. Call 219-865-3040 or go to www.dyerlittleitaly.com.
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.