No, it’s not Rao’s, the Harlem institution where seats at its 10 tables are harder to come by than snowflakes in downtown Boca (unless you’re a celebrity or invited by one of the regulars).
But Bobby Pellegrino is a nephew of the family that is partners in the famed home-style Italian restaurant, and a year or so after closing his Pellegrino’s in Deerfield Beach—whose food channeled that same lusty, soulful Southern Italian vibe as its more famous relative—he’s back in the dining saddle with a new Pellegrino’s (3360 N. Federal Hwy., 561/368-5520) in Boca Raton.
Look for such hearty staples as chicken scarpariello, pork chops with vinegar peppers and Mama’s Sunday meat in gravy. Also look for the same family-run, New York City ambiance as Rao’s, except here you can actually get a reservation. There’s even a spacious patio bar where you can get a stiff drink without freezing your meatballs off six months a year. You want snowflakes, head up north.
