Nome Italiano bills itself as "a red sauce joint," and according to Justin Hyde, director of operations for SixTop Restaurant Group, the inspiration comes from those classic red sauce joints in New York, Chicago and other American cities.
While paying homage to those original, authentic Italian restaurants, many started by Italian immigrants, the emphasis at Nome is modern – more modern cuisine and a more modern atmosphere.
"We pride ourselves on trying to elevate Italian food and dining, but it's a humble cuisine meant to be made from scratch and we want to make sure what you eat at Nome reminds you of dinner at grandma's or takes you back to a fond food memory from your youth or something like that," Hyde says.
The most popular menu item at Nome is the woodfired pizza. There are a handful to choose from, all made from 48-hour fermented pizza dough which crisps up nicely in Nome's authentic woodfired pizza oven. Nome's ragu, often featuring wild boar, is another popular choice along with other pastas, antipasti, salads and desserts.
"Our tiramisu has taken on a life of its own," Hyde beams. "It's definitely something people look forward to and will probably never leave the menu." The desserts, along with all the pastas, sauces and pizzas are all made in-house, "the way it's supposed to be done," Hyde explains.
With a shoutout to Bend's other fine Italian restaurants, especially to Trattoria Sbandati (which opened in 2009), Hyde says his group is humbled by being voted Best Italian Restaurant by Source Weekly readers. "It's awesome and humbling to have the community vote and say you're the best. We know how hard everyone works; it's not an easy industry. So it feels good."
Nome Italiano
1465 SW Knoll Ave., Bend
541-241-2556
Open for lunch: Thu-Mon 11:30am–2:30pm
Open for dinner daily 5pm-9pm
Second place: Bosa
