Bites Nearby: de Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant

One look at me and people usually guess that I’m full-blooded Italian. While that’s only partially true about my heritage, it is 100 percent true about my stomach, which is why discovering a place like is such a treat.

De Lorenzo’s is a medium-sized restaurant just down the road from the Town Centre plaza in Forks Township. The contemporary décor and full bar gives the impression of an upscale dining experience, but there's nothing snooty about this place. In fact, de Lorenzo’s prides themselves on all the right things; family, quality and authenticity.

For starters, the recipes for homemade pastas, sauces, seafood and meats have been handed down over several generations. The original recipes came from the current owner’s great-great-grandmother, who hailed straight from the mother country.

The restaurant is family-owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Cheryl and Gino Yannuzzelli, and Cheryl’s parents Marlene and Ernie de Lorenzo. Marlene comes in during the days -- before the restaurant opens for dinner -- to make the authentic sauces, meats and pasta. If you come from an Italian family, you know that the right way to do things often takes a large portion of the day.

According to Cheryl Yannuzzelli, the most popular menu items are generally the more traditional dishes. The lasagna and manicotti is made of handmade pasta and real sauce. The Sunday Gravy is also very popular; a slow-cooked tomato sauce, braised for hours, with pork, meatballs, sausage and braciole (flank steak seasoned with herbs and pancetta).

A newer addition to the menu is their gourmet pizzas, which are grilled rather than baked. The spinach, goat cheese and bruschetta pizza is Yannuzzelli’s favorite.

Another unique de Lorenzo’s feature is that all of the desserts are original recipes, baked right in the restaurant. Most places opt to bring in desserts from a specialty shop, but Marlene makes them herself; ricotta cheesecake, cannolis, and cream puffs.

De Lorenzo’s opened in Nov. of 2007. The de Lorenzo family originally hails from New Jersey, but a few years ago Cheryl and Gino moved to Palmer Township to raise their children. They noticed the lack of authentic Italian cuisine in the area and decided that with the help of the elder de Lorenzos, they would start a restaurant.

Marlene has been cooking all her life, having learned from her mother. She spent years working with catering and banquet companies in New Jersey (her husband Ernie would bartend the events. He is now the bartender for de Lorenzo’s).

The Yannuzzellis recognized Marlene’s talents in the kitchen and asked themselves, “Why make money for other people, when she can do it for herself?” And de Lorenzo’s was born.

De Lorenzo’s is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sundays, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., a Sunday brunch is held, during which breakfast foods like fresh fruit and French toast, as well as light pastas, salads and soups, are served.

Donates Night is an event when a percentage of sales (10 to 20 percent) from the day’s profits go to an organization. De Lorenzo’s announces the organization for each Donates Night in the Express-Times and on its website. Organizations are often schools, charities, and local associations. This past Monday, March 28, was an autism awareness charity.

“I like to give back to the community,” said Cheryl. “When the recession hit, we managed to stay in business because of people, so we like to say thank you.”

Live entertainment is on select Wednesday and Friday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visit the website (www.delorenzosrestaurant.com) to view the events calendar and for upcoming Donates Nights. Cheryl also holds seasonal wine pairings when new menu items become available.

De Lorenzo’s, located at 1210 Knox Avenue in Forks Township, also offers off-site catering and private afternoon parties when the restaurant is not normally open.