Before the Durretts made The Italian Underground a local landmark, the restaurant with maybe the best ambiance around was a pizza joint called Lata Tomato or so it seemed when I was a teenager.
Intent on reigniting the flavors pioneered by Italian Underground’s founders, the Durretts, new owners Ben and Web Heyliger plan to promote a menu that will remind people of simpler times and rekindle old recipes with help from long-serving staff.
Below the Grand Avenue Bridge, beneath the historic Silver Club Building, beyond the Italian Underground’s tables draped in red- and white-checkered cloth, blue flames roasted Ben Heyliger’s pasta skillet.