Authentic Italian cuisine and award-winning wines converge at Acquaviva Winery and Ristorante’s new Batavia location. After years of serving diners in downtown Batavia, Acquaviva is fully settled into its new home off Randall Road.
The standalone building transports visitors to southern Italy with exposed stone, wooden accents and soft lighting. Inside, burgundy seats and black tablecloths meet white marble columns and black stone countertops.
The menu offers a selection of Italian-inspired dishes that are crafted with locally sourced ingredients.
Appetizers start with the crispy Calamari Fritti Dorati, served with lemon and marinara sauce. The Carciofini al Forno is made with artichoke hearts sauteed with garlic, onions and Italian cheeses.
Pasta is the star of Acquaviva’s menu. There’s the Homemade Gnocchi, bathed in a creamy vodka sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella, and the Rigatoni Bosciola, served with beef tenderloin tips and mushrooms in a tomato sauce.
These pasta dishes are specially crafted to pair with Acquaviva’s own handcrafted wines, with suggestions labeled right on the menu. Match a gnocchi or the seafood-rich Zuppa di Mare with the dry Vitino, which blends several kinds of grapes. Or, pair up a rigatoni with the full-bodied Don Giuseppe, a dry red wine.
For meat lovers, there’s no better than the New York Strip, 16 ounces of grilled perfection with sauteed vegetables and roasted red bliss potatoes. This one also pairs with the Don Giuseppe.
No meal at Acquaviva would be complete without sampling at least one of these award-winning wines. Each varietal comes from Illinois-hardy grapes grown on Acquaviva’s 85-acre vineyard in Maple Park. Blending a truly Midwestern taste with a touch of Italian tradition, these wines present a stunning lineup of reds, whites, roses and blends.
Acquaviva’s Maple Park location has a limited dinner schedule during the busy wedding season, but the Batavia kitchen is open Tuesday through Sunday, with lunch and dinner service on the weekends. Call ahead for reservations.
Acquaviva Winery and Ristorante is located at 1900 Mill St., in Batavia, (630) 761-1010.
Acquaviva’s New Location is a Taste of Italy
