The sprawling restaurant, which was formerly Joe’s Pizza Place, has a sizable veranda, an elegant bar and a Tuscany-inspired dining room. The menu includes Italian American standards including chicken and eggplant parmesan, chicken francese, along with burgers and paninis. It also features pizza, which is something of a specialty for Citone, who previously owned several Cusato’s Pizzeria locations.
“Everything that I've learned in the kitchen was from my parents,” Citone said. His family has roots in Messina, Sicily, and his mother, 83, comes to Palazzo to taste-test Citone’s sauce (more on that later). Citone bought the Hamburg Street property back in 2014.
Besides the restaurant, the property includes several apartments and a home, which he renovated and rented out. He began working on the restaurant in 2018 and slowly chipped away at renovating the space, recruiting family and friends for help. It finally opened in July with a limited menu and has ramped up slowly, adding more dishes and live music in the summer.
A grand opening celebration is set for Oct. 7, with hors d'oeuvres and live music by Jukebox Rebellion from 4-8 p.m.
“There's a dozen Italian restaurants in Rotterdam, great places to visit and to eat and my goal is to be part of that dozen,” Citone said. The Gazette recently caught up with Citone about the development of Palazzo and how his plans for it go beyond food. Q: Did you know from a young age that you wanted to go into the restaurant busine.
