After decades in the restaurant business, Pedro Canello’s long-nurtured vision of a business of his own found form in Annada le in “il sogno.” appropriately enough, the name translates to “the dream”
by Jessica Jones-Gorman • PHOTOS BY Amessé Photography
Pedro Canel lo, a nat ive of Venezuela, got his start in the New York city restaurant business when he moved to Brooklyn in the early 1980s and bounced for years in stints as cook and waiter in restaurants like Marco Polo in Carroll Gardens and Taormina in Little Italy. He also worked closely with Lidia Bastianich and in Mario Batali’s famed Babbo restaurant before he made the move to Staten Island to pursue the dream of opening an eatery he could call his own.
“I’ve always loved food and I developed this passion for cooking which I was able to mold and perfect by working with a range of chefs in a number of different kitchens throughout my career,” Canello said. “Every experience was so completely amazing and I was able to build a solid foundation of ideas and skills based on my work with many different cuisines.”
When he came to Staten Island, Canello began working at Filippo’s in Dongan Hills and also spent time at
Panarea, Nove, and eventually Angelina’s Ristorante. In 2010, after years of honing his skills, he opened his own restaurant in Annadale where the former Angelina’s once stood and called it Il Sogno (“the dream” in Italian).
“My main goal in the kitchen was to create something different, something that you wouldn’t usually find in the traditional Italian kitchen,” the owner and head chef said recently, then detailed the ingredients to some of his most unique dishes: meatballs prepared with Kobe beef and risotto croquettes stuffed with gorgonzola cheese. “I am from Venezuela, but I appreciate traditional Italian food because that is what I learned and lived for 35 years. When I’m in the kitchen, I like to experiment with different flavors and that’s exactly what we do here.”
Offering Staten Islanders an alternative to the traditional Northern Italian food that dominates our borough,
Canello teamed up with the restaurant’s Executive Sous Chef Efren Martinez, an old friend and veteran cook whose ideas in the kitchen tend to mirror Canello’s.
“Together with Efren, I am able to create new dishes that reflect our unique style of cooking,” Canello explained. “We’re always brainstorming and creating new things based on the experience we’ve had in this business. That’s part of what makes our menu so special.”
When crafting the menu at Il Sogno, Canello relied on his roots.
“The one thing I learned from almost every kitchen I worked in was to focus on the best ingredients,” Canello said. And that’s exactly what he brings to the table. Loading his culinary lineup with fresh fish and offbeat staples like Kobe beef, he also enjoys working with light tequila sauces, creamy risotto dishes, and fruitinfused appetizers.
“Efren has worked at some of the most respected restaurants in Greenwich Village,” Canello said. “He has a lot of great recipes and has brought many wonderful ideas into our kitchen.” In fact, before coming to Il Sogno, Martinez worked at Il Postino and La Campagna in Manhattan and also gained experience in Café Luna in Tottenville and Fiore di Mare in Great Kills. Together, the chefs concentrate on bringing spectacular food to Island residents ever-hungry for it.
“We change the menu every four to five months, working with seasonal ingredients and several varieties of fresh fish,” Canello said. “We serve a popular gnocchi with pesto and shrimp, a peppercorn tuna sliced thin and served with mango and pineapple dressing, and a crusted Chilean Sea Bass in a coconut sauce and
wonderful zucchini flowers, stuffed with ricotta and mascarpone and drizzled with a roasted pepper sauce.”
Specials abound, but the chef ’s signature dishes are what keep customers thrilled, such as Canello’s Mixed Grill, which features grilled shrimp, pan-roasted bone-in chicken in a cherry
“Our goal is to liven up traditional Italian-Mediterranean cooking,” the owner explained. “That was always my dream, and now I’m able to live it.”
wine sauce, and a lamb chop for $32.95. Snapper is sautéed with artichoke hearts, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and shrimp in a Pinot Grigio sauce. There’s also a grilled veal chop marinated with fresh herbs, and chicken stuffed with prosciutto and mushrooms and served in a light brown sauce. Papardelle is served in a wild boar ragu with sour cream; rigatoni is tossed with cauliflower, raisins, and pignoli nuts. Appetizers include classic baked clams stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs and served in a white wine garlic sauce, risotto croquettes, Sicilian eggplant drizzled with honey, and shrimp alla Rocco, served with a spicy mayonnaise.
Canello updated his dining room this past year, expanding the bar, freshening the color scheme, and turning what was once three rooms into one.“It’s much more spacious now— customers enjoy the new look, and we are still able to host private parties and other events,” he said. But the focus remains on delicious, modern Italian cuisine.
“Our goal is to liven up traditional Italian-Mediterranean cooking,” the owner concluded. “That was always my dream, and now I’m able to live it.”
Il Sogno Ristorante
26 Jefferson Blvd. / 718.356.7800 / Cuisine: Modern Italian
Hours: Monday – Friday: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. / Saturday, Sunday: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Price: Appetizers $8 – $13 / Entrees $16 – $38
All major credit cards accepted / Service: Friendly
Bar: Full bar, with a focus on a nice selection of Italian wine
Parking: Street, Valet, Lot / Private Parties: Yes