Antoinette Tredanary
Many of our wonderful diners have inquired about the origin of our name, Osteria Il Centro. Well, it’s an Italian phrase suggesting a popular dining spot in the center of town – a description that nicely compliments our pleasing medley of pasta, meat, fish and vegetables prepared by our chef of over 13 years, Jaime Salgado. (Not to mention over 1,000 wine selections in our Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence” winning wine collection!)
Now and again, we’re asked about our TV commercials. Most inquiries are about the music selection in the spots. The song, “Come Back to Sorrento” was originally written in 1905 and has been covered by many artists including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Our particular version was recorded by Antoinette Tredanary, an Italian-American singer residing in Miami, FL.
The other question we often get is, “Why don’t you use the Italian pronunciation of “Osteria Il Centro?” (In Italian “centro” is pronounced chén-tr?). The truth is we actually recorded the voiceover both with an Anglo pronunciation and Italian. We opted to run the Anglo version so American diners would be able to more easily spell the restaurant name and find us in the phone book (oops, that was 21 years ago, we meant to say Google it!). You say centro, we say chén-tr? – no matter how you pronounce it, an invitation to a delicious Italian meal and a delightful bottle of wine is perpetually extended to all.
We look forward to seeing you at Osteria Il Centro – Zagat’s number 1 Italian restaurant in Kansas City!
