Posts Tagged ‘truffle oil’

Buon Appetito – Our Favorite Italian Restaurants

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

we say:

Supposedly, if you give a baby hundreds of toys to choose from, he’ll get totally overwhelmed and not play with a single one.  We, like spoiled rotten babies, have had a similar reaction to reviewing Chicago’s Italian restaurants.  Chicago is home to some of the best Italian cuisine in the country, but where do we begin when there are literally thousands of Italian restaurants, one on almost every corner?  And how can we compare a place like Spiaggia to a neighborhood osteria?  And what about pizza? Pizza!  And how many Italian restaurant reviews will you, our friends, read before you fall asleep or abandon us forever?  Life is so complicated; we’ll just do our best and hope you like us anyway.  Andiamo.

Our Top Five:

  1. Enoteca Roma (Wicker Park) – We love this small, somewhat low-key (for Wicker Park) eatery for its incredibly flavorful bruschettas, cheeses and pastas.  We love the family-style approach and the way they pour their polenta onto marble slabs.  We love their patio too.   Really though, there’s no trick to why they’re first on our list; the food is superior and that’s what matters.
  2. Rose Angelis (Lincoln Park) - We doubt you’ll find this one on many other Best Italian lists, but you should.  It’s hard to beat Rose Angelis’  huge portions of hearty, homemade pasta.   Formerly the first floor of a home, the cozy layout and setting will charm your pants off (they’ll already be unbuttoned to make room for your pasta baby).  As impossible as it may seem, try to leave room for one of their spectacular desserts.
  3. Piccolo Sogno (River West) – A “little dream” come true.  This upscale Northern Italian restaurant’s menu is as fabulous as its decor.  An impressive place to take out-of-towners, but make your reservation well in advance.  Their mozzarella cheese melts on the tongue and their wine list is impeccable.  They use authentic ingredients combined in wonderful ways, presented artfully.  If you go to their website, be prepared to rock out to some dramatic Italian crooning that starts off like a smooth jazz rendition of the theme song from St. Elmo’s Fire.
  4. Anteprima (Andersonville) - This one almost didn’t make the cut because one of us finds it underwhelming, but here it is, numero quattro, and nobody has to sleep on the couch.  Everyone’s a winner!  Anteprima serves rustic Italian dishes with local, seasonally-inspired ingredients.  The atmosphere is warm and cheerful and totally unpretentious.  They also make their own limoncello. Yum.
  5. Cibo Matto (Loop) and Pelago (Gold Coast) – Between these two, it’s toss up.  Both are trendy and oozing with swank.  Cibo Matto is located in the ultra-hip Wit hotel; Pelago in the boutique Raffaello Hotel.  Cibo Matto is over-the-top stylish while Pelago is more reserved and sophisticated.  Both serve Italian gourmet with a modern twist.  We suggest the Pollo a Griglia at Cibo Matto and the fettuccine with truffles at Pelago.

Our Favorites (In A League of Their Own):

Our Favorite Neapolitan-style (woodfire oven) PizzaAntica Pizzeria (Andersonville)

Our Favorite Italian Sandwiches – Narrowly beating out the neighborhood fave, Piatto Pronto (Edgewater) is L’Apetito Imported Italian Foods (Near North Side).   Check out this Italian deli and delicacy store and get an amazing sandwich to go.  Avoid the tourist trap in the Hancock and stop by the deli in the cathedral district. We suggest Il Parma. It’s topped with the best fresh mozzarella to squeeze it’s way between two slices of bread.

Our favorite Italian Chicagoan – This Guy:

We’re still in search of our favorite gelato.  Got tips?

If we missed one of your faves, use the comment section to let us know.  We’d love to try it …  or tell you why we omitted it (probably because of the weird smell and the cockroaches).  In the meantime, we’ll just be sitting here, staring at our toys and throwing temper tantrums.


Smith and Wollensky, The Loop

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

she said:

Smith and Wollensky Steakhouse.  Not my obvious choice for an evening out, seeing as I don’t eat meat and I don’t really dig chain restaurants, even fancy ones.  Believe it or not, this was my choice, not his.  About a year ago, my dad and brother were in town.  My brother’s a quarterback and my dad, well, he just likes cooked animals.  I didn’t know what to do with these strapping bucks, but when I saw that their hotel happened to be right on the river, next door to Smith and Wollensky, I figured, why not?  It turned out to be a perfect choice.  It was a gorgeous night so we sat outside.  Right on cue, the moment we were seated, an elaborate fireworks display began.  The Chicago River mirrored the brilliant lights.  My brother, looking wistful, said, “You’re so lucky.  Is this what Chicago’s always like?”  “Yes,” I replied.  “Yes, it is.”

But what can I eat at “America’s steakhouse,” you ask?  I’ll tell you what.  Mac. And. Cheese.  I’m not hard to please when it comes to cheesy pasta, but I’d kill a man for the stuff they dish up.  It’s sprinkled with white truffle oil and is, actually, the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had.  No kidding.

And the bread.  It comes in the container in which it’s baked and it’s all warm and buttery and soft and oh so good.  And the creamed spinach.  How I loved thee.

Okay, so my meal was two sides and some free bread.  So what?  I’m a cheap date.

he said:

Alright, I know her brother. No way he asked that question, looking wistful. Wistful isn’t a word I’d use to describe him, no matter how many fireworks were popping overhead. I can see him saying, “This is cool.”

A little less than a cathedral

Anyway, I’m lucky that my vegetarian girlfriend doesn’t mind me tearing into some medium rare red meat. When she suggested this place I was surprised. Smith & Wollensky has those annoying commercials with the tag line “If steak were a religion, this would be its cathedral.”

That line is memorable, and as an “ad man,” I have to say it’s a bit of an overpromise. First thing I think when I think of cathedral is high ceilings, not the drop ceiling that this place had. Take out the thick steak and great service, and we could have been sitting in a hotel continental breakfast.

Highly expected steak

The steak was thick, not the best I’ve ever had, but well prepared and tasty. Really, you can’t go wrong with steak. I think I was expecting a ten, so when I got a 7, it was like a negative 3 experience.

But, to spend some time with my beautiful girlfriend is always a ten. And to share a meal in the steak’s cathedral with her, well, that’s just more than I expected.


La Bocca Della Verita and Cheese Balls

Monday, December 28th, 2009

she said:

December, your endless supply of yuletide gatherings have rendered my skinny jeans unbuttonable. I don’t have time to work out, much less prepare a tasty dish to share with my fellow merrymakers. My solution: cheese ball.* Not as in a person who makes bad jokes, but an actual ball of port wine cheese, rolled in nuts and prepackaged so that I can buy several and have one handy whenever the need arises, which, lately, is every other day. Done and done, right? I’m not so sure. When I told my friend Joanna about the Cheese Ball Solution, she said, “Ewwwww.”

Ewwwwww? I’m wondering, are cheese balls kind of, well, tacky? Until I know for sure, I’m temporarily abandoning Mission Cheese Ball.

But while we’re on the topic, I’d like to report that I had the most delicious ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella the other day at La Bocca della Verita in Lincoln Square. The ball, pictured below, is served with arugula and granny smith apple slices and it melts in your mouth.

I’m pleased as punch every time I visit Bocca. In part, I just like being in the charming Lincoln Square neighborhood, especially in the winter and especially when I’m thirsty for German beer. No matter the season, Bocca’s food is authentic and fresh, the service is wonderful and you might run into Blagojevich, like we did last weekend. He was in his car, talking on his cell phone in the only available parking spot in front of the restaurant while Patti ran in for carryout. I also ran into this Chicago writer, whose amazing books you should buy using the links I provide at the end of this post.  Seriously though, check out the daily specials when you go to Bocca. They have some wonderful selections. I had the spinach ravioli with marinara and was very happy.  They also have some very special specials, like truffle lasagna and this kalamata olive rigatoni thing that my friend ordered. Guy had meat lasagna that I couldn’t try.

When visiting Bocca, ask to be seated in Mike’s section. He knows his stuff.

*The Cheese Ball Solution will not help with the skinny jean issue.

he said:

Where do I come out on the port wine cheese ball issue? I’m pro. I don’t think they’re gritty, but they’re not the best cheese option around. Ask Gal about her baked brie dish sometime.

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Dish

Now the cheese ball at Bocca was great. Not the best I’ve ever had, that would be a place called Peasant in NYC. I took Gal there one night when I still lived there. And that was the fresh mozzarella that taught me what fresh mozzarella can be. But Bocca’s was a creamy, fresh, mozzarella that disintegrated on the tongue and was worth the trip by itself.

*Hats off to her for resisting the urge to call me a cheeseball.** I know her knuckles were white with self-restraint when she was writing that.

**How much of a cheeseball? There’s a vintage toy store next door to Bocca and they had some old school, early 80’s Star Wars toys. I pointed them out to my dear girlfriend. I didn’t tell her I knew all the names of the characters on the boxes.

Atmosphere and Service

Bocca Della Verita has a wonderful feel to it, welcoming like a family. And not one of those screaming Italian families in the Sopranos, more like the Keatons in that one show with Michael J. Fox.

Our waiter, Mike, knew his wine and was quick with a reco. In fact, everyone there was friendly and enthusiastic about the menu. Which they should be.

In fact, I’d bet if I made one of my typical cheeseball jokes, they’d be nice enough to laugh along with it.


Cooper’s, Lake View

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

she said:

Last night we joined our good friends for their weekly jaunt to Cooper’s for dinner. They love the place and are, like us, are a couple composed of one meatophile and one veggie so we knew we were in good hands.

Now, there’s nothing about Cooper’s that makes me want to scream from rooftops, but it’s an all-around great restaurant/pub and I plan to go back often.

Its numerous virtues include the following:
1. They have a great big parking lot behind the restaurant (on Belmont!)
2. And a beautiful covered patio (which is closed for winter, of course, but looks awesome and is pet friendly).
3. On Thursdays, their delicious pizzas are half off. I had the truffle mushroom pizza; it was, without hyperbole, one of the best pub pizzas I’ve ever had.
4. The drink menu is extensive. The multi-page list of imported beers ends with a tiny section (labeled “We’re Not Snobs”) of Budweiseresque variety brews. Martini options abound.
5. There’s plenty of seating and the atmosphere is hip laid-back casual.

I was less impressed by my vegetarian French Onion Soup. French Onion is normally one of my all time favorites, probably because of the thick melted cheese topping. The standard beef broth recipe is off limits for me, but – little known fact – the rich taste comes from the caramelized onions, not the broth. Thus, tasty vegetarian recipes are out there, although I don’t think I’ve ever had one at a restaurant (if you know of any, please let me know). Anyway, Cooper’s was skimpy on the cheese, but certainly not on the black pepper, which dominated the taste and, ultimately, made the soup a culinary failure, in my opinion.

Still, Cooper’s had just about everything this girl could ask for in a low key/good food night out with friends. Oh, and there’s a pile of smooth decorative rocks in the sink of the women’s restroom. I think that’s nice.

he said:

This is a great neighborhood spot. Makes me kind of wish I lived in Lake View. It has the kind of pub grub that makes you feel bad about calling it pub grub* because it doesn’t get across the thought and care that goes into each dish.

*I’ve seen so many great pubs here in Chicago that have interesting menus and delicious dishes, I think we need to come up with a word for it. Something like bar-met (get it, bar and gourmet?) or maybe pubtacular…I’ll keep working.

The service was extremely friendly, helped by the presence our friends, who are regulars. And the beer list was impressive, something that I also keep seeing in Chicago.

Fried Calamari

Coming off my experience with the grilled calamari at Antica Pizzeria, I was ready to be unimpressed when our friends recommended Cooper’s fried calamari. And when it came out, it came out as sticks, instead of the rings I’m used to. It looked like fried mozzarella, and I was thinking this was some Van de Kamps style processed squid.

But one bite showed me that I was wrong. It wasn’t processed–I’m not sure what part of the squid it was from, but it was one cut of meat. And they paired it with true cocktail sauce, not marinara. It was surprising, though I suppose it shouldn’t be. I’m just used to seeing marinara next to calamari.

This wasn’t as good as the grilled calamari, but it was a great fried calamari that rises above the typical pub grub fare.

Rockstar Burger, because I was feeling like a rockstar

Despite the fact that it was half-off pizza night, I just couldn’t turn down the Rockstar Burger. It wasn’t that I fell in love with it on the menu, I just felt like a burger. And I’m really glad I did.

It came topped with a slaw, instead of the regular toppings of a lettuce leaf and a slice of tomato. The slaw was made of chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes and blue cheese. It was tightly packed on top of the burger. I was worried it would spill everywhere, but it stayed in place really well.

And it was a nice addition to the burger. The blue cheese (or is it bleu?) didn’t overpower, it was a nice addition. However, it did make the provolone cheese I ordered on the burger superfluous.

This is the kind of neighborhood spot that makes you love your neighborhood. We have a few here in Andersonville, but Coopers is a good place to have in Lake View.


Antica Pizzeria, Edgewater

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

she said:

Gotta start somewhere, so why not down the street at our neighborhood pizza joint, Antica Pizzeria? I find myself dining at this peach of an eatery a few times a month, sometimes with Guy, sometimes with girlfriends. So, far I’ve never been disappointed. First of all, Mario (pictured right), the owner is awesome. I get the old one, two, Ciao, Bella! double cheek kiss every time I walk through the door. It’s BYOB, which always scores points in my book (though I might advise that you pick up a bottle or three on your way – the place across the street, though convenient, has a pretty limited selection). Half the time I go there, I end up sharing drinks with the tables around me like we’re all a big Italian family. It’s a warm and fuzzy neighborhood place and when I’m there, I feel like part of the community. A single tear trickles down my face. Seriously though, check it out. They’ll make room for you. Mario might even join you for a glass of wine. He prefers red.

Oh, and while you’re there, might I make a few recommendations? There’s no shortage of accolades for the Neapolitan style pizza. In case you’re not familiar, that’s the kind that’s cooked in a wood burning oven. The crust is thin and crisp. Each pizza is intended to serve one, but feel free to share. Parma is my favorite – I replace the prosciutto for capers, though generally Mario isn’t a big fan of substitutions. The bruschetta is also surprisingly tasty. I never order bruschetta (I think I overdosed in the 90′s), but Mario dropped a plate off for free and – hot damn – it’s really good. Like much of the menu, it changes seasonally. And finally, if you like truffle oil (I’d bathe in it if I could), try the Risotto Con Fungi Porcini. Really, I’ve never had a dish I didn’t like. Almost everything is homemade and lots of ingredients are imported from Italy. As with with most Italian places, there are lots of vegetarian offerings. Added bonus: he makes all the soups (so far in my experience) with veggie broth. Go Mario.

he said:

The first thing you notice when you walk in to Antica Pizzeria is the warmth. And that’s not just from the wood burning oven that’s cranking out those pizzas. It’s also the warmth of the owner, Mario, and his staff. Personal service is big here.

Of course, I’m just going through my first Chicago winter now and about the only thing I’m looking for these days is warmth.

Anyways, I’ve only eaten here twice, but I’ve loved it both times. Gal has been countless times, so the staff knows her right when she walks in. I think they look at me with questioning eyes—they love her and want to make sure I’m treating her right. And so I always leave good tips.

Wood Fired Pizzas

I’ve gotten the pizza both times, and both times it’s been great. The crispy crust has hints of the smoke from the wood. The ratio of cheese, sauce and crust is perfect.

The first time, the Quattro Stagioni, cooked with artichoke hearts, olives and mushrooms, then topped with prosciutto di parma. A salty treat, but each slice was a handful.

The second, the good old Pizza Margherita, which was excellent in its simplicity.

Grilled Calamari

The most amazing dish I’ve had so far was the grilled calamari appetizer. I’d never had calamari grilled before, only the fried calamari you get at bar and grilles. I wasn’t sure what to expect, maybe something similar to the rubbery fried rings I knew. I was blown away.

The texture of the meat was similar to the fried stuff, but I’d call it bouncy instead of rubbery. I know that probably sounds weird, but it had a mouth feel that I can only describe as exciting. And without the fried skin, I really tasted the meat, which was very tasty. I recommend this dish.

So I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be back. If not, the staff might come knocking on our doors and drag us back anyway.