Posts Tagged ‘limoncello’

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.


Anteprima, Andersonville

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

he said:

It’s taken me too long to get to Anteprima.

As a resident of Andersonville for the last 6 months, I’ve often been asked if I’d eaten there… like, every time I tell someone I live in Andersonville. And when I started blogging about Chicago food, well, you can imagine. So I got the picture; it was a place worth visiting.

Perhaps that big buildup set me up for a letdown. While there were things I really liked about the meal the Gal and I shared with parents there this past weekend, I left disappointed.

So much to like

Our parents were in town for our engagement party, and so we had to show them a good time. We love showing off Andersonville and the great restaurants on Clark to out-of-town guests.  And to be fair, Anteprima did the trick. Our group left very happy and impressed with their meal.

Part of their impression had to do with the great service we had, and the warm Italian kitchen style interior. It’s just a really cool restaurant.

But…

The food left me unimpressed. When I asked the waitress about the dish I had my eye on, the pancetta wrapped lamb loin, she told me it was “phenomenal.” Honestly, how often do you hear anyone use the word phenomenal? I couldn’t pass up this opportunity, if for no other reason than my Roget’s Thesaurus would insist that I reward her diction.

And it was good. There’s nothing wrong with good, but when you expect phenomenal, good is a let down. It was a bit dry, the sliced pieces of lamb were a little too thin, and the fricassea it was served on was forgettable.

We also orded the assorted appetizer plate to start, and again, good (read: letdown).

I want to give this place another chance. It looks like they have a great outdoor spot, and my meal was above par.  Maybe if I go another night and order one of the many other enticing dishes on the menu, I’ll love it.

Uh oh, there I go getting my hopes up again.

she said:

I want to say two things about Italian cuisine.  First, it’s probably my favorite type of food.  Second, I am rarely floored by it, at least not in that - oh my god what is this magic happening in my mouth? I don’t want this ecstasy to end, why do I have to swallow? kind of way.  Maybe it’s because Italian food  is ubiquitous in American culture.  Maybe it’s because I almost always know what I’m eating, down to each herb, and have a pretty good idea of how I would prepare it in my own kitchen (though it wouldn’t taste anywhere close to as good, I’m sure,  and I just gave my homemade pasta maker to Goodwill).   I love Italian food for the same reasons I love my own favorite recipes; they taste really really good and they rely upon fresh ingredients.

Thus,  I must admit, “phenomenal” is a tad hyperbolic, but I do think the food at Anteprima is excellent.  It’s creative in its ingredients and presentation and I enjoyed every bite.  Both the ambiance and the menu are upscale without being pretentious.  Is Anteprima extraordinary?  Not mindblowingly so, but that’s not what they’re going for.  They do what they do very well. 

We ordered the starter assortment for the table and I was particularly impressed by the grilled fennel.  For my entree, I had the ricotta ravioli, which is tossed in a wonderful butter sauce and topped with English peas, parmesan and slivered mint leaves.  Outstanding.  I sopped up every last morsel with my bread.

The wine list was extensive; the Orvietto was particularly nice with the pasta and – this is my favorite part – they make their own limoncello.  If you’re not familiar with it, limoncello is a lemon liqueur that’s usually served as a digestivo.  I had it for the first time in the Amalfi Coast, about ten years ago, and I’ve never missed a chance to have it since. 

My only complaint is that Anteprima is a bit noisy – we had a hard time hearing one another – and hot, even on a cool night, which it was when we were there.  Don’t let that stop you, though.  I don’t have a single regret about our choice.  It’s perfect  for a special night out with your sweetie (but don’t get his hopes up first) or an impressive neighborhood spot to take out-of-towners.