Try an old Chicago Food Whore favorite!

South Loop Italian restaurant, Gioco, reopened for dinner yesterday, April 27.  Gioco closed a few months ago, with the promise to eventually reopen.  Sounds like Gioco has gotten a facelift -extensive refurbishing, a new antipasto bar, new furnishings and a new menu created by Executive Chef Danny Sweis.
 
Chef Sweis’ new menu offers rustic Italian dishes prepared with the finest available seasonal products, along with house-made pastas and wood-fired thin crust pizzas.  Featured new dishes include the House-Made Gnocchi with Fresh Wild Mushrooms, the Grilled …

I’m probably going to get alot of hate mail for this one because I know Rosal’s is dear to many local Chicago folk. But unfortunately – Rosal’s style just didn’t do it for me. My ob-gyn in the suburbs told me how much he loved this place after I told him where we had lived in the city and urged us to give it a try. I’m sorry I wasted my stomach budget on this place.
I think my problem is that I am not really a …

As a foodie, people often ask me, “What’s your favorite food?”  This is an impossible question!  It all depends on my mood, the weather, or what my current obsession is.  However, there are a few things that I simply cannot live without.  If I ever get stranded on a deserted island, there had better be grapes and some kind of livestock, because I need my WINE and CHEESE!  These are 2 of my 4 main food groups – Wine, Coffee, Chocolate and Cheese. 
I had been watching the space now occupied by Vintage …

I don’t think I had even HEARD of Riccardo’s until the Restaurant Week event – so yes, Restaurant Week, you are an excellent source for people to try new restaurants in the city!  I especially love cozy and warm restaurants and Riccardo’s met every expectation that I had.  We were immediately greeted and felt welcome with bread, delicious olive oil, a pitcher of water and an introduction to the restaurant.
Restaurant week menus are usually limited but knew that Riccardo’s was offering more options than most other particpating restaurants and thought …

Raise a glass for charity! 
Every Tuesday in March, Maggiano’s Little Italy will be hosting “Tasting Tuesdays”.  The event will take place from 4 pm – 7 pm in the lounge/bar area, and each Tuesday will feature a different beverage plus specially paired appetizers. 
This Tuesday, March 9 will feature wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle and Santa Christina.
This event is complimentary, however Maggiano’s will be accepting donations to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 
 
 Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 N. Clark St.
Chicago IL  60610
(773) 644-7700
www.maggianos.com

Eight ladies were looking for a Girls Night Out – what a better idea than a spectacular meal and BYOB? With nearly 400 BYO restaurants in Chicago, we had a big decision to make! Several of us scoured numerous BYO options on the internet but decided on Terragusto because it was group friendly and in a convenient location & Michelle had dined here before and highly recommended it. (note: Michelle is not in the pic – instead, she was sun bathing on the beaches of Sydney…lucky girl…!)
Unfortunately the …

As I have mentioned many times before, there is nothing I dread more than waiting in line for eggs. My patience wears thin very quickly when I am under-caffeinated and hungry. Lucky for us non-morning people, there are still some “secret brunch” places around where there is NEVER a line!
I discovered Frasca about a year ago, and was pleasantly surprised by the food, the service and the $10 bottomless mimosas. And the fact that NO ONE was there! I had brunch here with a big group of girls, and …

I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Rocco’s for several months! This new pizzeria is just a few feet from my front door, so I have been watching their progress with interest. When they finally opened to the public on May 11th, I was determined to check it out. With it’s amazing patio space, this place could be my neighborhood hangout this summer!
My girlfriend and I walked in at 6:30 pm, and there was a decent crowd at the bar. This place prides …

I love Italian food almost as much as I love Asian food. Maybe it’s the carbs? or the incredible combination of flavors from sweet, bitter, salty and sour? Whatever it is, I found the same level of comfort I get in Asian food at this restaurant right here.
This is just about 2 miles from me and never had the chance to go – even when my (now) husband lived with some roommates just a block away (when it was Timo). Restaurant Week is definitely what gave me …

Came here for New Year’s Eve dinner with a group of friends and it was delicious and enjoyable! And a STEAL! For $55 we got:
Arugula, green apple and white anchovy salad w/ lemon honey oil –loved the white anchovies!
Black beluga lentils with roasted tomato, root vegetables and Enoteca sausage –this was total comfort food! Made my tummy happy. The sausage was super good.
Homemade gnochetti with parmesan, black peppercorns and a hint of truffle –also very rich, yet very simple. Simple yet addictive!
Tuscan wild boar stew, creamy …

I only give 4 stars and up when I think I will return. Although our pizza was pretty good – I think it’s really dumb that you have to take home a pizza to bake.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBb9AzXvLXk&hl=en&fs=1]
We called to ask about their pizza and they told us to give them 20 mins to prepare the order (which was only 2 pizzas) so we placed the order right away and made our way there. Two pizzas (mediums) were $40.
I think I’d MUCH rather just bring home frozen pizza or …

Came here for New Year’s Eve dinner with a group of friends and it was delicious and enjoyable! And a STEAL! For $55 we got:
Arugula, green apple and white anchovy salad w/ lemon honey oil –loved the white anchovies!
Black beluga lentils with roasted tomato, root vegetables and Enoteca sausage –this was total comfort food! Made my tummy happy. The sausage was super good.
Homemade gnochetti with parmesan, black peppercorns and a hint of truffle –also very rich, yet very simple. Simple yet addictive!
Tuscan wild boar stew, creamy …