Cheese Beans and Other Italian Delights

I have picky taste when it comes to Italian food. My Italian grandparents make amazing food (as does my Mom) and often I am disappointed by Italian restaurants. Plus, it is really infuriating to eat a pasta dish for $20 when you can have similar (or better) at home for so much less. Yet, the type of restaurant I go to most frequently with Mark and my family is Italian.

My sister, Niki, and I tried a new Italian place last week, Fianco. It's in the Southport corridor - just a block north of the brown line stop. We went for an early dinner right after work and we were the only people in the restaurant for a good 30 min. The decor is simple, modern and barely noteworthy, but nice.

We happily started with alcohol. Niki had a glass of Prosecco and I had Pinot Grigio, and the restaurant provided bread with herb butter as a starter. Since we were chatting away it took us a while to decide. I convinced Niki to let us start with the antipasto plate and it was a good decision. It came with salami, pickled peppers, blueberry preserve, cheese and a few pieces of crostini. All of it was absolutely delicious. This plus a small salad would have been plenty satisfying, but we ordered large main dishes too.

I had trouble deciding between the scallops and the pork tenderloin - two of our waitresses favorites. I ended up choosing the pork tenderloin which was wrapped in bacon and served with what Niki termed "cheese beans" (the restaurant had a different name, crispy leek speatzle) and cabbage. The pork was tender and seasoned with rosemary and fennel, and I really enjoyed it. The "cheese beans" were a bit odd in texture and taste, hence the nickname. They looked like very small and thin beans, but had a cheesy texture and taste. We had many laughs about them and I can see my future career as a serious food critic floating away with this post...

Niki ordered the orecchiette pasta with spicy lamb sausage sauce and rabini. It was tasty, but much less funny than my meal. Niki enjoyed everything, but wished the dish was served really hot instead of merely warm.

I enjoyed Fianco, but it's certainly not the best Italian I've eaten out. If you go, order the antipasto plate!

Tab: Around $60

Restaurant Number One: Big Jones

First thing to know about getting married is that things don’t slow down. Mark is still crazy with year three of medical school, and since his surgery rotation has started I get the feeling I’ll be eating out without him quite a bit, unfortunately. Since Dyan gave us the à la card Chicago for a wedding present, I figured she would be a good substitute date.

We met for an early lunch at Big Jones in Andersonville on MLK day. The restaurant serves coastal southern cuisine and they try to feature local and seasonal food. The décor is lovely with antique looking chairs and soft lighting. Dyan and I took a seat at the front window and started chatting.

Dyan started with coffee and I had peppermint infused hot tea. Dyan’s coffee was okay, but the crème our waiter brought to accompany it had curdled. When she requested a different crème, we were greeted with no apology or explanation. Instead, our waiter stared blankly and said nothing while removing the spoiled coffee and crème. When he returned he still didn’t acknowledge the problem.

We laughed it off and resumed our meal with the cornbread starter that the restaurant provides for free. The cornbread is very good, but could be even better if it were served warm. We then ordered the fried chicken salad for Dyan and the blackened chicken sandwich and side salad for me. Both dishes were good. My sandwich had a great garlic aioli spread on it and was served on a delicious roll. Dyan’s salad was a good size and didn’t skimp on the chicken. We were both pleased.

It was a good start to the deck. Not perfect, but good. I’m not running to go back since the service was so unfriendly, but I would try it again. I hear their desserts are delicious!

Tab: Around $30

52 Restaurants in 52 Weeks

After six years and a few months, my college sweetheart, Mark, and I got hitched! There were lots of fun parts to our wedding, but among the best was receiving great presents. I know you aren't supposed to admit that, but I can't help it. Our friends and family were incredibly generous and we received lots of money, lots of things to use in our home (read: small apartment) and a few new 'experience' gifts. The experience presents include gift certificates for golf lessons and cooking classes and something called the a la card Chicago.

The card is actually a deck of 52 $10 gift certificates to Chicago restaurants that have "killer food and great passion." I was really excited to receive it (thanks, Dyan)! We have until December 31, 2010 to use them and you need to spend at least $25 at each place. I think the card is a really great present for a newlywed couple like us - we have an excuse to go out on dates and try new places.

It also seemed like a neat idea for a blog - my own Julie & Julia, but with less Meryl and more Mark (again, thanks to Dyan for the blog idea too)! So, please read and let me know what you think as I eat my way through the deck and write about my first year of marriage.

~Jenn