RESTAURANT WEEK RE-WIND
The deals at Lettuce Entertain You businesses during RW '20 were so nice, we just had to visit twice.
In previous years, I'd missed out on opportunities to enjoy restaurant week in the city (having read about people's experiences on Yelp after the fact). This time, I had my ear to the ground and when the LEY group announced that more than 30 of their spots would be participating, I jumped at the chance to spend a couple nights out with my wife.
Having enjoyed a classy, albeit expensive dinner at Shaw's in Schaumburg the prior week, I set my sights on this Italian restaurant in Northbrook. Di Pescara is on the northern edge of the Northbrook Court mall, its entrance facing Lake Cook Rd. They seated us for a 6:30 rez on 10/9/20 -- a lovely Friday evening in early October -- back when the weather allowed outdoor dining.
$25pp got us each three courses and a glass of wine, a terrific value when all's said and done. Bread & butter kept our hunger at bay until the first course showed up. House salads were decent but nothing that would warrant a picture or more detailed description. For an appetizer, we got the tuna tartare ($14). The delicate flavors of diced raw tuna matched up well with avocado, cucumber, wonton chips, and a tasty wasabi aioli.
Nichole S gave the shrimp risotto a passing grade, a 5/10 in her book. On the other hand, I LOVED the chicken al limone. A quartet of lightly breaded, juicy chicken cutlets with capers in a lemon cream sauce was served over a bed of wilted spinach. The serving size was huge, though I would've really liked a choice of pasta on the side (i.e. angel hair).
Bread = 4.5
Circuses = 4.5
Instead of an entire slice of cake/pie/brownie sundae, Di Pescara presented customers with a lighter alternative of "dessert bites". We chose the chocolate mousse & key lime pie, both were fantastic. I'd definitely want a full serving of the latter next time I'm here. Service was solid, and the temporary outdoor area they set up with tables and chairs suited us just fine.
* TL;DR *
When the check came, I thought "that can't be right.....can it?" With dinner for two priced at just under $75 total, it seemed like we'd discovered the bargain of the year. Also, Di Pescara was one of the ONLY restaurants in the Lettuce Entertain You group that offered a glass of wine w/restaurant week. They were ample pours, too!
Thanks to those diminutive desserts, we left full although not overstuffed (this is in sharp contrast to Shaw's, whose massive piece of chocolate cake had the density of a black hole. No human could eat that without passing out in their chair). I was skeptical of the tiny desserts at first; now I can see why they went this route.
Northbrook is too far off our radar so a return trip is unlikely, but I would recommend Di Pescara to practically anyone. read more