Be prepared to read a magazine article length review of this establishment. Usually I do not review…read morechain or franchise restaurants, but this was so good, I made an exception. I was intrigued by a mail brochure, then their video. I like the place VERY much. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because I reserve those for Italian restaurants with table cloths, vino, attentive waiters and opera playing in the back ground. It is based on FOUR visits because I liked it so much and did not want to give an incomplete review.
First will be a detailed list of the dishes we tried and then I will get o ambiance and service at the very end. Here goes the food review first.
Chicago Hot Dog.
I'm not from Chicago and only know the signature food by reputation but my wife and I were impressed. The bun was very good with the poppy seed on the outside. Holding its own was a nice hot dog through the additional dressings. I ordered mine with the hot gardenia. It was delicious but instead of a vinegar base, it was a nice olive oil.
French Fries
Our family recognizes my wife as our resident expert on quality fries. She rated these as among the best she has ever eaten. I agreed with her that that they were crispy outside and fluffy inside. She added comments that they held up on the plate as she ate. Being crinkle cut, those fries tend to get soggy, but these retained their crispness through out.
Chicago Beef
Visiting their website you will see how they prepare their beef for meal. My wife indicated that it was fairly standard, but I drew me in. Admittedly, I have only tried a few of this type of sandwich. The things I liked about it was that it was juicy without soaking the roll and plate. It also had a nice flavor.
Pasta
On the wall in the store is a sign advertising that the pasta is fresh, never dried and that peaked my interest. Signature Rigatoni Marinara was the menu Item I chose and felt like it was one of the best pasta dishes I have ever enjoyed. Thin, long pastas are classified by a number indicating their thickness. I could not find such a classification for rigatoni. While I may be a bit of an engineer, I studied the wall thickness of this pasta. Compared to what I buy in the grocery store, this had a thicker wall. It is important because the pasta was cooked al dente. The mouth feel of the thicker pasta and feel to the tooth was great. Do not feel I am discounting the sauce, but it was one of the best I think southern Italy would offer.
Brownie
On a whim, I grabbed a brownie because my wife did not want to stop at a candy store for me to get chocolate to go with my bourbon at home. It was light in texture, but incredibly full of quality chocolate flavor. It was great taste for taste, sip for sip.
Beef and Gardenia Pizza
Our fourth visit to justify my rating was with my wife, adult son and I.
Surprisingly, she ordered the pizza choice because it was unique, Neither of us had gardenia on a pizza.
Their Tavern Pizza is 10" and cut checkerboard style, not wedges, which was fine by us. The one pizza was enough for my wife and I.
We both agreed that the Marinara sauce was the same as on the pasta. The pie was loaded with toppings. In fact, it was hard to get a true taste of the crust. It was also so loaded that she commented that it was a good thing we ate in the dining room instead of taking it home. If we took it home, she suggested, the copious toppings would totally soak the crust.
Gardenia served here is in olive oil, not vinegar. As such, it gave a nice flavor to the pie. I thought my wife ordered extra cheese, but, no. That thick blanket is standard. The blend of toppings was just wonderful and the gardenia was just spicy enough.
Margherita Pizza
All pizza restaurants are judged by their Margherita pizza as far as my son goes. This pie was not traditional, so he simply gave it a "good" evaluation. He would rather get this pizza at other restaurants, but if he came back here, he would order it. Among his comments were that normally tomato slices were on the pizza, but this one had the diced tomatoes in this. Also, all the basil, while tasty was just piled up in the center instead of strewn all over the top.
Now for service and ambiance.
Of my trips, I was there a few times shortly after they opened for the day and once during a very busy time. Both times, the meal came out in a timely basis and the meals very fresh. On one trip, I ordered beer. The counter person was underage, and left to find a manager to complete the order. She was not clear in diction and we did not know why she left, but it was O
Being new, it was very clean. Ambiance is very bright and well lit. Large windows give a good view of the area. Promotional signs and posters are informative and appropriate.
