La Scarola

To celebrate my mom's birthday, she decided she wanted to go to La Scarola, which is an Italian restaurant just east of the highway on Grand Ave. This place is real, legit Itlalian. There are no frills and no sexy ambiance here, just phenomenal food. The restaurant actually looks like kind of a dive. That being said, you know it must be good when the place is absolutely packed and there are lots of Italians. The service was also great; we had a very nice waiter who was patient and joked around with us (in a good way).  And the wine list is fabulous (although I am biased) and the prices for the bottles are not overpriced. Overall, I would definitely recommend coming here if you want an amazing Italian meal. This place has been around forever, and although it doesn't have much to it, it draws some heavy hitters (as evidenced by all the pictures on the wall).

Bread and Wine

I haven't heard much buzz about Bread & Wine, but saw that a friend had gone here, and I usually trust her finds. This place is in the Old Irving Park neighborhood, just off the highway. So easy access for those of us that now live in the suburbs (womp).

When we first arrived, we were thrilled to find that there is a free parking lot out front of the restaurant. I have since learned that this is because it used to be an old laundromat. My immediate reaction after stepping into the restaurant was that the lights were on way too bright and it killed the ambiance a bit. They finally turned the lights down after about an hour. The music was good though, and the place has a nice neighborhood vibe. They have a great bar while you wait, and there is also chefs seating available, in which you can sit at another bar and watch the chefs cook.

The staff was super friendly and made good recommendations (like pointing out we probably shouldn't order a starter of pommes frites when our main entree burgers come with fries on the side). The service was terribly slow and it got annoying after a while. We had to wave someone down to get a second cocktail, and even to pay our bill. The menu is small, which is expected for a small restaurant, and the menu was good but not amazing. I wasn't dying to have several things, and it was clear what I was going to order after looking at the menu for a couple of minutes. That being said, the burger that we both ordered was amazing - cooked just the way we asked it to be, and had amazing beef bacon on it. Yum. The desserts were totally killer. The carmel popcorn panna cotta is a MUST.

Overall, I liked this place but wouldn't put it on my must go to list. I also wouldn't recommend this place for out of town visitors, and the location is pretty out there. If you are an adventurous restaurant goer though, and like to explore, but this on your list.

Bottlefork

Last night I went to Bottlefork with my dear friend Camille, and this is now one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago! Anyone who lives here has to come to this place, and I would definitely recommend it for out of town visitors. Make reservations way in advance though because it's tough to get in here!

This place just opened by Rockit Ranch Productions and is in the heart of River North, so there are tons of options to go out afterward if you're making a night of it. You walk in and immediately fall in love with the atmosphere. It's relatively smaller and the decor is dark and the decorations are masculine. We sat at the chef's view bar and had such a blast, although our view was a pigs head and hoof, yuck. The service was amazing; literally the best waiter I have in a very long time. He was fun, made real recommendations and was actually interested in our questions, brought us out a taste of the wine before ordering a bottle, and even gave us a side of ice cream with our dessert (that was not supposed to come with it). And the food is great. You don't feel pressured to order a main entree, because there are also pastas, a snacks portion of the menu and sides. We order a bunch of smaller plates and shared, per usual.

Overall, this was such a good experience and I can see why this place is getting a ton of buzz and climbing up the lists of notable places in Chicago. Literally everyone has written about them: Chicago Eater, Zagat, Michigan Avenue Magazine, Chicago Social, Refinery 29, and the list goes on... I don't like to go to restaurants twice, because there are so many places to try, but I'll have a hard time not coming back here.

Celeste

I love a good cocktail place and have been wanting to go to Celeste ever since reading about it in Chicago Eater. This place is in the heart of River North on Hubbard, and you will see quite the going out night time crowd when wandering the streets down here. You feel excited and energized just being here.

The first floor is focused on being a cocktail bar, and apparently there is a second floor that is a lounge and supper club, called Deco Room. Although the menu is extremely limited, it seems like an amazing date place. The colored backlighting makes for quite the ambiance. There are a plethora of fantastic cocktails to choose from, all ten bucks.

Overall, I highly recommend coming to this place. You'll have to go before 11pm though if you don't want to wait in a line 50 people deep.

Paris Club Bistro and Bar

I always loved Paris Club so was a bit bummed when I heard they were rebranding themselves and going by the new name of Paris Club Bistro and Bar. I wanted to check it out, so headed down to the River North neighborhood with my friend Michelle. 

Although this restaurant was impressive, because I knew and loved the old one so well, I was semi disappointed by the menu and ambiance. I loved how the old menu was massive and you could order tons of amazing small plates. This is now more of a typical French restaurant, and you have to order a meal. That being said, the food was great. We truly loved everything we ordered. The restaurant also just feels a bit more formal now, like it'd be great for a business meeting, but I could find better places to go on a date. The restaurant now has lots of dark wood, leather and tufted chairs.

Overall, this is a solid restaurant to come to and always a great recommend. The location is phenomenal, and you can guarantee a consistent and good experience.

Davanti Enoteca

I had never been to Little Italy before this weekend, but had always wanted to check it out. I finally made a date and went with my family to Davanti Enoteca. The original location is on Taylor Street in Little Italy, but they've also expanded and have one suburb Chicago location, a River North location, and two restaurants in California.

I could tell this place was good immediately after walking in, as we had a relatively early reservation and the restaurant was PACKED. As in, not one table open. There is a vast menu and they recommend ordering several plates and sharing with the table. This was a great way to be able to try a lot of the menu items. The food was absolutely amazing, and you have to order the focaccia di Recco, which is baked focaccia stuffed with fresh soft cow cheese and a honeycomb topping. To die for.

I did however find the restaurant to be very loud. I felt like we could hardly hear each other unless we were almost yelling. Definitely not a good place for a first date!  Also, the dishes came out very quickly and it made me feel a bit rushed. At times, I felt like we were being bombarded with food, and maybe we should have spaced out when we placed our orders.

Overall, I highly recommend coming to this place. Definitely make a reservation though because you will never get a table walking in. Also, plan ahead for parking or bring cash for valet. Almost the entire area around the restaurant is permit parking, and the available pay to park spots were few and far between (non existent in our case).

Coalfire Pizza

Earlier this week I went to Coalfire Pizza, which is west of the highway towards the United Center. This place had been getting a lot of buzz as a good pizza place, and as many of you may know, pizza is my ultimate favorite food, so I had to check it out. Chicago Eater recently listed them at number 4 on the list of 14 Chef-Approved Chicago Pizzerias. Thrillist has also written several articles on Coalfire, the most recent was including them in the article titled "The Most Ordered Menu Item At 20 Popular Chicago Restaurants," in which they highlighted the 'Nduja pizza that we ordered (of course).

My first impression walking in was not so great. The place has no ambiance, and I'd never seen pictures of the inside so I didn't know what to expect. That being said, I was happy with the rest of my experience. The staff was very friendly, and the menu & pizzas are truly amazing. Like the name suggests, the pizzas are baked in an oven fueled by burning coal. They are on a very thin crust and the toppings are so creative, and it shows that they are using high quality ingredients. The first pizza we ordered was the 'Nduja, which has salami, fresh mozzerela and basil. The second pizza we ordered was the Pesto - the giant globs of ricotta made this a winner in my book! I was definitely also craving the Prosciutto pizza; I might have to attempt to make something similar at home. We also ordered some of the cupcakes, which they apparently get from Chicago Cupcake, and they were out of this world good. Especially the red velvet.

Overall if you're local and looking for a very laid back night in which you'll get some great pizza, come here. I wouldn't recommend this place for an out of town guests outing, or as a MUST go to place though.

Found

This weekend I went to dinner with my friend at Found in Evanston, which I also went to back when it first opened last January. This restaurant is absolutely amazing, and makes you feel like you're in the city. We went at 9pm and there was still a (short) wait, and when we left around 11pm, people were STILL coming in for dinner. It's that good.

The atmosphere at this place is so amazing. The restaurant is dark & cozy with lots of candles, and not too noisy yet not too quiet...the perfect recipe. Most of the furnishings came from old Ritz lobbies so there's lots of plush dark velvets and oriental rugs. The ceilings are also painted with chalkboard paint with quotes.

The menu is unbelievable. I literally could order everything on this menu and be happy with each item. That makes it so hard to choose. We were not disappointed with anything that we got. That includes the large cookie platter...oops.

And the best news about this place, is that they are now taking reservations. For the longest time they didn't take reservations so you could wait up to two hours even on a week night. Whether you live in the city of the suburbs, this place is a must. I can't wait to go back again, and this will definitely become a regular for me in my new town.

The Southern

Earlier this week I went to The Southern for dinner with my friend Billy and his sister Tory. The Southern is a barbecue restaurant in Bucktown right near the train. I have been here for brunch, but it was years ago and I wanted to try the dinner menu.

Although this place is good for a reasonably priced meal with a good atmosphere in a convenient location, I wouldn't put this on my must go to list. The food was yummy, but I found the menu to be very limited, as they didn't really have any barbecue sandwiches...and I was really hoping for some pulled pork! That being said, if you are a whiskey lover, this place is for you. They have  hundreds of varieties. This place also has a phenomenal outdoor space, so if you're looking for somewhere to go in the summer, put this on your list. The private outdoor raised area is unreal and would be an awesome venue for a fabulous summer party.

The place I am really wanting to try is Lillie's Q just down the street. Sadly they don't take reservations...

Nico Osteria

This past weekend I went to brunch with a girlfriend at Nico Osteria on Rush Street in the Gold Coast. This place has been getting a TON of buzz recently (like a A LOT), and is in my favorite neighborhood, so I obviously had to go. Nico Osteria is an Italian restaurant that has a great vibe and ambiance. The restaurant is filled with the most amazing light fixtures, beautiful detailed tile floors, lots of dark rustic wood, plush velvet and mid-century furniture AKA my dream.

The same restaurant group that owns Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, Big Star, Violet Hour owns this place...so duh, it is going to be good. The food was great, although I found the brunch menu to be very limited. There wasn't much that jumped out to me. So I would highly recommend coming here for dinner. And talk about an amazing neighborhood to go out in afterword! They also have a large bar themselves that would be fun to post up at.

Overall, whether you are a local or having guests in town, you have to come here. Absolutely. I am dying to come back for dinner, and am hoping they'll have some good outdoor seating set up for the summer!