Quartino Ristorante - Chicago, IL Review

Quartino is a great spot for a casual lunch with a bunch of friends.

I had lunch with four others, we were quickly seated without a reservation (though we did arrive at 11:30 before the lunch rush). The atmosphere is casual with a market feel. The waiter informed us that the food will be brought out as it is made so sharing the dishes was a good idea.

The first dish to arrive was the Chianti salad (not to be confused with the wine). It had some slices of cold beef covered in a bean and pepper vinaigrette alongside a tuft of arugula greens. It was tasty and I would order it again.

Next up was the pizza Margherita made in the famously thin crust Neapolitan way. The pizza was slightly over cooked but eminently edible.

The third dish was a cheese fondue with green apples, crusty bread, potatoes, various vegetables and paper thin dried beef medallions (bresaola). The bread and beef tasted the best with the melted cheese, while the potatoes were a bit underdone to begin with (the cheese was not hot enough to further cook the potatoes). Overall a ho hum dish.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was our last dish - pizza Trevisella (tomato base, mozzarella, paper thin prosciutto, radicchio and balsamic) - also made with a thin Neapolitan crust. It arrived heaped with fresh radicchio (added after the pizza is cooked) that was drizzled with balsamic vinegar. At first I didn't know what to think, but after one bite, I knew this was worth coming back for. A combination that I would never have put together myself, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I mention a good wine list, though I should note that we did not have any wine with our lunch... perhaps at a dinner sometime? They advertise that "wine is cheaper than water" at Quartino. Also service was satisfactory - neither outstanding nor poor.

Bottom line: the pizza Trevisella alone is worth another trip to Quartino Ristorante.