Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE ITALIAN VILLAGE
Along with The Berghoff (see listing above), the Italian Village ranks as a down-
town dining landmark. Open since 1927, the building houses three separate
Italian restaurants, each with its own menu and unique ambience, and all three
are popular for pre- and posttheater meals. They also share an exemplary wine
cellar and fresh produce grown in a family garden. Since each restaurant in the
Italian Village is distinct, they are listed separately below.
La Cantina Enoteca
ITALIAN/SEAFOOD La Cantina, the most
casual of the three restaurants in the Italian Village, makes the most of its base-
ment location by creating the feel of a wine cellar. Focusing on seafood, La Can-
tina offers at least five fresh varieties every day. Specialties include a fish soup
appetizer, macaroni with scallops and shrimp in a garlic-pesto cream sauce, and
seafood-filled ravioli. There's also a small selection of nonseafood items (your
basic pasta favorites and some beef and veal dishes). The dinner menu offers a
big-time bargain: A la carte dishes (most under $20) include a salad, and for $2
more you also get soup, dessert, and coffee.
71 W. Monroe St. (between Clark and Dearborn sts.).
&
312/332-7005.
www.italianvillage-chicago.com.
Reservations recommended. Main courses $11-$23 lunch, $12-$27 dinner. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs
11:30am-2:30pm and 5-11pm; Fri 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight. Subway/El: Red
or Blue line to Monroe.
The Village
SOUTHERN ITALIAN Upstairs in the Italian Village is
The Village, with its charming interpretation of alfresco dining in a small Italian
town, complete with a midnight-blue ceiling, twinkling “stars,” and banquettes
tucked into private, cavelike little rooms. It's the kind of pan-Chicago place where
you might see one man in a tux and another in shorts. The massive menu includes
some time-warp appetizers (oysters Rockefeller, shrimp
de jonghe
) and all the old-
time, hearty southern Italian standards. This is old-school Italian: eggplant parmi-
giana, a heavy spaghetti
alla carbonara
that would send your cardiologist into fits,
veal scaloppine, and even calves' liver. The food is good rather than great, but what
sets The Village apart is the bordering-on-corny faux-Italian atmosphere. The serv-
ice, too, is outstanding, from the Italian maitre d' who flirts with all the ladies, to
the ancient waiters who manage somehow to keep up with the nonstop flow. The
staff are pros at handling pretheater dining.
71 W. Monroe St. (between Clark and Dearborn sts.).
&
312/332-7005.
www.italianvillage-chicago.com.
Reservations recommended (accepted for parties of 3 or more). Main courses (including salad) $8-$20 lunch,
$10-$30 dinner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11am-midnight; Fri-Sat 11am-1am; Sun noon-midnight. Subway/
El: Red or Blue line to Monroe.
Vivere
REGIONAL ITALIAN On the main floor of the Italian Village is
Vivere, the Italian Village's take on gourmet cooking—and eye-catching design.
The bold interior, with rich burgundies, textured walls, spiraling bronze sculp-
tures, and fragmented mosaic floors, makes dinner a theatrical experience. No
spaghetti and meatballs here; the pasta dishes feature upscale ingredients, from
the
pappardelle
with braised duck to the
agnolottini
filled with pheasant. Fresh
fish is always on the menu (a recent entree selection was salmon with spiced car-
rot broth), along with a good selection of meats and game. Grilled venison
medallions are served with foie gras ravioli, while roasted duck is accompanied
by a potato terrine and sautéed spinach.
71 W. Monroe St. (between Clark and Dearborn sts.).
&
312/332-7005.
www.italianvillage-chicago.com. Reser-
vations recommended. Main courses $11-$22 lunch, $12-$33 dinner. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-
2:30pm and 5-10pm; Fri 11:30am-2:30pm and 5-11pm; Sat 5-11pm. Subway/El: Red or Blue line to Monroe.
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