Restaurant Review – Quartino

This week had me craving Italian food something fierce. So one evening after I got off work, we hustled over to Quartino Ristorante. Located at 626 N. State St., the restaurant is spread over two floors with a generous number of tables on each floor. There is bar seating available on the second floor as well. The restaurant specializes in small plates that are designed to be shared.  We decided to start with the Veal Meatballs Napoli, served with sun dried tomatoes and golden raisins. These were absolutely delicious. They were cooked perfectly and the sweetness of the golden raisins complemented the richness of the meat. We also ordered the Beef Filets, served with broccoli rabe, garlic, olive oil, and red chili pepper. These were tasty, but didn’t have quite the same wow factor as the meatballs. The meat was very tender and I loved the spice of the chili pepper. I don’t love broccoli in general, although their preparation was nice. Finally, we had the Ravioli, filled with braised pork, speck, and fava beans. This was my favorite dish we tried. The combination of the pork and fava beans was so unique, I had never had anything like it before! The speck was rich and salty, which added dimension and depth to the flavors. Looking at the menu, I was also intrigued by the Tuscan Sausage Risotto with fresh peas and tomatoes. I also want to try the Polenta Fries, served with a red bell pepper salsa.

Quartino is open Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 am to 2 am (the kitchen closes at 1 am), Saturdays from 11:30 am to 3 am (kitchen closes at 1 am, pizza is served until 2 am), and Sundays from 11:30 am to 1 am (the kitchen closes at midnight). You can book reservations online and over the phone.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO