Quartino

Quartino calls itself, "Chicago's Italian restaurant" and if you've never been you might think that a tad presumptuous. It's not. People love this place as evidenced by tables filled with chatty diners every night of the week. Unlike too many other River North eateries, Quartino offers exceptional food at reasonable prices. Waitstaff can be slammed but still attentive and cheerful. There's wonderful artisanal salumi, cheese and olives, delicate house-made pasta, a quartet of risottos prepared with aged rice from Piemonte and countless Neapolitan thin-crust pizzas exiting the kitchen. Hearty specialties include farmhouse chicken and braised pork shank or go light with wine bar plates such as veal meatball slider, polenta fries with red pepper dipping sauce and house-made goat's milk ricotta. Tasty classic and specialty cocktails, Italian sodas, a deep wine list and a dozen decadent desserts including dark chocolate fondue round out the perfection of Quartino.