Exterior
Interior
Macchiato
***** (5 stars)
This is a charming little shop (the building is the smallest in the loop, at 19 feet square) with no indoor seating. Service is equally charming. The can’t do decaf espresso, so they made be a cortado using chicory and warm milk.
Pickwick Coffee Roasting
22 E Jackson Ave
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 285-2786
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pickwick-coffee-roasting-chicago-4
Interior
Garlic bread
Kale
Artichoke
Ravioli special
***** (5 stars)
Lettuce Entertain You has done a really brilliant job with this restaurant. It is stylish, comfortable, noise levels are reasonable, and the food is superb. It also avoids a lot of the Italian restaurant cliches, with interesting twists on everything from appetizers to pastas.
We started with the truffle garlic bread, which was perfectly toasted, and not overladen with truffle or oil, and nicely toasted, with crisp edges. The serving size was plenty for two to four people, depending on how much you like bread. In other words, I could have eaten the whole loaf myself.
The kale salad was very refreshing, with a dressing composed mostly of lemon juice, but plenty of other complexity.
The artichokes were unlike any I’ve seen before, more like the blossoms they truly are, with long skinny stems. They were fried to a crispy consistency, but not oily at all.
I had the day’s special pasta, a wonderful cheese ravioli that incorporated a whole egg yolk. When broken open it perfectly blended with the accompanying, asparagus, peas and mushrooms.
The only disappointment was dessert. We kept it simple with gelato, Although they were very creamy, neither had much of the supposed pistachio and creamsicle flavors.
This is definitely my favorite of the Italian restaurants I’ve tried in River North, and I’ll be back soon.
RPM Italian
52 W Illinois St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 222-1888
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rpm-italian-chicago
Interior
Hummus
Nachos
***** (5 stars)
This place serves excellent vegetarian and vegan food in a cozy atmosphere.
The hummus plate was a nice appetizer for two, with tasty, citrus-tinged hummus and lots of fresh veggies for dipping.
I had the nachos as my entree. They were a heaping plate, with crisp corn chips, excellent guacamole and a very convincing spicy “meat” and bean chili.
Service was friendly and efficient.
Munch
104 N Marion St
Oak Park, IL 60301
(708) 848-4226
https://www.yelp.com/biz/munch-oak-park-2
Interior
View
Tart
Falafel
**** (4 stars)
This is a pleasant, high-ceiling and airy space with a great view of Millennium Park, and a nice, if pricey, selection of small plates and entrees.
We didn’t have a lunch reservation and even though we arrived before noon the only seating was “high top” which turned out to be a bar. But it was pleasant enough.
We had three appetizers, each costing around $18 each. Falafel consisted of three oval pieces of falafel served with assorted veggies such as cauliflower, and some harissa. The goat cheese tart had a delightfully delicate crust and was served with a good sized green salad.
My favorite was the smoked fish plate. The very moist and tender fish had a great smoked flavor. It was accompanied by pickled onions, gherkins, creme fraiche, salmon roe, stone ground mustard and sesame crackers.
Service seemed a bit brusque, but it was efficient.
Cindy’s
12 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 792-3502
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cindys-chicago