CheekyChicago

Good things come in small packages, right? Diamonds, car keys, petite puppies… the same goes for Italian food. If you’re looking for tire-sized entrees of veal parmigiano, rigatoni, eggplant parm, pasta carbonara or a big ‘ole mound of spaghetti and meatballs (and there ain’t nothin’ wrong with any of the them), do not – I repeat, do not – head to Quartino.

Quartino specializes in moderation (when it’s appropriate to do so): moderate sizes and moderate prices and extravagance (again, when it’s appropriate): extravagant flavors and extravagantly LOW prices on wine. I mean, the reason I first came to Quartino (when it was still a bambino) was because of their slogan ‘Where Wine is Cheaper Than Water.’ When you can buy a carafe of vino (bigger than a bottle) for only $16 – and you can – then, hell, I think wine really is cheaper than Figi, Smartwater or Evian.

If nothing else, please start your Italian small-plate experience with an extra large cheese plate. Seriously, you order three different cheeses here and get the same amount (for half the price) that you’d get if you ordered six somewhere else. And the accoutrements – perfetto. You can then move to the light, Neopolitan-style pizzas (which, if you’re waiting too long at the bar, they’ll actually give you for free!). Since sharing is caring, please do not miss the shareable veal meatballs (my favorite), polenta fries, any of their bruschettes, gnocchi, risottos or their shrimp with E.V.O.O., garlic, pinot grigio and lemon. My list stops there for brevity’s sake, but… there are also the sea scallops, linguini with clams, baby spinach salad, crisp calamari and their salmon with roasted grape tomatoes and oil cured olives. Sorry, but with a menu like this, it seems like my brevity’s been shot to sh….well, you know.

As we’ve reiterated in every review, we NEVER skip dessert, but here you can indulge in the best kind: The Liquid Dessert, housed perfectly in a petite wine glass. Sgroppino is a triumvirate of prosecco, vodka and lemon gelato. It’s just like a milkshake, except way better – an alcohol enhanced, mind altering, un-vanilla, goes-down-so-smooth adult milkshake.

I truly believe – and I’ve never said this – that Quartino is the perfect restaurant. I have brought all of my out-of-towners, my closest friends, my friends-on-a-budget, my friends-with-ridiculously-large-budgets and my own mother to this booming Italian gem on the corner of Ontario and State, and every last one of them has loved it (I think my mom might even have a culinary crush on the chef).

Like I said, good things come in small packages. Just make a rezo for yours (yep, even during the week) or you might be up a creek without a gondola. Arrivederci!