Famished Girl

Quartino

I’m embarrassed to say that Quartino has been 3 blocks from my apartment for a long time now, and I just ate there for the first time last weekend. I had no idea what I was missing. Now that I do know, I can’t wait to go back!

You can’t talk about Quartino without first mentioning the wine. It is, afterall, “where wine is cheaper than water,” and is based on the European tradition of pricing local wines as a cheaper alternative to water. The expansive wine list features a hand-picked selection of Italian wines, many which are unique to Quartino. Many wines can be purchased by the quartino (a little more than a glass), the mezzo (half liter), or the litre (liter), so it is easy for everyone to enjoy their favorites.

Best of all, the wine list explains the wines so that even the beginner can pick out the perfect glass (or bottle… or liter) to suit their taste. My party of four managed to drink two liters of red wine and one bottle of Prosecco (sparkling wine) for less than you might spend on one or two bottles at other restaurants.

Not to be outdone by the wine, the food at Quartino is the perfect accompaniment to great wine and great company. Served on small plates for the whole table to share, the menu features everything from an antipasto menu to pasta and pizza to octopus. Our waiter recommended each person order 2 items and that would be plenty for the whole table, and he was right.

My recommendations are the pan roasted clams in a pino grigio and red chili broth and the broccoli rabe (gotta eat those veggies!).

In the name of research, and so I could inform you all fully on Quartino, I felt it was my duty to test the desserts. We ordered two desserts for the four of us, and although they were both out of this world, one dessert would have been plenty. It’s been five days and I still can’t stop thinking about the Panino al Gelato di Limone (lemon cream gelato sandwhiched between to delectable lemon cookies).

TIP: Call ahead for reservations, or make reservations on Quartino’s website. It was packed when we went on a Friday night, but we had reservations and were seated in about 10 minutes.

Quartino
626 North State Street
(Corner of State & Ontario)
Chicago, Illinois 60610
(312) 698-5000

Red Line to Chicago stop (walk S on State)
or
Red Line to Grand stop (walk N on State)

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