Two Cents on Due Lire--Lincoln Square

We had a nice meal tonight at Due Lire which opened earlier this month in the Chelsea Grill space on Lincoln Avenue. Per a variety of websites, the place is run by Massimo di Vuolo with chef Kevin Abshire. The space hasn't changed dramatically but it's a pretty cozy space, well laid-out with nice art on the walls. We split the arancini with asparagus and fontina, the crostini 'piccante' with salame and roasted peppers, the gnocchi ragu and the ravioli with short ribs. The arancini--well, what's not to like about a fried ball of cheese stuffed with fontina and asparagus--very nice. The crostini was simple but with excellent ingredients. Both pastas were delicious--the gnocchi was fluffy/pillowy and the bolognese very flavorful and the short rib ravioli was excellent as well. The torta di mele (apple tart) had a few charred spots but tasted great. For now it's BYOB (I believe they are expecting their liquor license in December). I think it was Massimo who stopped by our a table a couple times (well, a very nice gentleman who said he was from Naples anyway); our main server was very warm as well. All in all--comfortable setting, warm service, very good food--I'm sure we'll be back.

Due Lire Vino & Cucina (but no vino quite yet)
4520 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
773-275-7878

We ate there on what I believe was the evening after opening night. The food was great. Just to satisfy my curiosity, has the staff relaxed? They were, umm, very attentive, pouncing on empty glasses and asking if you were done with plates if you had so much as paused for conversation when ceramic began to be exposed under the food. We debated whether I might drop a fork while my wife activated the stopwatch on her cell phone, but we felt they'd have responded more quickly than the accuracy level of the stopwatch. After we paid, we got up, and the owner & waitress were standing at the door, like bride and groom after a wedding waiting to receive their guests. I wasn't sure whether to thank them for our dinner or give them each a hug.

Excellent food and we'll go back. I was just really amused at everyone's 'just-opened jitters'.

ryanwc wrote: Just to satisfy my curiosity, has the staff relaxed?

Service was pretty attentive, but not overly so. Our waiter was very helpful but not intrusive. Water glasses were filled promptly. The man I'm pretty sure is the owner folded my napkin when I left the table. So maybe it was 'opening night jitters'. I also wanted to mention pricing/serving sizes. Appetizers were in the $5-9 range, IIRC, pastas in the low teens and secondi in the low-mid $20s. We had only appetizers and pasta. The pasta portions are definitely meant to be primi/part of a multicourse meal. We had plenty to eat (but didn't leave stuffed) and pricing is more than fair. I mention this because I wouldn't go expecting a Mangiano's size platter of spaghetti and meatballs (and that's a good thing). This is definitely more what I think of as Italian/European portions. This place is definitely worth a stop (especially before they get their liquor license, although I think that will be soon). One of my favorite wine stores, Fine Wine Brokers, is right across the street (we really like Scott, who is there most Saturdays, as a source for wine recs, although everyone there is knowledgable and helpful)

We had another very nice meal here last night. We called for a last minute reservation and were told 'if you can get here in the next 15 minutes, we'll save you a table' (we live close) which we thought was really nice for a Friday at around 7p. We are glad to see them doing a brisk business. We split the involtini (eggplant stuffed with zucchini, topped with smoked mozzarella) which was very tasty, a special of fresh tiger prawns sauteed with white wine, garlic and cherry tomatoes--delicious, a tortelloni with swiss chard, chesnuts and butter sage sauce (what wouldn't taste good with butter sage sauce?--very nice, well-balanced dish) and a special of roasted pork loin with roasted root vegetables and a cider reduction with nutmeg and, I believe a little cinnamon. The pork dish was the highlight--perfectly cooked (pork and veggies with great caramelization and pork nice and juicy on the inside). I was worried the reduction would be too sweet but it was actually very savory and really worked with the dish. The only disappointment was the meat/cheese/jam plate we had for dessert--prosciutto, genoa salami, spanish chorizo, grana padano, Dunbarton blue, one more Italian cheese I'm forgetting, Chianti jelly, balsamic pear reduction and sour cherries. The prosciutto was excellent but nothing else stood out on the plate--it was hard to identify the little dots of jams and what they were. I thought this platter was a little pedestrian and not something I would order again.
They are still BYOB (though I'm guessing not for long) with a $5 'glass' fee [they asked if we had a red or white and provided appropriate (stemless) glasses]. I really like this place and I'm glad it's close.

I had an exciting, flawless meal at Due Lire last night.

The two pastas we shared to start were outstanding: first the tender and fresh house made linguine with pristine clams, slivers of soppressata, and a subtle, well-seasoned wine-tomato sauce finished with butter; and second the beautifully translucent tortellini stuffed with earthy chard and a toasty butter-sage sauce.

Our next course was the perfectly seared tuna served simply with some caponata, but don't let the simplicity fool you: this caponata was bursting with juicy flavor and I wanted to lick the plate clean when it was gone.

For dessert we had the evening's special, croccantino: a nougat-like pastry cream with terrific Sicilian pistacchio crumbles that had been combined with a deep caramel sauce that was popping with little salt crystals. The whole delectable thing was topped with a drizzle of fresh espresso. A can't-miss dessert if it's still on the menu next time.

Add to the wonderful a relaxed and friendly owner/ host and some very reasonable prices, and Due Lire might have just become my favorite new restaurant of 2010.

I enjoyed my recent meal at Due Lire quite a bit. A highlight in the overall excellent meal was the light, crisply battered, tender calamari. These were served at the perfect temperature (no small feat) and the tender rings and tentacles were accompanied by thin slices of battered lemon and bits of parsley. This was an outstanding appetizer and the best squid I have had since Seville in 1976 (no kidding). The rum raisin gelato had a wonderful tang, as if made with creme fraiche.

Service appeared well-organized, and was attentive, but not intrusive at all. The place was packed, but there were no glitches.

We felt the meal was an overall great value at less than $40/person for three courses.

There are a lot of decent places to eat in my neighborhood, but I'm guessing that I'll be going back to Due Lire soon.

More perfect execution in evidence last night in the form of crisp, creamy and light-textured arancini with saffron. Heather Shouse and I must have eaten different versions of Due Lire's gnocchi Bolognese, as while she reports her ragu as tasting "Blah" mine was rich and intensely flavored. Small imperfection this time in the chard tortelloni, which had some grit in the filling last night. Larger imperfection in the beef filet, which was seriously overcooked, possibly due to a kitchen trying to figure out how to cope with a rather sudden onslaught of big crowds. Due Lire was packed, and practically with a tear in his eye the owner turned away at least a dozen walkers-by looking for a table.

Count me as the latest fan of Due Lire after my meal last night. A very pleasant and extremely well informed server started the evening well, and the very good food will ensure a second visit. My lentil soup to start the evening (a menu special) was really excellent, bursting with flavor. The arancino was also excellent, hot, crisp (but not oily), and a beautiful saffron flavor. We debated how much we enjoyed the crostoni, but the only complaint was that the bread itself was a bit burnt (which I liked).

After that, an evening of pasta. My favorites were the tortelloni with swiss chard and the pappardelle with chicken livers (another evening special). The pappardella also incorporated marsala and I was impressed that the sweetness was not the least bit overdone. I quite liked the short rib ravioli too, and while I enjoyed the gnocchi Bolognese, it was because of the beautiful gnocchi themselves - the Bolognese was okay, but not as good as others I've had (Merlo on Maple comes to mind). It just seemed a bit one dimensional in flavor.

For dessert, the panna cotta was a bit uninspiring and too dense in texture, but the apple tart was sensational in all respects. I could have eaten several of them. All in all, a great addition to the Lincoln Square dining scene.

Also, note that their website is up and running:

Due Lire
4520 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
773.275.7878

Reservations taken, and still byo as of this post

This place continues to impress. We ate here again tonight and I think this was my favorite meal to date. We had three specials--a crostone (grilled bread) with taleggio, grilled radicchio and balsamic reduction, a polpettone (veal and ?pork "meatloaf) with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach, and an octopus salad with olives. We also had the tortelloni with chard and sage butter sauce. All were excellent but we were most impressed with the octopus which was meltingly tender (apparently slow braised in red wine) and just delicious. We also enjoyed the goat cheese, cashew and caramel gelato. I think we are going to be regulars here.

I had a really delightful meal at Due Lire last night. They definitely get my vote for "Best New Italian" in TOC's Eat Out Awards.

Our waitress, Suzie, was a sweetheart. My dining companion was vegetarian but a bit picky (so I probably made a bad choice in coming here) but the kitchen was so accommodating as to whip up a simple linguine with white wine and olive oil sauce and parmesan. This was greatly appreciated and speaks to their incredible service.



I started with an arugula salad with grape tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Simple, but the arugula was so fresh and the grape tomatoes were so sweet, in sharp contrast with the ones we get at the school cafeteria. The salad was drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper. A very refreshing start to my meal.



Then, I ordered the famed Tortelloni Ripieni with swiss chard and chestnut in a brown butter sage sauce with cheese. The sauce was a little salty, but the tortelloni were to die for. Swiss chard and chestnut make a lovely combo and the chestnut sprinkled atop added an amazing earthy sweetness that I thoroughly enjoyed. The tortelloni were cooked to al dente pillows of perfection.



For dessert (I almost got tiramisu) I chose pomegranate panna cotta which was great. That's black Hawaiian sea salt sprinkled on top, which really brought out the pomegranate flavor. BR said it was a little too dense, and while it is denser than panna cotta I've had in the past, almost like greek yogurt texture, I thought it really worked for this dish.

Last report for Due Lire was in March, so you may not know that getting a table at Due Lire is a lot easier now, thanks to the nice patio out back (thus away from the street noise of Lincoln). Out back there are at least a handful of tables, plus one large communal table, and on a beautiful summer evening like last night it made for another fine dining experience at Due Lire.

Pastas shined again, and I really enjoyed my octopus carpaccio to start. A special dessert which was supposed to be a pistachio-caramel mousse of sorts with cappuccino poured atop had no discernible pistachio flavor (although there were nuts in the dish), but it was so good that I didn't care one bit.

Note that they are no longer byo. You're also probably still advised to make a reservation (and I don't believe you can reserve an outdoor table), but you shouldn't have problems getting a table.

thanks for the reminder BR--I just had a really nice dinner here. First, a well-prepared negroni (although they did have to confirm the ingredients with me first --new bar program I'm guessing ). Starters were a soup of the day--a cold pea, mint and something else--wish I could remember--it was lovely--and the Crostini Rustico--simple but good. For mains, my SO ordered the cornish hen--his only complaint--that he'd wished they would've given him more of the potato, pepper and onion "hash"--he could've eaten a plate of just that i think. I had a pasta special with rabbit and tagliatelle--gorgeous (and a lot of rabbit!!). We also had a side of asparagus. Finished with the torta di mele which was delicious--I think--I was allowed such a small and fleeting taste before it was inhaled by my dining partner that I barely remember it. We'll be back.

Bumping this thread to report a very satisfying meal tonight, and hoping to motivate people to (re?)gain interest and support this neighborhood gem. We live in Lincoln Square and have walked by several times, including when looking for an impromptu spot to dine, and have never really been tempted. We chose it for this Friday night because my husband had to work two shifts, with only a few hours in between, so we wanted a place where we could walk, and it would feel more special than our usual haunts, to give him a taste of a weekend. We didn't even realize, until staff called this afternoon to confirm our reservation, that the Square Roots Festival would be happening right outside their doors, and it's just as well, because it might have deterred us but actually made for a fun post-dinner stroll. My husband arrived about 15 minutes before our appointed time, and while he missed out on a (first-come first-served) patio table, he was given his choice of two-tops in the dining room. Kudos to him for arranging a glass of Prosecco to arrive seconds before I did. Our server gave excellent information and suggestions about the menu. (A soapbox moment, however, to plea that servers please state the prices of specials. We know the cost of all other menu items, why not these?) We shared an appetizer of the veal meatball. The two orbs were of perfect texture and seasoning, accompanied by two substantial slices of grilled bread that made for nice dipping in the tasty and hearty sauce, and a makeshift mini meatball sandwich as made by my spouse. We next enjoyed a beet salad with watercress, goat cheese, and pistachios. While some places would have split it for us, given he said we were sharing the salad, we were brought a side plate, and each of us received new silverware between courses, so thank you for those service touches. For our mains, my husband had the oxtail gnocchi. It was the most pillowy gnocchi of my memory, the meat was sliced in substantial pieces not shredded, and the seasoning was, again, spot-on. I enjoyed my shrimp ravioli, sort of a compromise choice between the less-healthy short rib ravioli I really wanted and the low-carb whitefish I considered. (BTW, our table neighbor ordered the fish, at the suggestion of a nearby regular, and it looked perfectly crisped and plated.) We asked our server to bring a glass of wine for each of us, and his pairings matched our selections very well. All in all it was a very pleasant evening, exactly what we needed tonight, and we look forward to return visits to Due Lire.

Smassey wrote:Bumping this thread to report a very satisfying meal tonight, and hoping to motivate people to (re?)gain interest and support this neighborhood gem.

I'm sorry I didn't get around to posting in August, when I visited, as I do agree with Smassey that Due Lire is a restaurant that I enjoy ever time I visit. Unfortunately, since I now live in St. Louis, that is not often enough, however, my daughter and I were delighted to arrive early enough to gain a table on the patio. I had no idea that Due Lire had a patio in the back. To my mind, this is far superior to a seat on the sidewalk, especially now that Lincoln Square has become crowded on summer evenings.

One of the things that draws me back to Due Lire is their hot, crisp, greaseless, tender, perfectly seasoned fried calamari. It recalls to me the first few times I had calamari in Seville in the 1970's:


Calamari Fritti @ Due Lire by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I love that they fry paper-thin slices of lemon with the squid. The tentacles are a must for me, an indication that this is real calamari.

We enjoyed a nice bottle of Vermentino Toscana, which was a terrific bargain on this half-priced wine night. We also enjoyed a chat with the owner, who is charming in a genuine way, and eager to assure us about the gluten-free chops of the kitchen. I know that it can be a hassle for a kitchen to deal with this, but it's just wonderful to have the freedom to order a risotto and a pasta with mushrooms off the regular menu, and not to worry about what gluten-containing ingredients might have sneaked into the dish. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the porcini base in the sauce eliminated any hint that this was not wheat pasta.


Gluten Free Pasta with Porcini by Josephine2004, on Flickr

The seafood in my risotto was perfectly cooked. The rice was al dente, not mushy, clearly prepared to order, and there was no stinting on the saffron in the rice. Just a terrific dinner all around, at a reasonable price point.