Pasta By The Kilo

Being of Italian descent, our family doesn’t dine out Italian that frequently anymore, mostly because we’ve grown tired of the practice of trendy Italian venues charging $15 for a plate of pasta, with that plate holding a pound-and-a-half of spaghetti.

Who can eat that? Moreover, who WANTS to eat that? With a pitchfork, maybe…

Anyway, in the northern suburbs we’ve found a couple extremely casual places, for dine-in or carry-out that know the value of a normally-sized plate of pasta, and prices it accordingly. And the food ain’t bad a tall.

Viccino’s, in a strip mall in Libertyville, is not much more that carry-out (there are about 10 tables), but they are inventive in their salad creations. The Tuscany contains roasted red peppers, garbanzos, romaine and gorgonzola in a great mix. Their penne Bolognese is much better than expected, the pasta cooked al dente with chunks of tomato and a spicy sausage/ground beef mix. A steal at $6.95. They also feature panino sandwiches, of which the eggplant parm is excellent.

Another one is Go Roma, near the corner of Dundee & Landwehr in Northbrook, in the old Fluky’s spot. At Go Roma, you queue up, order, pay & the waitstaff brings the food out shortly. Again, this caters heavily to carry-out, but the dine-in area is clean & attractive. And again, I was impressed with the Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp, mixed with tomatoes and broccoli in a white wine sauce at $8.75. Hot, tasty, fresh food.

Just thought I’d mention this type of place, which appears to be filling a niche for young families and people that don’t appreciate a wheelbarrow of pasta.


Viccino’s Pizza Company
1431 Peterson Rd.
Libertyville, IL
(847) 573-0001
www.viccinos.com


Go Roma Italian Kitchen
3061 Dundee Rd.
Northbrook, IL
(847) 480-2000
www.goroma.net