Cafe Bionda - almost open

Both the Mary and the Don were invited to a tasting at this very attractive new spot last Wednesday, 5/31. Chef/owner Joe Farina, formerly executive chef of the Rosebud restaurants, briefly chef/owner of Ballo (now a Rosebud restaurant), is planning to open his own new restaurant, possibly as early as tomorrow (that was the word last Wednesday).

The food was excellent, not at all surprising, given the reputation Chef Farina has earned over the years he helped make the Rosebud chain the huge success it is. No menu was available for the tasting, so I can't comment on what might be offered beyond what we were served. The food just kept coming, right up until we waved the white flag of surrender.

Everything we had was typically wonderful Joe Farina fare. We sampled both his tender and very flavorful Italian beef sandwich and his world class meatballs (check out Pat Bruno's 3-star review of Ballo when it first opened). We also sampled Joe's spaghetti carbonara, the pasta perfectly cooked and the sauce with just the right amount of "zing" to it. Our favorite was probably the sliced beef tenderloin served on a platter over beautifully red sliced tomatoes. The edges of the medium/rare beef slices had just a bit of crust to them, and the beef was incredibly tender and flavorful. Finally, though thinking we'd have to call 911, we were so full, we sampled Joe's legendary Italian sausage. Slightly spicy, the casing with a bit of crust to it, and just the perfect snap on initial entry into each piece, it was Italian sausage at its best.

I was not familiar before with Bionda"s neighborhood, just south of Archer on State Street. Though it was evening, and I really didn't get a chance to walk around beyond the restaurant itself, it looks like a lovely area of attractive new condos and retail space. Bionda's space is long and narrow, with a long bar and open kitchen. I estimated seating capacity at about 80 or 90. I have no idea what pricing of menu items will be, but judging from the informal decor and Chef Farina's history, I assume it will be a very moderately priced menu.

Bionda will surely be a popular neighborhood spot, but if the delicious food we tasted was indicative of the rest to come, it's likely to also become a destination restaurant. We certainly intend to head back there soon after it opens, hopefully before it's "discovered", and wait times start to appear. I forgot to ask what their reservation policy, if any, will be, but, in any case, this newcomer is definitely worth checking out.

Cafe Bionda
1924 S. State Street
312-326-9800

Went there with two friends couple weeks ago and had a good (<great) meal. Started with some fantastic calamari, had a good glass of Pinot (which came w/ its own decanther) to go w/ my Fontinini Sausage Giambona (spicy italian sausage), which had a pungent punch (they had the mild version as well), the acompanying vegetable was well balanced to cover the heat. Friend had the veal chop which was so-so, and fiancee had some kind of Rigatoni that was good, but not impressive enough for me to remember what it was .

We went 8PM on a Saturday w/o reservation, took about 45 min to get seated. We chose the outside patio seating which was great, however, due to city ordinance (so we were told), the patio area has to be closed by 10PM, but restaurant itself would open until way later (1AM?). 1 hour and 15 min was just enough for us to have a good Saturday night meal outside. They have been doing some brisk business and are doing much better than their predecessor at the same location (I'm in the area a lot), as they should IMHO.

I actually liked what some might feel were the fussy miniature decanters for wine -- kind of encouraged savoring of the vino.

As I think I noted elsewhere, the veal Francese here is really quite good, some of the best I've had, very simple.

I do think, though, that this place is cutting corners (with, for instance, canned olives in the puttanesca and peanuts rather than pistachio crumbles on the cannoli), though if you live/work nearby, it seems like a reasonable option.

I've gotta say I wasn't impressed with the meal we had Thursday night.

I ordered the Linguine con vongole. They were generous with the clams, but the pasta was average, at best, and extraordinarily difficult to eat given the butter/garlic/oil pool it was swimming in. I'm all for dipping bread in the leftovers, a la moules mariniere, but this was practically all butter...and not very good butter, at that. For 16 clam$, they should be able to afford to do a better white gravy.

The Man ordered what we thought was a "mixed grill" entree special of char-grilled calamari, shrimp and baby squid--and at $19, it's a safe assumption--so we were floored when an appetizer portion arrived. To their credit, most of the seafood was grilled just right. It arrived sitting on an interesting vinaigrette that was heavy on the oregano and pepper flakes. But $19? Absurd.

The pre-meal basket of bread (again, nothing special) comes with what I can only assume is their signature red sauce, which (like other dishes on the menu) seems to celebrate the red pepper flakes a wee too much, and has the kind of metallic acidity that screams "heartburn wake-up call at 2 a.m.".

The place, curiously, was packed. It seemed like a crowd of regulars who maybe followed the chef from Rosebud? I've never eaten at Rosebud, so I don't know if this place is an improvement, or more of the same, but I probably wouldn't go back. Though I might give the crudo bar a shot (if it opens) based on the clams in the dish.

Has anyone else sampled the goods?

crrush wrote:The place, curiously, was packed. It seemed like a crowd of regulars who maybe followed the chef from Rosebud? I've never eaten at Rosebud, so I don't know if this place is an improvement, or more of the same, but I probably wouldn't go back.

It was relatively crowded when I was there, too. I think it's all about location.

Anybody been here recently? We are considering a post-Sox game meal here for six on an early Sunday evening.

Also is it kid-friendly? Doesn't have to be kid-centric, but I don't want to feel like I have to shush my five and seven year old the whole meal.

I haven't been yet and am disappointed with myself. I do know it is doing very well and a second location is opening in Bucktown/Wicker Park soon. You should by all means take the group there after the Sox game...

It's been doing extremely well business wise. I was there two weeks ago on an extremely busy Saturday night. Walked in with 3 other folks around 11PM (after making the reservation call 45 minutes ago, yea, not smart, but thought it was late enough, it might be OK), waited another 30 minutes or so at the bar. Service was great even at that time of the night.

Sunday evening might not be as busy as Fri/Sat, but I would still expect it to be reasonably busy. Kids should be OK in the outdoor patio area, inside, it might be tough as they have their tables placed pretty close together. The newly expanded part of the restaurant may be better to have kids sit with you as there are more space between tables, the trick is (if I remember it right), there are a lot high tables, not the normal dinner-table height tables as they have it on the original side of the restaurant. The place can get loud, so loud kids should not be a huge problem (unless they start screaming, then all bets are off), but if they start running around, you might have an issue on hand.

I've haven't been since last fall, but we had a great meal at Cafe Bionda for the husband's birthday. We also brought our then one year old twins with and found it to be accomodating enough for them. I got the impression that the restaurant is trying to be a good neighborhood joint, and welcoming kids is a part of that. Of course it's nothing like Chuck E Whatever and it's ilk, the only entertainment for the kids is some crayons the hostess may have to offer.

My only suggestion would be to call ahead to make a reservation, and mention to the host/ess that you will have a child as part of your group.

Good luck!

The Birthday dinner went very well even if 3/7ths of our party were 45 minutes late (we had 4:00 reservations, so the restaurant, thankfully, wasn't busy, yet).

The meal was spectacular. One of the best Italian meals I have had at that price point (pastas in the mid-teens, entrees in the mid $20s). Huge, but not disgusting portions. They brought out the wrong dish for my kids and immediately apologized, told us it was comped and also comped a side order of penne for each kid so they would have something to eat while everyone else had hot food.

Really, every dish we tried was great--not a clunker in the group. And the desserts and gelato were excellent, too.

My only gripe would be I would have liked the bread to be a little warmer, but with a big bowl warm red sauce for dipping, it's a very minor complaint.

Really, every dish we tried was great--not a clunker in the group.

Sounds promising. Will you tell us a little more about what you ordered?

I started with a simple plum tomato and red onion salad in a red-wine vinegarette and had a parpadelle in a rich and meaty Bolognese. The kids split a delicious breaded and pan-fried chicken with a lemon-cream sauce served atop linguine. Others ordered Veal Milanese, Eggplant Milanese, and a Salmon Vesuvio special.

What I was especially impressed with was the fact that all the dishes arrived nice and piping hot, no small feat in this day and age.

Dessert was a chocolate lave cake topped with pistacio gelato. Once that was devoured, another was ordered with chocolate-bannana gelato and then a quick cannoli. The Lavazza coffee was a nice touch, too.

This is good, solid Rosebud-esque Italian. Nothing too showy, but well-prepared staples that make you hate anyone for ever going to Olive Garden. I would definitely go back, especially before or after a trip to the Cell. Also there was ample street parking and a free lot in the back.