Any good Italian restaurant rec's in NW Indana, besides Giov

Giovanni's? And is that still in Munster or IL. I don't live near there, and don't get out that way. It's far. I know about the chains like Olive Garden and GO ROMA. Bellagio's in Merrillville is supposed to be closed, according to the owner's wife Elsie. They got tired of running a restaurant, and she was telling me tha Sunday, on 4/22, that would be their last nite.

So, where else to people like to go that has good Italian? A no smoking area is a must! I wish they would build a Buca di Beppo or Maggiano's out here.

And is Buca di Beppo still good? We have not been there, for about 3 years.

If those are the type of places you are looking for, I think you are asking on the wrong site. The places you have mentioned are universally despised here.

Why are they dispised? If they are a chain and sell a lot of food, and make money, why should they be dispised? Do you realize, we don't have everything available in our area, as you might in yours? And there are more and more places that are new popping up all over.

It's not like we're in Orland and have Connie's Gino's Ricobene's or Barraco's available.

They're not popular here because their food sucks. Remember that popularity and high sales do not remotely imply good food.

So what do you have to offer on my post? Anything, to answer my questions?

Actually GO ROMA is brand new, and thier food is good. Their pastas are great!

What do they have in Pilsen that's Italian and good?


What do they have in Pilsen, that would be good Hispanic food and not greasy?

I don't see a need to be defensive, Summer. Gleam was simply answering the question you posed as to why your favorite restaurants are not liked here.

I respect that you have your own ideas about what constitutes a good restaurant. To echo Stevez, though... the majority of the community dislikes the restaurants you are interested in. I guess I'm trying to give fair warning that you may not find the answers you seek here.

Summerlover wrote:What do they have in Pilsen, that would be good Hispanic food and not greasy?

While gleam charges up his retaliatory death ray, I'll suggest one "non-greasy" option in Pilsen:

Bombon

Actually they are not my favorites, but available places, close. My favorites, are Barraco's, Ricobene's, and Connie's. But, we don't have any of these. And it seems like good Italian doesn't exist, where I am.

Thanks for the tip Jim in Logan Square

What's wrong with grease? It makes the world go round, if you'll pardon the pun. You haven't tasted refried beans until you've had Nuevo Leon's... Mmm. As for "non-greasy" mexican, there's also the very well regarded Mundial, which is a mere three blocks from my home.

As for Italian, I live about a mile from the Heart of Chicago neighborhood, where I have my pick of a handful of superior-to-buca-di-beppo Italian restaurants, and only a couple miles further from the assorted Taylor St. Italian restaurants.

So what's your point?

You're rude. And no help.


I'm well aware of Taylor street, and all the chains. My father grew up with owners of these places.


I don't like greasy Mexican food. It's not made right. And I don't like Nuevo Leon. I've been there, and didn't like it.

You're not in my area, and no help. So just keep your rudeness to yourself.

You asked why they were despised. I told you. You attacked me and asked sarcastic questions. I gave you honest answers to your questions. I'm the rude one? Give me a break.

Summer, it's not clear (at least to me) from your posts where your are is. That might make suggestions a little easier to come by.

OK, I'm letting my inner Libra out to try to ameliorate this train-wreck in the offing.

Summerlover, Pizza is Italian food, and here are some pizza locations in Northwest Indiana that have received approbation (more or less) on this board:

MORE

LESS

Summerlover wrote:You're rude. And no help.



You're not in my area, and no help. So just keep your rudeness to yourself.

You're right. There are better ways to answer your questions. If someone tells you tht a place that you like "sucks", it's simply rude.

Okay, this thread has gotten way off on the wrong foot. Let's keep it civil from here on it or I will start pulling and locking.

Here's a place in Highland that looks pretty decent, at least based on the website:

Anthony's Cafe

Anybody tried this place? Their menu looks intriguing, especially the bourbon bacon-wrapped scallops. Although the more traditional-sounding Italian items also at least look good on paper.

Cafe Borgia has gotten good reviews over the years. They're moving to Munster,In this summer.

17923 Torrence Avenue
Lansing, Illinois 60438
708.474.5515

http://www.cafeborgia.com/

Giovanni's is in Munster, Indiana on Ridge Road, and it is still open. Are you actually looking for Italian in Northwest Indiana, or inquiring about Italian food in the general Chicago area? If you are asking about NW Indiana, then I would suggest Giovanni's as being one of the best options in the area. Another option is Cafe Borgia in nearby Lansing, Illinois, which will soon be moving to a new location in Munster, Indiana on Calumet Avenue.

Hope that helps.

Looks like I crossposted with Artie...

Gamba's should fit the bill nicely.

Anthony's in Highland and Cafe Borgia in Munster have both been mentioned, and both are quite good. And Giovanni's in Munster is excellent on weeknights (the food sometimes suffers when it's insanely crowded on Friday and Saturday nights). I'd also add that a member of the LoDuca family that owns Giovanni's also owns Vinci and Adobo Grill in Chicago.

Thank you very much for the tips. I didn't know these places existed and I wasn't sure where to start looking for good quality. I am in the NW Indiana area. I don't know where things are, because they're not advertised. That pizza under the MORE, looks so good! And I have not been to Gamba yet. I've heard about it. I want to check out Anthony's Cafe too.

I finally found perogies that are good out here.

Now, if only I could find somewhere that has good barbecued chicken and ribs in my area. I see there are a few Kenny's Ribs. I have not been to these in years.

Surprised this one hasn't been
mentioned yet:

Cafe Venezia
405 W. 81st Ave.
Merrillville, IN 46410-5317
219-736-2203

I haven't been there in years,
so I'm assuming it is still around,
but it used to be very good. I
still remember a dish of rabbit
ragu over pappardelle being
extraordinary.

The owners closed Cafe Venezia in 2005, rebuilt it from the ground up, and opened it a year later with the name Gamba Ristorante. I posted a link to the restaurant above...

Gamba is definately worth the visit. Even Phil Vettel speaks highly of it,
if his opinion ever plays a part in any of your decisions.

Anthony's has been disappointing the few times I've been there. It's not terrible, but it's not great. I think it's more of a "pan-european" cuisine, rather than solely Italian. I always see things like goulash and stuffed peppers on the menu.

La Dolce Vita is a brand spanking new Italian restaurant that just opened in Miller. http://www.pizzajazz.com/
I haven't been there yet, but the photos of the brick oven pizza on their website kind of make me want to stop by for a taste tonight.

Has anyone tested the waters here yet?

Artie wrote:Cafe Borgia has gotten good reviews over the years. They're moving to Munster,In this summer.

17923 Torrence Avenue
Lansing, Illinois 60438
708.474.5515

http://www.cafeborgia.com/

I second this. The new space is much better than when it was on Torrence.

The Taste of Italy used to be very good a few years ago. It is in Calumet City, about a mile east of the mall. I haven't been in a long time though, so maybe someone esle can comment on it.

I'm bumping this because it turns out that I'm going with a friend to Cafe Borgia tonight. I was there once, at the old Torrence location, many years ago. Does anyone who's been there more recently have anything in particular to recommend?

JanD wrote:I'm bumping this because it turns out that I'm going with a friend to Cafe Borgia tonight. I was there once, at the old Torrence location, many years ago. Does anyone who's been there more recently have anything in particular to recommend?

There was a review of it in the NWI Times recently.
http://tinyurl.com/2qjg6p

JanD wrote:I'm bumping this because it turns out that I'm going with a friend to Cafe Borgia tonight. I was there once, at the old Torrence location, many years ago. Does anyone who's been there more recently have anything in particular to recommend?

Earplugs.

The food is as good as the old location, but...the interior design is an example of how to insure the person next to you cannot hear what you're saying. Tall metal ceiling with bare walls. Marble floor. Granite tables with no tablecloths.

My plan for when I return is to go at off-peak times. Earplugs aren't a good solution...

I got delayed in Chicago, so we ended up getting to Cafe Borgia about 8 pm last night when there were 7 or 8 tables of folks still eating. I agree with you, Mark, about the noise. The ceiling looks to be nearly three stories high so there was a dull ambient roar which kept me from hearing what the people at the next table were talking about, nor could I hear the young child sitting a couple tables away. Since there were only two of us, we could hear each other without shouting, but I'd hate to be there during the height of the dinner rush. Except the room might have been warmer with more bodies to heat it; I was grateful for my sweater.

For appetizers we got the mixed olives, the grilled calimari, and the white anchovies. The anchovies were off the cold menu and came pickled atop a pile of diced pickled eggplant which also had a touch of sweetness from the onions. A pile of white beans cooked with a green veggie--escarole? It didn't look or taste like fennel--was under the calimari. We shared the pear and mixed green salad with gorgonzola which I thought could have used more of the advertised pine nuts. And the raspberry vinegrette was too syrupy for me, though my friend liked it.

Our mains--the duck ragout and the baccala--were both good without being especially memorable, aside from the deliciously crispy potato cubes that came with the baccala. For dessert my friend had the pear crostata--a pastry disk topped with cooked, chopped pear. I asked after the Italian gelati and was told that one of the flavors was cookies and cream, which I found so hard to believe that I asked the waiter for the source. He couldn't tell me and didn't offer to find out, so I gave up and got the mango sorbetto which had enough intensity of flavor to satisfy me.

The wine list doesn't include the vintage years. We ordered by the glass which meant the the wine arrived in little carafes that the waiter poured into the wineglass brought at the same time. My friend's Stella Montepulciano was delicious and served in a big wine glass. I took a chance on the Falling Star cabernet (Argentina) which was nothing special compared to the Montepulciano and was poured into a less voluminous glass. I have no idea who produced the grappa I had at the end of the meal. I was taken aback, at first, by its pinkness--not a color I associate with grappa--but then figured out that the color came from the large red lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Anyway, I might have pursued answers to my questions more aggressively, but this was a birthday celebration, so I focussed on the my friend rather than quizzing the waiters about all the missing details on the menu. While I enjoyed the meal, and the waitstaff was nice and attentive, I wouldn't to make Cafe Borgia a destination independent of my friend who lives in the area.