Coco Pazzo

Hi,
Husband and I need a romantic night out, and have reservations here this Saturday. I did a search and can't find much about it lately - is the LTHforum consensus that it's a good bet for excellent food (of course), cozy/quiet enough to talk, and a good wine list?
Thanks in advance, I'll report back.

Coco Pazzo
300 W. Hubbard St
Chicago, Il
312-836-0900

I celebrated my 30th birthday here. I'd say your description is accurate, though I'll warn you I wasn't very impressed with the service. They weren't rude, exactly, just not very good, if that makes any sense. I can't remember the details, as it's been a few years, so I'm not much help there, but the table-wide consensus was that it left something to be desired.

However, we all really loved the food, and I'd say it qualifies as romantic.

I like to describe Coco Pazzo as solid. It's not terribly innovative and probably won't blow you away. But, it's very solid slightly upscale Italian (actual Italian not red sauce). I usually get whatever whole fish they're doing as a special. This is also one of those places where there's "something for everyone".

Solid is a good desciptive word for this place. It's my wife's biz dinner destination of choice (not to say it's not romantic). She likes their risoto, creamy but w/ a nice dose of mushroom flavor (if you like mushroom). It's relatively small portioned (like most of their entrees actully), so you can even try it as an appt.

The best dinner I had at Coco Pazzo was one with a group of friends where we ordered a variety of their handmade pastas as appetizers. We enjoyed the variety and I thought the pastas were quite good. In my experience, the service at Coco Pazzo has been very efficient and professional (and I've gone a few times with a friend who tends to be high-maintenace at restaurants).

One thought: you may want to ask in advance for a quiet table. It's a big space and their "private room" option is a group of tables enclosed by curtains. So, if you want to avoid any risk of being seated right next to a a boisterous group, you might want to speak up about your preferences.

I usually go to coco pazzo cafe on st clair and love it- always feel like i've had a mini trip to Italy-
I love to pick from all the interesting antipasti laid out on the table,
and I have always found the food to be wonderful and wines to have a very ample selection, with their recs to be spot on-
I like it when I can describe what I like-
as in I like a wine that is very fruit forward and not bone dry, and not $70 a bottle, and the server or sommelier can reccomend one saying you should like this, and I DO!
I tend more towards meat based entrees than pastas, but thats me-
It's not my budget destination- but it's great-

Another wonderful hidden romantic gem I'd recommend is Copperblue in the bottom floor of Lakepoint tower.
Their entrance is awkwardly placed on the NORTH side, and they don't seem to get the traffic, but hubs and I had a divine 25th anniversary meal there, extremely romantic and cozy, and the food was fabulous.

I'm a fan of Coco Pazzo. I tend to think that the appetizers and pasta dishes are their strength, and I've been introduced to many excellent Italian wines from their wine list. The main course entrees have never impressed me quite as much. One of our favorite last minute weekend dining options is to stop by and eat at the bar which is pleasant with a view of the kitchen.

Please note however that their chef of 11 years, Tony Priolo, has announced he will be leaving the restaurant this spring to start his own restaurant in the old Timo space at Milwaukee and Grand. Not sure if the food will follow him, or if he has ideas for something new, but at best it will mean two excellent Italian food options within walking distance for us.

fenger wrote:It's my wife's biz dinner destination of choice (not to say it's not romantic).

I think the qualities that make a restaurant suitable for a business dinner and for a romantic dinner are very similar - not overly noisy, spacious enough for a feeling of privacy, and service that knows how much to approach and how much to leave you alone.

Hi,
Reporting back about our meal there on Saturday. Overall, we were a little disappointed, especially in the volume level of the dining room as well as how close the tables are together. I heard every single thing the tables next to us were saying, and that was really not what we were looking for that night....I think of romantic as quiet and maybe feeling like you have some space to yourselves.

The food was very good, albeit rushed. Bread was brought with the appetizer instead of beforehand. They plated our app in front of us (roasted mushrooms and raddichio) and before I could say, "wait a sec," he was gone with the plate that had the balsamic and basil oil drizzled around the edge - which I really wanted with the food. Entrees were boar ragu w/ chestnut noodles and squid ink spaghetti alla pirata, I loved them both.

Wine was a little disappointing too - the sommelier came over and we said our price point was about 50$ & he picked out a 64$ bottle. Again, everything seemed to be happening quickly and I didn't feel like i had the time to go back and forth with him - he was in a hurry like all the other waitstaff. Plus, it just wasn't worth 64$, it was an "eh" bottle.

We turned down dessert because we were just ready to go with how difficult it was to continue a conversation. None of the desserts jumped out at me and the cheese cart were things I can get at Whole Foods.

So, I'm glad we tried it but we won't be back and I wouldn't recommend it for a "cozy" night out.

what was the wine?

I'm sorry, I don't remember the vineyard, but it was a Chianti. There are many Chiantis but this was on the left hand side of the wine list, 1/2 the way down, and the only one that was 64$ I think.

I've got plans to meet friends for dinner here on Sunday and am giving this thread a bump to see if anyone's had a more recent experience eating here.

I found several threads that mention this place but little else.

TIA

I'm more of a fan of Coco Pazzo Cafe on St. Claire since it's still high quality food, but a little more casual and a tiny bit less expensive. I've never had a bad meal there.

I had a business lunch at Coco Pazzo once and was just not that impressed. Service was fine if not stellar, food was fine ... if not stellar but the price was surprisingly high once we totaled up the bill. I ended up feeling there were better options at a lower price point and so no particular reason to go back.

We had dinner there last spring with another couple and loved it. We had a tasting menu with wine pairings and everything we had (I can't remember the details any more) was delicious. The service was impeccable, we were seated promptly and the pairings were perfect. The couple we went with were also similarly impressed.

I was there recently and came away very happy. Two highlights were the polpo, served as a ragu in a bruschetta preparation, and the chestnut pasta.

Our dinner at Coco Pazzo last Sunday was very enjoyable and it helped that the room was fairly empty keeping the noise level very conversation friendly. Six of us dined for roughly $900 but that included a bottle of sparkling wine, a bottle of red and a 1/2 bottle of dessert wine. None of which I chose or even saw labels for...I just enjoyed my host's choices. And I know my host would not have let $$ deter him from a particular wine unless he thought the price truly ridiculous.

We shared two appetizers for the table, Cotechino e Lenticchie (sausage with lentils) and Quaglie Arrosto (quail) and several of us got appetizer portions of pasta. I agree that the chestnut pasta is a highlight. My spouse ordered the pappardelle chinghaile, wide noodles with wild boar, that was tasty as well. My entree was skate wing, pan roasted, that was also quite nice albeit a touch salty for me. But I cook with very little salt so I find many commercially prepared foods to be too salty.

In addition to wine, dessert was simple gelatto and sorbet.

Service was attentive and prompt, no complaints. Overall it was a very nice evening.

I had a wonderful meal here in its first days, but hadn't been back since. However, new exec. chef Jim Kilberg happens to be the son of a good friend and she invited us as a birthday treat.
While we got plenty of attention, all of the dishes we ate were off the regular menu, so I'd guess our food experience was pretty close to typical (even if our check probably was not, though I wouldn't know as I didn't see it). They also allowed me to bring a bottle from my "cellar," which, I believe, is generally discouraged.
There were 6 of us, so we got to taste a lot, and frankly, everything was excellent. Plates were lovely, flavors muscular, clear, straightforward and distinct even when lots was going on.
Apps.
* Imported bufala mozz. with basil, cherry toms., oil
As basic as it gets. But the mozz. tasted perfectly fresh and delicate; it was delicious. (I've always been a bit dubious about flying in such a delicate fresh product, but they certainly made the case for it here.)
* Fried zuccinin flowers stuffed with Taleggio and basil, with tomato puree:
A but more substantial than the first plate. Good Taleggio, well fried and not oily. The tom. puree was light and a perfect step up from the fresh tomatoes on the first plate.
* Octopus with cherry toms., olives, oreg. and potato
This was terrific. The octopus was sliced almost prosciutto thin and lined the bottom of the plate. Scatterd on top were perfect dice-sized potato cubes, black olives, and halved cherry toms. The dressing was more or less invisible; just a piquant aura hovering around the plate. The combined textures, acid/salt/soft starch/slightly chewy octopus all worked wonderfully together.
* Carpaccio di manzo:
Traditionally done and presented with dabs of aoli and capers. Rich, silky, and luscious.
* A pizza special had fontina, cipollini, chorizo and grapes. I get the grapes in theory,but in practice they didn't have much effect. However, the rest of the pizza was delicious. Great chewy crust with just enough char. Nice spicy sausage.
The bread basket was also excellent with a rich, oily herbed foccaccia and crispy cheese breadsticks.
Mains
None of us are huge eaters, so we only had one additional course and dessert. Because we had a Barolo on the table breathing heavily, four of us were unable to pass up the mixed wild mushroom risotto to go with it, so an opportunity to see what they do with some very attractive seafood items was passed by.
But, the risotto was terrific. Maybe a tad salty for some, but deep rich flavor (some truffle oil in addition to the mushrooms), and really excellent parm. The rice they used is aged carnaroli. I asked what the effect of aging rice was (I had not heard of this before). Jim couldn't tell us specifically; just that is takes a really long time to cook, but works out better than anything else he's tried for texture. (He also said it's incredibly expensive and there is no margin at all on that dish.) Paired with our 1990 Parusso Bussia, it was heaven.
The 2 dishes that were not risotto were the polletto al mattone. It was pronounced wonderful, though I didn't taste it.
I'm not usually a big dessert person, but it was a birthday so, in for a lira, in for a euro---as they say.
We had at least 4 of the desserts and they were all as delicious as they were pretty, which is a rare thing in my experience.
Each plate had probably 4-5 components which I cannot accurately reproduce from memory.
I had the Spugna di caffe (can't vouch for the accuracy of the name). It was coffee-flavored sponge cake in 2 1.5" squares, with a scoop of anise gelato (a flavor I have never liked, yet it was great in this context), and blackberries, with, I think blackberry mousse as well.
Fondente was a warm flourless choc. cake with, I think, espresso gelato and some other items.
Panna cotta was rich and scrumptious.
Crostata was a disk of choc./caramel tart with caraway, then pistachio-cocoa nib gelato, and orange-caramel mousse.
(Obviously, I'm flailing here. It was the end of a long happy evening. Best I can do is say that they were all worthwhile.)
The cheese plate had sheep's milk gorg., taleggio, and I've forgotten the third cheese; accompanies by apple slices, grapes, basil flatbread and walnut bread, with additional walnuts and a smear of bright red something that I didn't get to try (a bit of berry preparation or something??)
All in all an excellent meal full of integrity and skill and first-rate ingredients well used.

Coco Pazzo Cafe in Streeterville relocating after 22 years

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... r-22-years

For the less attentive, please note that Coco Pazzo Cafe is under the same ownership, but has a different chef and menu than Coco Pazzo on Hubbard which is the subject of this thread.

Any recent reviews? My husband's boss takes us to dinner every year after Christmas and we've been to some excellent places, including Babette'S (my suggestion) Prime & Provision (also mine) Maple & Ash, some Mediterranean place whose name escapes me, beige-ish decor. This year he's reserved Coco Pazzo and I'm just not excited about it.

Can someone either change my mind or suggest an alternative? Money not an issue. I'd been hoping to try Swift &Co or something else great in west loop area.

sujormik wrote:Can someone either change my mind or suggest an alternative? Money not an issue. I'd been hoping to try Swift &Co or something else great in west loop area.

If you want to keep it Italian and make it in the West Loop, how about Monteverde? It's consistently excellent.

Haven't been to Coco Pazzo lately, hopefully someone else can respond to that part of the question.

I used to live across the street from Coco Pazzo and went there more than a few times. It is not trendy or exciting as any "new" place that you have listed. I would say that Coco Pazzo is very solid evening out. Food and drinks/wine are excellent. Service is good and that it is a very pleasant dining experience. If you are looking for more exotic things, the menu has some interesting things, but nothing that would put it over the top. I don't know if that gets you excited for the place, but that's my two cents.

I'd second everything positive jacketpotato just said, and add that the noise level is just about ideal from my point of view: quiet enough that you can easily have (and enjoy) your conversation, while not so quiet that you're likely to be overheard.