Uno Di Martino

Saturday night, Petit Pois had a craving for pasta. She wanted to go someplace nearby, without much hassle. We wound up at Uno Di Martino (briefly mentioned in this post), a new-ish venture from two graduates of Mia Francesca. I'm not a huge fan of the "Francescas" but I tried to go into this meal as a blank slate.

Uno Di Martino is on Lawrence, across the street and east of Pizza DOC. They're housed in what used to be a medieval-themed restaurant (does anyone know what this place was?), and the decor still stands. The entryway is cave-like and the reception area feels like the entryway to a castle ballroom. The dining room itself is one very large room that felt cavernous with only two other occupied tables when we arrived.

They're currently BYOB (we were told that the owner is working on their license) and we brought along an enjoyable bottle of Sangiovese/Primitivo recommended in Sam's recent wine newsletter. We shared an insalata mista and their house special bruschetta. The salad was a bowl of green beans, cucumbers, marinated artichokes, and diced tomatoes, dressed in simple oil and vinegar. It was refreshing and good enough, but I always prefer my salad cucumbers to have the bitter seeds removed. The bruschetta was topped with tomato, shittake mushroom, goat cheese, fontina cheese, basil, and basil oil (I believe). I found this dish to be surprisingly flavorless. The cheese tasted like whipped cream cheese and the other toppings didn't add anything of interest. This was particularly upsetting since I ordered an entree that contained goat cheese.

My entree was fusilli with sausage and goat cheese in a light tomato sauce. I enjoyed this dish well enough (in spite of the weak cheese). The pasta was cooked properly and the sauce had nice flavor. The sausage had a surprising pepperoni flavor. I was expecting a fresh Italian sausage, but this one clearly tasted cured to me. Still it was filling and tasty and it went well with the warm bread on the table. Petit Pois had the gnocchi, which I could take or leave everywhere I've ever been.

The menu consisted of a couple pizzas, a fair amount of pasta, and a handful of fish, steaks, and veal. I was hoping for a few more meat choices (I think there was one veal, one pork, one steak, two fish, and a couple chicken items). They're clearly focused on the pasta. Petit Pois remarked on how remarkably similar the menu was to Mia Francesca's.

With the BYOB option it was a very cheap dinner. Two appetizers and two pasta entrees came to $36 including tax and tip. Overall, it seems like a nice little neighborhood place. Certainly nothing I'd make a special trip for, but if I lived down the block or if I needed to entertain a big group (big room!) it would be a nice option. Not being a big pasta eater, I think I'd have enjoyed the place much more if there were a few more non-pasta/pizza options (maybe a few specials?), and if the room was divided up to be a little more intimate avoid that giant banquet-hall feel.

Best,
Michael

Uno Di Martino
2122 W. Lawrence Ave.
773-878-1326

eatchicago wrote:I'm not a huge fan of the "Francescas" but I tried to go into this meal as a blank slate.

I think with the Francescas it depends on when you go and what you order. I'm especially fond of their carpaccio, some of the best versions I've had.

I've mostly visited the Bryn Mawr location and the one in Arlington Heights. Both perhaps benefit from being in areas that offer little comparable dining. However, the food and service has always been very good.

The Bryn Mawr location is great if you're going to see the highly recommended City Lit Theater across the street (where you can sometimes catch our own mrbarolo on stage). You can leave your car with their valet. They also once managed to serve me a full, three-course meal in 26 minutes so I could make the curtain, without making me feel hurried.

Francesca's Bryn Mawr
773/506-9261
1039 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago

Francesca's Tavola
847/394-3950
208 S. Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights

www.miafracesca.com

Michael,

I’ve been to Uno Di Martino once and thought it uneven, which could be attributed to the fact that, at that time, they had only been open about a month.

By uneven I mean dishes were across the board, clams, not very good at all, thin, crisp, appetizer pizza quite good. Appetizer mussels, grilled calamari and brushetta were ok, I thought the calamari slightly over tenderized in a processed way, and the bruschetta salty, but certainly within range.

Three of four of us had gnocchi as a main course. Mine, gnocchi w/sausage, was actually quite good, simple and really hit the spot. Ellen enjoyed her tilapia.

The room is odd, as Michael said, it was a medieval themed restaurant, and the acoustics are horrid. Service could use some improvement, but, as I said, we were there a few months ago.

Price for value is good and Uno Di Martino seems to be making a genuine effort. Hopefully they will have the customer base to allow them to grow into their full potential.

Enjoy,
Gary

A group of about 12 of us went to Uno Di Martino last Saturday. We went to celebrate the birthday of a former tenant with whom I still keep in touch. The restaurant is still BYO and as a previous poster pointed out, a perfect place for a group dinner.

My friend and I arrived early and the "front of house" manager (actually back of house in this case as the Kitchen is up front) could not have been more helpful...asking how many of there would be, whether we would like champagne glasses as well (my buddy had two bottles of bubbly), could he bring some ice buckets. Later, he balanced a chair on his chin as we sang Happy Birthday...outstanding!

Reading the previous posts, it sounds like they may have worked out a few of the kinks since opening. We started with bruschetta which I thought quite good and the goat cheese had a nice tangy hit. We ordered modified family style, which is to say we had a couple of pastas, a salad and a few entrees that we passed around. Of those, the asparagus salad had a nice crunch, though the drizzel was somewhat flat. The fussilli with sausage was quite good, I would go back for this dish on my own. However, the real standouts were the entrees of chicken and tilapia. Both were cooked perfectly and both were napped (not ladled) with a delcious sauce that did not overpower the flavors of either the chicken or the fish.

They brought out the desserts on a big platter, with candles by request. The desserts were standard to good, with one orange-flavored, mousse-like cake that was stellar.

Yes, the room is something to behold. The problem is not so much the area, but the ceiling height, which makes it seem like a banquet hall. On the other hand, we were not participating in the conversation of the table next to us and I am sure they were grateful not to be listening in on our table.

For the young married couple and their friends (not to mention the cheapskate slum lord) getting out of there $30 a head after a fun-filled Saturday night makes this a fine destination for a group party spot and a fun neighborhood joint.


Uno Di Martino
2122 W. Lawrence Ave.
773-878-1326