Sabatino's Virgin- Any "must trys" or signature di

Going there for the first time tonight with a buddy that works in the area. What's good and what should I steer clear of. How are they with fish there? (particularly the snapper). Pastas?

And due to the "diaper thread", I will not be eating anything shaped like poop.

I've been to Sabatino's many times and the fish is good. I usually stick to the pastas, so I can't offer too much information, but the Chilean sea bass is very good. I don't think it's on the menu... It's sometimes offered as a special.

IMO, must-haves for a first-timer include the oysters Rockfeller (baked oysters with spinach and hollandaise) and the baked Alaskan for two (which is enough for 4) for desert. Don't forget the tabasco for the oysters.

Like I said, I like the pastas. A good one is the zuppa di mare (pasta with all sorts of seafood). Another simple one is called, I think, Angelo's special (or something like that). It's just pasta with garlic and shrimp... These dishes are in the bottom left and right corners of the pasta page of the menu.

I've never had a bad experience with the service at Sabatino's. I've certainly never seen a baby being changed in the restaurant... Eew...

I love the Chicken Parm. We ALWAYS get the baked alaska also.
I have also never had bad service or poop probs! Enjoy!

The chicken vesuvio is a Chicago-classic done very well at Sabatino's.

I really enjoy their Stracciatella soup! Here's pic from another post.

Pucca wrote:I really enjoy their Stracciatella soup! Here's pic from another post.

I agree. It will rock your face harder than Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris can do much more than rock your face:

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com

I am personally not a big Sabatino's booster, but the original GNR thread will point you to some good Sabatino's discussion and photos.

Best,
Michael

I have been to Sabatino's many times. I agree with the Baked Alaska recommendation. One of my favorite dishes is Chicken Sabatino. Also, I love theChicken Parmesan. If you have time, spend a drink or two at the piano bar. It is definately worth it.

saps wrote:Chuck Norris can do much more than rock your face:

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com

He can also kick Conan O'Brien's ass.

What is it about Sabatino's threads?

gleam wrote:He can also kick Conan O'Brien's ass.

but... If a team of Jack Bauer clones played a team of Chuck Norris clones in the Super Bowl, the JBs would win.

o man... talk about thread jacking...

TonyC wrote:o man... talk about thread jacking...

It's my fault. I shouldn't have brought it up.

However, Chuck Norris once ate 15 orders of spinach gnocchi from Sabatino's in 13 seconds. And he spent the first 12.6 seconds flexing.

::trolling off::

I don't know Jack, but based on what I read in the links, I'm guessing Jack doesn't have time to eat. ':('

Went to Sabatino's. It's not the greatest Italian restaurant, but this isn't a negative. It is just very good, very solid Italian food at a very reasonable price. I tried the following.

Calamari Vinagrette- Cold calamari (primarily rings) in a vinagrette with celery, roasted red peppers and olives. Very refreshing, and the calamari was very fresh.

Straciatella- Best straciatella I've had by far.

Complimentary pizza bread was excellent.

Salad with the house dressing was very good.

Chicken Marsala- It was a good marsala sauce, but I'm not a huge marsala fan to begin with, but my friend loved it.

Tagliatelle Puttanesca- Good puttanesca, better than what Bruna's serves but not as good as Capri, IMO. The tomatoes were fresh and it had a nice bite to it. The problem is with the pasta. Tagliatelle is not a good noodle to serve with this. Spaghetti or penne would be a better option.

Baked Alaska looked good, but just didn't have the room for it.

Speaking of rooms, loved the bar and the "early 70's" atmosphere.

I'd go back in a heartbeat. Just a good experience overall. Service was good as well (the restaurant was pretty empty).

Chuck Norris was working the valet stand. He roundhouse kicked me three times, punched me in the heart and swept my knee, all before exiting my car.

By the way, I drove from the West Suburbs and took 83 to Irving Park road, just for exploration purposes. Once you get past O'Hare, the people driving on IP are a bunch of nutsacks. What's the deal with these maniacs?

saps wrote:Once you get past O'Hare, the people driving on IP are a bunch of nutsacks. What's the deal with these maniacs?

few months back, there was a fatal high speed crash on IP east of O'hare. I drive this stretch sometimes 2x a day... indeed it can be hairy...

and hopefully the second Sabatino thread has come to an end...

Last night, Mrs. JiLS and I split an amazing roasted artichoke appetizer at Sabatino's. It was huge, yet every leaf had an abundance of tender, flavorful meat to offer, without the fibrousness I usually find in an artichoke of such proportions. The artichoke was also loaded up with buttery breadcrumbs. Anyone who knows me well knows that buttery breadcrumbs are always a plus in my book, but here they made a particularly felicitious match with the artichoke meat, blending into a tasty, pasty melange. The best feature of all, though, was the perfection of the roasting applied to the artichoke. Sabatino's is certainly not haute cuisine, but they start with great ingredients like this artichoke, and their cooks have really solid kitchen skills that show to excellent effect on a dish like this one. This artichoke goes on my Top 10 Dishes of 2006 (number two on my list, following the pepper and corn soup I brought home from Fonda del Mar a few weeks ago). I wish I had a picture of the artichoke, but alas we went commando last night (that's LTHlish for "no camera" ). The artichoke was a special last night (2/10/06) ... I told them it ought to go on the regular menu...from my lips to Enzo's ears.

Slightly off topic, but. . . has anyone dined in the grotto booth across from the portrait of the topless woman? My guess is that she's someone's girlfriend. Anyhow, not quite what I want to see when I'm eating. . . but I clearly am speaking for myself.

aschie30 wrote:Slightly off topic, but. . . has anyone dined in the grotto booth across from the portrait of the topless woman? My guess is that she's someone's girlfriend. Anyhow, not quite what I want to see when I'm eating. . . but I clearly am speaking for myself.

Mrs. JiLS and I have eaten in that selfsame grotto room. I made sure she was seated facing away from the painting in question, because even though she is an actor, her sensibilities could have been offended (O.K., not likely). Consider this grotto booth just one of the many mysteries that give Sabatino's its unique charm.