Phil Stefani's

There are many reasons why I should not post this - it was just one visit, it was a business dinner, etc. But there is one good reason to post it - one great dish.

Yes, it was a business dinner for about 10. I did not control it - the young, eager types taking care of us and trying to sell us picked out a place - Phil Stefani's 437 N Rush, and I had serious doubts.

But I am just a grumpy old fuddy duddy, because it was a pretty decent meal. Worth the price? I doubt it, but you can probably get a very decent dinner if you order right.

This is the old Riccardo's, a hulking and pleasant fortress just below the Wrigley Buidling, around the corner from Billy Goat, and just up the road from a lovely vista over the river. The rooms are spacious, comfortable, broken up nicely, and they have some pleasant art on the walls. Not bad so far.

I shared dishes with my business associates, luckily. We started with a chopped salad, divided 3 ways, which was enough. Nothing special, except little grilled shrimp on top, which added nothing for me.

Then we wanted to split 2 dishes - asparagus mezzaluna as a primi, and grilled ahi tuna as a secundi. Well, they came together and unsplit. The tuna was a hulking chunk, cooked more than the seared and rare we asked for and served on some sort of tomato salsa. Considering that the menu said it was "simply grilled" this seemed a little different than advertised and was only okay, but never mind all that. Both dishes were my companion's choices, and I did not expect this one to be any more than edible. It was.

The Mezzaluna were bliss. Tender half moons of fresh pasta filled with white asparagus, a bit of cheese, and a perfect touch of prosciutto. All served in a light broth with green asparagus and a touch of butter (this is from memory as I was drinking and not taking notes, but I think I am pretty close - will be happy to go back and check this out with anyone who wants to join me). Just great.

They also had some interesting wines, and we settled on a neapolitan white blend called Lacryma Christi (I cried), which was a bit light but not totally transaparent like so many Pinot Grigio, and a central coast Sangiovese that was pretty decent. Both around $35 and towards the low end of the wine prices. They also had some interesting barley and brown rice (I think) risotti, one of which I samped off a neighbor's plate, but I am not sure of the ingredients.

Anyway, to my surprise, the place is doing some interesting things with pasta and grains. They feature chunks of protein burnt to your taste, but if you avoid that, and do not mind paying $20 for a plate of very different pasta, you could be happy. And for $20, the asparagus Mezzaluna were not a bad deal at all. When time allows, I am going back for further exploration.

Just thougth I would share.

dicksond wrote:There are many reasons why I should not post this - it was just one visit, it was a business dinner, etc.

I understand that people have different thresholds for posting--some people don't like to report on bad experiences, some like to go through a menu up and down before sharing it with the board. But please, don't feel like these are rules you have to abide.

I know I don't get out to eat--especially to places where I'm spending more than $30 on dinner for two--as often as a lot of others. And even when we like some place, we're just as likely to try somewhere new as to return. But I don't see that alone as a reason not to post. I just want to make sure no one's holding back who would like to share but feels their post doesn't belong because their opinion is based on a single visit.

Really, part of the purpose of this site is to give that single visit a context of lots of other single visits by other posters--to provide a combination of experiences that few individuals could collect. And we'll all eat better in the process.

Thanks for the post, dickson.

Cheers,

Aaron

dicksond wrote:The Mezzaluna were bliss. Tender half moons of fresh pasta filled with white asparagus, a bit of cheese, and a perfect touch of prosciutto. All served in a light broth with green asparagus and a touch of butter (this is from memory as I was drinking and not taking notes, but I think I am pretty close - will be happy to go back and check this out with anyone who wants to join me). Just great.

I have always felt that the Stefani Empire does an outstanding job in the pasta department. This is just further proof.

Steve, I more or less agree. While I resent, a little, the fact that Stefani gets all the sweet City concessions because of his Democratic pull (Clinton never ate anywhere other than a Stefani place, or at least it seemed) and doesn't do much with them (see Riva, Navy Pier, the concessions in airports and Harborside golf course, etc.), I am a confirmed fan of the house made pastas at the original neighborhood place that bears his name. The maccheroni alla Cipriani is awfully good, for example. Anyway, trucks I have seen around town suggest that Stefani has a thriving fresh pasta business, and there does seem to be some skill in the organization in this area.

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Barring a last-minute reprieve, Phil Stefani's 437 Rush, the 15-year-old Italian steakhouse in River North, will close at the end of the month, the restaurateur told Crain's this week.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... of-closing