It’s been one of the wettest springs on record, but with Memorial Day come and gone, Chicagoans are champing at the bit to eat (and drink) out of doors. For our annual Alfresco guide, we’ve combed our listings to find great spots for alfresco dining, from rooftop patios to secluded garden nooks to lantern-strung terraces.
A basement little brother to Bin 36, A Mano retooled earlier this year after a burst pipe shut it down for more than a month. An assortment of six salumi for $28 ($15 for three) is a sweet deal that affords the chance to sample offerings such as mole sausage and culatello, the soft, buttery nucleus of a ham cured prosciutto style. The wood-burning pizza oven here is executed with facility to produce a slightly puffy crust. The reworked, more streamlined menu retains favorites like garganelli with braised boar and raisins and seasonal ravioli such as di ribollita, stuffed with white beans, black kale, and Tuscan bread. A similar combination turns up in “Mud and Grass”—currently Tuscan kale and fava beans, one of five rustic sides. Under no circumstances skip the house-made gelati, which include both common flavors such as strawberry and chocolate hazelnut and curveballs like gingersnap and mascarpone. Consume while sitting on the front terrazzo and you’ll think you’re in Italy. —Mike Sula
F 8.5 | S 8.0 | A 7.6 | $$$ (10 reports)Italian | Dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11
Bad Dog Tavern4535 N. Lincoln | 773-334-4040
rrr Giuseppe Tentori, a nine-year veteran of Charlie Trotter’s, was named one of Food & Wine‘s best new chefs of 2008, and his menu pops with startling, enjoyable items. Scallop-stuffed squid with baby spinach, spicy pineapple, and black tapioca was one of the weirdest-looking plates I’ve set eyes on in a while and texturally freaky too—squishes and pops in every bite—but really tasty and fun to eat. A hyperglobal salad of Peruvian tabouli, English cucumbers, haricots verts, Greek feta, and radishes was also an interesting combination of flavors. But it was sumptuous veal cheeks, topped with a dollop of excellent house-made mustard and served with broccoli hash and cauliflower-Yukon Gold potato puree, that won the day. Service was deft, knowledgeable, and unruffled despite the packed house on a Friday, and there’s elegant seating in the backyard garden. —Mike Sula
$$Italian | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday till 2; Saturday, Monday-Thursday till 1; Sunday till midnight | Reservations accepted for large groups only
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$$$Bar/Lounge, American Contemporary/Regional | Lunch: Saturday-sunday; Dinner: seven days | Open late: Saturday till 3, other nights till 2
