In the Neighborhood
A grocery and deli (takeout only) on that stretch between Ashland and the Kennedy where West Grand suddenly goes Italian, Bari Foods makes a mean sandwich. On the abbreviated menu are subs stuffed with corned beef, roast beef, Italian sausage, or Italian deli meats, but a favorite is the fresh mozzarella and prosciutto sub. Available at 9 or 12 inches, the sandwich packs ultrathin slices of melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto and hunks of squeaky cheese between the halves of a loaf of French bread crisp from the ovens next door at D’Amato’s Bakery, and dresses it up with shredded lettuce, onion, and tomato, with a dash of oil and Italian seasoning. The deli case includes a choice of fish salad, antipasto, and a selection of olives and other delicacies like lupini beans and hand-canned giardiniera. For an easier side dish, ask for one of the monster dill pickles or grab a bag of chips on the way to the register. —Martha Bayne
F 7.1 | S 7.3 | A 6.0 | $ (6 reports)Breakfast | Breakfast, Lunch: seven days
Cafe Central1437 W. Chicago | 312-243-6776
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More than 50 years old, this family-owned cafe serves an extensive menu of traditional Puerto Rican favorites and lots of seafood. Hearty home-style meals begin with specialties like mofongo (balls of mashed plantains mixed with garlic and bits of crushed pork crackling), alcapurrias (fritters made from a puree of plantains and yautia, a starchy white root related to taro, and stuffed with ground beef), and pionono (sweet plantain fritters stuffed with ground beef). Diners not full from the appetizers can move on to heaping platters of bistec encebollado (loin steak with onions), fried chicken, pork chops, and other comfort food; or jibaritos, steak or roast pork sandwiches served on plantains instead of bread. For dessert there’s vanilla flan and papaya con queso or casos de guayaba con queso (papaya chunks or guava shells with cheese), and the beverage menu includes a dozen flavors of Goya juice. On weekends the cafe is crowded with families, many of whom come for specials such as bacalao guisado (codfish stew), mondongo (tripe soup), and, cuchifrito (fried pig’s ears). —A. LaBan
It looks like a cozy corner bar, with its high tables, brick wall, decorative swags of fabric, and subdued nautical theme, but Cafe Fresco lives up to its name, offering a mostly Italian menu better than you’ll find at many neighborhood spots. We started with a signature dish, grilled calamari served with spinach, roasted red peppers, olives, and a few sticks of feta—unusual, maybe, but in a good way. In addition to bar fare like chicken wings and burgers, there’s a lineup of midprice entrees (tilapia, pork chops, chicken piccata and Vesuvio), but we were drawn to the pastas, several of which can be ordered with whole wheat noodles. Gemelli Baronesa was spiked with slices of prosciutto and mushrooms and some deliciously sweet peas, all in a rich (but not too rich) garlic-Romano sauce. Pasta puttanesca may have lacked anchovies, but with its olives, capers, and plenty of garlic, wasn’t the wimpy version too often found. There’s a decent beer selection and a small but potable wine list (half-price with an order of food on Tuesdays); cocktails, shaken at our table, were even better. On a Thursday night the atmosphere was mellow, service friendly and accommodating, and in warm weather the garden patio—enclosed by ivy-covered walls, one painted with a trompe l’oeil of the cafe—beckons. —Kate Schmidt
$Italian, French | Breakfast, Lunch: seven days; Dinner: Monday-saturday | Cash only
