So after going through the "what do you want for dinner" charade, I finally made a decision this past Thursday; I wanted Italian. Well, that didn't make our decision any easier since it seems that there are thousand of adorable ristorantes all over Chicago. However, I had one neighborhood in mind. Old Town has become my new favorite and go to hood for a good, classy time and my boyfriend had the perfect place. Ristorante Dinotto is located on North Avenue just east of Wells and it was a fabulous night for sitting on a patio and enjoying a glass of wine, or two.
In our case, it ended up being a bottle of wine. They actually had my favorite bottle of Moscato. I know Moscato is a dessert wine but I just can resist. Moscato d'Asti is fantastic and it's not super cheap but somewhere in the middle. From the outside Dinotto doesn't look like much but it is quite large inside with white tablecloths and an overall classy and homey feel. We opted to sit outside and while I had reservations, I'm so glad that we did. The patio is beautiful, complete with an outdoor bar and a fountain. You can't see the street since there are vines and other plant life covering the gate separating the patio from North Avenue. There isn't much to see on North Avenue anyways. They had beautiful soft lights strung above the patio and they cast the perfect romantic light, almost like candlelight.
This is obviously a picture of the patio during the day but it's beautiful
We started off with bread, olive oil, pesto butter, and parmesan cheese. I've had olive oil and bread at other Italian restaurants but this was by far (almost) the best I've ever had. We ordered the fried calamari with marinara sauce. It was lightly breaded, juicy, with just the right amount of crunch. I would order it again in a heartbeat and the portion was huge, easily could have fed 2-3 people or more.
Some amazing fresh bread with olive oil and cheese and some fabulous wine
For dinner I ordered the farfalle con pollo and my boyfriend had the rotolo in vodka sauce. The portions were again huge. The farfalle was served with mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic cream sauce with bowtie pasta and chopped chicken. I thought it was delicious but heavy so when they packed up my doggie bag it looked like I had barely eaten a bite! My boyfriend's rotolo wasn't the best he had ever had but he did enjoy it and again, it was a huge portion with two large pieces of rotolo smothered in vodka sauce.
Farfalle con pollo
The service was impeccable. We never needed water and our server didn't hover and let us have time to enjoy the patio and each other. I'm not super romantic or anything but this definitely had me considering my idea of a typical date. The prices were a little high but you are paying for the excellent service and the ambiance. They did have a sign that stated that during peak times (when people are waiting to sit on the patio) outdoor dining would be limited to 90 minutes per table to accommodate other guests so I'm guessing that this place can get pretty busy. When we were there it wasn't busy but it was a Thursday night. There were other tables occupied nearby, mostly couples and a group of quite rowdy Italians that were having a great time catching up.
I would give Dinotto an A for food, ambiance, and service. The leftovers were excellent the next day with a little fresh cheese on top. I absolutely loved the patio, next summer it will be hard to pull me away. For a low key date night, this place is perfect and intimate.
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