Pizza Rustica
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Every Italian restaurant likes to claim it’s the real thing, but if you believe the waiter we had at Pizza Rustica, a clean, bright, simply decorated spot just north of Wrigley Field, all the other contenders are fooling themselves. After a recent visit, I’m inclined to agree. The essence of authenticity, he said, is found in absolutely fresh ingredients and in simple execution, both of which characterized our meal. The caprese salad we started with, for instance, featured huge slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato finished with a misting of good olive oil. It’s the kind of dish you find everywhere, but rarely does it taste this good–light, creamy, and with a faint echo of olive. The minestrone, too, seemed made to order, with al dente vegetables in a finely spiced tomato broth. For our entrees we ordered half a pizza and a linguine dish, both of which were excellent. The pizza is thin crust, light, notably crispy, and golden brown, and the toppings–thinly sliced potatoes, fresh rosemary, olive oil, and cheese–decorated the surface without compromising its crackerlike integrity. The pasta was equally good, al dente and tossed with a conservative ladle of tomato cream sauce that highlighted the freshness of the noodles. The sauce tasted like tomatoes and cream with a dash of salt and had none of the cloying sweetness or overspicing that ruins similar attempts. The desserts were great too–the panna cotta, with flecks of vanilla bean and a drizzle of caramel sauce, was subtle, milky, and barely sweet. Pizza Rustica is absurdly cheap: most pasta dishes are between $7 and $8, half a pizza costs about $10, and dessert was $3.50. –Chip Dudley
