Erba 4520 N. Lincoln 773-989-4200
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Erba, the “urban Italian” restaurant from the owners of nearby Brioso, is sleek and dark, with the barest hints of decoration. The menu’s equally spare, totaling just 22 dishes including appetizers. Choices include a variety of homemade pastas, among them “discombobulated lasagna,” and larger plates like herb-crusted rib eye, roasted pork loin, and sea scallops served, according to the menu, with “expensive olive oil.” On a recent visit my companion and I started with bruschetta topped with rapini, grape tomatoes, basil, and pecorino Romano. Though I normally love the bitterness of rapini, the dish could have been mellower–and for $7 there could have been more of it. Our other appetizer, prosciutto with asparagus, Parmesan, and white truffle oil, was delicious, but likewise seemed a paltry portion for $9. Our entrees–pesto-and-goat-cheese gnocchi that oozed flavor and a fillet of wild-caught salmon served on a warm fennel-and-tangerine salad–were both gorgeous and packed with character, though not particularly substantial. For dessert we had the one and only option: an exceptional chocolate-hazelnut cake so crunchy it seemed to be mostly nuts. The wine list is reasonably priced but right now of limited scope–three whites, four reds. –Chip Dudley
Saint’s Alp Teahouse 2131 S. Archer 312-842-1886
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