Nestled in Streeterville is Cicchetti ( 671 N. St Clair St.; cicchettirestaurant.com ), an Italian restaurant that is the first-ever newly constructed Green Seal-certified eatery in Chicago. ( Among the environmental-friendly aspects are antibiotic-free meat and daily leftover food donations. )
Those who are familiar with tapas restaurants would be familiar with the items offered here, which include Venetian-inspired small plates. After trying some items, I have to say that Executive Chef Mike Sheerin ( who has worked at Lutece, Atlas, Blackbird and Trenchermen ) and his team ( which includes the ever-smiling general manager, Jason Finn ) certainly know what they are doing.
Among the antipasti are oysters, cobia crudo, flatbreads, house-cured sardinesand pork cracklins. Now, I tell you, having grown up in the South, I'm more than familiar with these items. The server described them as "upscale Cheetos," but they're basically upscale pork rinds. The curly cracklins are topped with parmesan and rosemaryand I couldn't stop eating them. My guest and I also tried Nonna's Meatballsa sweet and tangy concoction with veal, beef and pork items.
We decided to order two pasta dishes: the gnocchi with braised pork shank and a braised short rib ravioli. Although both dishes were quite good, I favored the gnocchi, which is complemented with dill, buttermilk, celery root, pear and chestnut crisps. The flavors interacted with each other wonderfully.
Sous/pastry chef Sarah Jordan also knows how to impress, as two dishes demonstrated. The reverse affoato is a mix of espresso ice cream, malted creme anglaise and seasonal doughnuts, while the ricotta cheesecake ( which I could've devoured by myself ) is, thankfully, not too sweet.
The menu doesn't contain an overwhelming number of items, and that's a good thing. I'd much rather go to a place with relatively few items that are done well than a restaurant with 10 pages of offerings that are hit-or-miss. I do plan on returning here to try other offerings, such as the Anjou pear salad, the hake filet and saffron risotto.
My only complaint is the signageor lack thereof. Being in the shadow of Northwestern Memorial Hospital ( which would seemingly guarantee a substantial patronage ), I initially had trouble locating the restaurant. However, I suspect that once the weather warms up, outdoor decor will make Cicchetti ( which has a deceptively large indoor space ) more conspicuous. It certainly deserves the exposure.
Email me at Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com .