On a dark industrial stretch of Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square, amid the pawn shops and discount stores, you can now enjoy $20 pasta dishes in a sleek dining room decked out with leather table cloths, mirrored walls and quirky modern-light fixtures. Frosted glass windows separate you from the lackluster view outside.
Accanto is a dream come true for first-time restaurateur Maria Rubino, whose family owns the pizzeria next door to her new upscale Italian restaurant. Rubino teamed up with Chef Domenico Acampora, a native of Milan who previously headed the kitchen at the Four Seasons in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Acampora's menu mixes Mediterranean flavors with traditional Italian cuisine, which, in some instances, resulted in a pleasant surprise and, in others, left me scratching my head.
I started with a grilled portobello mushroom with mascarpone polenta in a caramelized shallot sauce. The polenta was creamy and flavorful, and the mushrooms were sliced paper-thin and cooked just right. I also tried the tian di guacamole, pomodori confit and polpa di granchio. I don't speak Italian, but here's what that means: cold crab meat on top of a cold tomato and a layer of guacamole. It wasn't exactly bad; it was just weird, and kind of reminded me of a tuna salad you might get at a diner—not something I want to be reminded of when I'm eating a $16 appetizer.
One of the best things at Accanto is free—the tomato pesto that is served with the bread. It's made with olive oil imported directly from Rubino's family's farm in Sicily, and it may entice you to sop the last drops with your bread when no one's watching.
The lobster bisque, on the other hand, was a complete disappointment. When the waiter brought out bowls filled with big, juicy chunks of lobster and slices of fresh mango, I thought I was in for a treat. When he poured a watery brown liquid that bore no resemblance to "bisque" on top of it, I started to get worried. I dug my lobster out from the bottom of the thin peppery broth, and washed it down with a big swig of the cabernet I picked up on the way to the restaurant. Accanto is awaiting its liquor license, and is set to begin serving a selection of Italian wines in May.
The homemade ravioli ( partially ) helped to erase the memory of the soup. The palm-sized ravioli were filled with eggplant mousse and fresh Buffalo mozzarella and drizzled with a light and tangy tomato sauce. The sea bass was also a high point of the meal. The tender pan-roasted fish was served on top of a creamy scoop of celeriac-potato mash and garnished with crispy leeks. The only flaw was the runny lobster reduction, which I suspect was actually the lobster "bisque" repurposed in an entrée.
I appreciated and really enjoyed the homemade blood-orange sorbet the chef served between my fish and meat courses, but the final dish failed to impress. I had my sights set on the beef medallions with truffle potato gnocchi from the moment I opened the adorable gold paper menu. But, it's one of those things that's just better on paper than it is in reality. The gnocchi was tasty enough, but the meat was tough and lacking in flavor.
I should have quit while I was ahead, but a meal without dessert just feels wrong to me, so I ordered the tiramisu. It was served in a martini glass, which was cute, but did not disguise the fact that it was made not with the mascarpone or zabaglione that makes tiramisu so delicious, but with whipped cream. As if that wasn't bad enough, the whipped cream-to-ladyfinger ratio was way off.
I'd be willing to wager that Acampora's culinary experiments will improve with time, but in a city with so many fantastic Italian restaurants ( many of which are less expensive ) , I don't think I'll be back to Accanto any time soon.
Accanto is at 2171 N. Milwaukee; call 773-227-2727 or visit www.accanto-chicago.com .
