Last year, a friend and I visited Chef Steve Chiappetti's Streeterville restaurant The Albert, in Hotel EMC2 (228 E. Ontario St.)—and having dinner at the Italian spot was one of my top culinary experiences of 2023.
On the second floor of the same building, Chiappetti has now opened Archive Lounge ( Website Link Here ;, a more casual eatery that focuses on Sicilian pizzas and shareable dishes from local trattorias from Italy's southern coast as well as an all-Italian wine list.
Has lightning struck twice? Well, let me put it this way: While (almost) nothing in the culinary world could surpass The Albert's three-cheese ravioli, there are more than enough dishes at Archive Lounge to take you away to Italy, gustatorily speaking, and make you extremely satisfied.
The appetizers/antipasti we had were impressive. One of the hallmarks of a great restaurant, to me, is if it can convert someone to like an item that person previously disliked—and Archive Lounge almost did that to me with the Sicilian fried olives prepared with orange, rosemary and chili oil. The brininess of the olives was muted enough that I enjoyed what I ate—although I still don't understand people who say they could just sit and eat jars of the fruit. The whipped ricotta (served with lavash and accompanied with balsamic) was another winner, along with the Calabrian chili-rubbed shrimp served with herb focaccia crumbs.
And those Sicilian-style pizzas? The three we tried were eccellente. The duck pizza was topped with toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, caramelized onions while the potato version (my fave) came with roasted potatoes, rosemary, creamy sauce with truffle, and provolone cheese. However, the Sicilian Crunch—loaded with balsamic, glazed mushrooms, roasted garlic and herb crumbs—was also well-received.
But wait! Archive also has some really delightful desserts. If the olive-oil cake and towering tiramisu don't appeal to you (and they absolutely should), the brown butter cake is so sinful it should be considered illegal in more conservative states. (Other menu selections include chocolate budino and the dark fudge five-layer chocolate cake known as the 2nd Level.) Then there's the cookie cart, which is wheeled to your table and which exhibits jars of giant cookies, marshmallows and biscotti—enough said (or written).
While Archive Lounge's atmosphere is more laid-back than The Albert's (and you can clearly see the latter from the second-floor perch), the experience is just as enjoyable. The vibe is upscale casual, actually—and my friend described it (and the cuisine) as "sophisticated without being pretentious." I concur.
It's obvious that Chiappetti intends Archive Lounge to be a culinary love letter to Italy. That country should be flattered.
Note: This visit was arranged.
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