By Paul Tooher
Some cities are lucky enough to have one good Italian restaurant.
For others, like Grand Forks, N.D., the opening of an Olive Garden is a big deal, inspiring a restaurant review that attracted national attention.
But diners in the Chicago metro area have two Italian restaurants rated as among the 20 best in the nation to choose between. Only New York City, with four on the top 20 list, has more – five if you include Brooklyn.
According to The Daily Meal, Davanti Enoteca and Spiaggia are among the 20 best in the nation.
Davanti Enoteca was ranked 20th on The Daily Meal’s list. According to the reviewer, “communal tables made from reclaimed wood and bare brick walls create the ideal ambiance for a meal filled with hearty Italian fare.” The review also notes that “nothing on the menu costs more than $21.”
Spiaggia was rated the seventh best in the nation, as award-winning chef Tony Mantuano “continues to delight diners with such fare as Pugliese burrata with golden Osetra caviar and potato crisps, squid ink spaghetti with Maine lobster and toasted breadcrumbs, and wood-roasted steelhead trout with honey mussels, black garlic, butter-roasted turnips and Meyer lemon.”
According to The Daily Meal, the best Italian restaurant in America is New York City’s Babbo. Others in the Big Apple that made the top 20 list include Del Posto, Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria, Torrisi Italian Specialties and Al di La, actually located in Brooklyn.
Other cities home to top 20 Italian restaurants include Los Angeles with two, Vincenti Ristorante and Osteria Mozza; Vetri, in Philadelphia; Quince, in San Francisco; Frasca Food & Wine, Boulder, Colo.; Al Forno, Providence, R.I.; Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Las Vegas; Domenica, New Orleans; Staple & Fancy Mercantile, Seattle; Valentino, Santa Monica, Calif.; Scampo, Boston; Oliveto Restaurant & Café, Oakland, Calif.; and Palena, Washington, D.C.