New Restaurant: Fianco (3 of 5 Zs)

Brian and I headed to Fianco last night for a nice dinner before he headed to Vegas with his friends. Fianco's gotten solid reviews in TimeOut Chicago, Chicago Magazine and Metromix, and the menu -- would it be called rustic Italian? -- seemed appealing and not too expensive.

Also of note: Fianco's in the space of the former Winston's Market, whose owner didn't really know how to pull the place together. Brian and I liked the concept of Winston's -- a place to pick up a fresh sandwich or salad, or takeaway something pre-prepared for dinner -- but were always finding it missed the mark, including in atmosphere,which should have been a home run given the exposed brick walls and high ceilings. It seemed empty, awkward, half-way upscale (the exposed brick, nice wood, art) and half-way done on-the-cheap (wobbly formica tables, awkwardly placed; a semi-coffee shop feel with one type of coffee that came out of a pump: regular). I don't need perfection, but every time we went, I was uncomfortable. And that's no fun.

We were uber curious to see what Fianco would be like. And it was good -- 3 of 5 Zs -- including the atmosphere, which is warm, comfortable, perfect for a first-date (they know this, given the number of two-seaters) yet still easy for a small group. So you can imagine our surprise to learn it's the same owner! I mean, I literally sat there during dinner and, looking around the room at the full house, said, "I feel bad for the past owner. He'd probably drive by and see it so successful and feel bad."

It's true, on a cold, rainy night, there were more people in the restaurant than we saw in all our combined visits to Winstons -- people are receptive. The critics were right that it's worth a try. I had "Gigli," horn-shaped pasta with mushrooms, a little ricotta, tomatoes and lamb sausage. Overall, the dish was tasty but standard. Brian's was really tasty: bison ravioli with a corn-butter-parmesan sauce. The sauce was definitely buttery but lovely: there were corn kernals, which I thought was unique. Our apps were good: he had simple but flavorful green beans, and I had the octopus (cooked well but almost too heavy of a grilled, salty taste).

If you go, above all, GET THE GELATO AND SORBET. There's a large assortment, and in one dessert you can choose three. We had pistachio, hazelnut and apple cider sorbet. Each were wonderful! Not overpowering, light, and sprikled with crumbled biscotti and mint -- a perfect ending.

There was a mixup when we sat down of some sort; after 15 min. of no sign of a waiter we had to ask for one, and it was another few minutes before our server came -- who we later found out had just arrived when she wasn't able to answer our question about the daily farmer's salad. (She later noted they added 7 tables that day; maybe bad staff planning?). Although it was a little annoying, she was nice, and everything else went on without a hitch. Not sure if it was for the wait or being locals, but we did get a 15% off card for Tuesday or Wednesday nights. Perfect for our date night; we'll be back.

Note: As of this posting, the Web site says it doesn't except reservations for parties under six people, but it's incorrect and needs to be updated. We ended up being seated without a reservation, luckily, and I'm happy they do accept reservations. Restaurants that don't are my pet peeve, but that's another topic for another day. :)